Damien Kelly
Encyclopedia
Damien Kelly is a retired Irish-American soccer forward
who played professionally in the United Soccer League
, American Indoor Soccer Association and Southwest Independent Soccer League.
where he was a 1980 and 1981 First Team and a 1983 Third Team All American soccer player. He is a member of the Eastern Illinois Panthers Hall of Fame.
selected him in the North American Soccer League
draft and the Kansas City Comets
selected him in the first round (fifth overall) in the Major Indoor Soccer League draft. In 1984, he signed with the Dallas Sidekicks
. In 1985, he played for the Dallas Americans
in the United Soccer League
. In September 1986, he signed with the Memphis Storm
of the American Indoor Soccer Association. In 1989, the team came under new ownership which renamed it the Memphis Rogues. In 1990, the Rogues transferred to the Southwest Independent Soccer League and Kelly became a player-coach.
Kelly also played for the Ireland Olympic and Youth soccer teams.
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
who played professionally in the United Soccer League
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in the mid-1980s.After the demise of the second incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1983, four ASL teams founded the USL...
, American Indoor Soccer Association and Southwest Independent Soccer League.
Youth
Kelly attended Eastern Illinois UniversityEastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a comprehensive university with a...
where he was a 1980 and 1981 First Team and a 1983 Third Team All American soccer player. He is a member of the Eastern Illinois Panthers Hall of Fame.
Professional
In 1983, the Tulsa RoughnecksTulsa Roughnecks
-NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place...
selected him in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
draft and the Kansas City Comets
Kansas City Comets
The Kansas City Comets were a professional indoor soccer team based for most of its existence in Kansas City, Missouri. They played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1979–1991, when they folded...
selected him in the first round (fifth overall) in the Major Indoor Soccer League draft. In 1984, he signed with the Dallas Sidekicks
Dallas Sidekicks
The Dallas Sidekicks were one of the longest operating professional soccer teams, either indoor or outdoor, in the United States, based in Dallas, Texas, and operating from 1984 until suspending operations following the 2004 season. The team was founded as a member of the original Major Indoor...
. In 1985, he played for the Dallas Americans
Dallas Americans
Dallas Americans was an American soccer club based in Dallas, Texas that was a member of the American Soccer League. It is also the name of a Indoor American Football team.After the ASL folded, the club joined the newly formed United Soccer League....
in the United Soccer League
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in the mid-1980s.After the demise of the second incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1983, four ASL teams founded the USL...
. In September 1986, he signed with the Memphis Storm
Memphis Storm
The Memphis Storm was an American soccer team based in Memphis, Tennessee which existed from 1986 to 1994 under several names in both the American Indoor Soccer Association and the USISL.-American Indoor Soccer Association:...
of the American Indoor Soccer Association. In 1989, the team came under new ownership which renamed it the Memphis Rogues. In 1990, the Rogues transferred to the Southwest Independent Soccer League and Kelly became a player-coach.
Kelly also played for the Ireland Olympic and Youth soccer teams.