Dave D'Errico
Encyclopedia
Dave D'Errico is a retired American soccer player. He spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League
(NASL), five in Major Indoor Soccer League
(MISL) and one in the United Soccer League
(USL). He won three MISL championships and earned nineteen caps with the United States national team
between 1974 and 1977.
with his three older brothers. Throughout his youth, he played for the local Kearny Scots
. D'Errico graduated from New Jersey’s Harrison High School in 1969. In 1999, he was named by The Star-Ledger
as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1940s-1960s.
In 1972, he entered Hartwick College
where he played on the men's soccer team for the 1972 and 1973 seasons. He was a First-Team All-American
in 1973, the year that Hartwick went to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals before losing to Brown University
in double overtime. D'Errico graduated from Hartwick in 1974 with a bachelor's degree
in history having played twenty-seven games, scored six goals and assisted on six others.
selected D'Errico with the first overall pick in the NASL College Draft. In the 1974-1975 NASL offseason, the Sounders loaned D'Errico to League of Ireland First Division club, Dundalk
for a month. After spending three seasons in Seattle, D'Errico broke his fibula and tore ligaments during practice. At the time, he and Mike England
were competing for the starting position. The injury led to the Sounders going with England on the front line. After a contract dispute D'Errico asked to be traded to the Minnesota Kicks
. He spent only a single season in Minnesota before moving to the New England Tea Men
for the 1978 season. That year, he was named as an Honorable Mention All-Star.
(MISL). In 1978, he joined the Cincinnati Kids
for its one season in the newly established MISL. The Kids played the first MISL game, against the New York Arrows
. That year the Kids made the playoffs only to lose to the Arrows in the semifinals.
In 1979, D'Errico played for the Rochester Lancers
of the NASL. Once again he played only a single season with the Lancers, but his time with the team was significant in that the Lancers also entered the MISL as the New York Arrows. D'Errico was second-team All-Star for the 1979-1980 MISL season and a first-team All-Star for the 1980-1981 MISL season.
D'Errico played one more season in the NASL, this time with the San Diego Sockers in 1980. The Sockers were a team, much like the Lancers/Arrows, who did little outdoors, but came to dominate the indoor league.
. The Gold were a part of the short live outdoor United Soccer League
which lasted only the 1984 and part of the 1985 season. D'Errico acted as a player-coach and led the team to an 11-13 record. The Gold folded at the end of the season.
in 1974, playing the team's only two games of that year, both loses to Mexico
. In 1975 he played only two of the team's five games, one as a sub. However, in 1976, he became an integral member of the team and its eventual captain as it began qualifications for the 1978 World Cup. He continued to play through the end of 1977 and experienced the disappointment of failing to qualify for the World Cup finals.
D'Errico has a graduate degree from Seattle Pacific University
in sports psychology and sociology.
In 1995, Hartwick College inducted D'Errico into its Athletic Hall of Fame.
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:...
(NASL), five in Major Indoor Soccer League
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
(MISL) and one 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...
(USL). He won three MISL championships and earned nineteen caps with the United States national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
between 1974 and 1977.
Youth and college
D'Errico grew up playing soccer in Harrison, New JerseyHarrison, New Jersey
Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 13,620. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey.-Geography:Harrison is located at ....
with his three older brothers. Throughout his youth, he played for the local Kearny Scots
Kearny Scots
The Kearny Scots are an American soccer club based in Kearny, New Jersey. The Scots have played in both the National Association Football League and the second American Soccer League. When not members of those leagues, the Scots competed in lower level city leagues...
. D'Errico graduated from New Jersey’s Harrison High School in 1969. In 1999, he was named by The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1940s-1960s.
In 1972, he entered Hartwick College
Hartwick College
Hartwick College is a non-denominational, private, four-year liberal arts and sciences college located in Oneonta, New York, in the United States. The institution was founded as Hartwick Seminary in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick, and is now known as Hartwick College...
where he played on the men's soccer team for the 1972 and 1973 seasons. He was a First-Team All-American
Division I First-Team All-American (soccer)
The Division I First-Team All-Americans are the best eleven U.S. college soccer players as selected by the NCAA.-1970–1983:From 1970 to 1983 the NCAA only named defenders and forwards in addition to one goalkeeper.-1983–present:...
in 1973, the year that Hartwick went to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals before losing to Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in double overtime. D'Errico graduated from Hartwick in 1974 with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in history having played twenty-seven games, scored six goals and assisted on six others.
NASL
In 1974, the expansion Seattle SoundersSeattle Sounders (NASL)
The Seattle Sounders were a U.S. professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1974, the team belonged to the North American Soccer League where it played both indoor and outdoor soccer. The team folded after the 1983 NASL outdoor season.-Stadium:The Sounders played at Memorial...
selected D'Errico with the first overall pick in the NASL College Draft. In the 1974-1975 NASL offseason, the Sounders loaned D'Errico to League of Ireland First Division club, Dundalk
Dundalk F.C.
Dundalk Football Club is a professional Irish football club based in Dundalk, County Louth. The club currently play in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. Founded in 1903, they are the second most successful team, in terms of trophies won, in the history of the League of Ireland. The...
for a month. After spending three seasons in Seattle, D'Errico broke his fibula and tore ligaments during practice. At the time, he and Mike England
Mike England
Harold Michael "Mike" England, MBE was a popular Welsh footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born Holywell, Wales, Mike England was a tall commanding centre-half, who could also play effectively as a centre-forward. He played for Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur, Cardiff, and for the Wales...
were competing for the starting position. The injury led to the Sounders going with England on the front line. After a contract dispute D'Errico asked to be traded to the Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League. The team had relocated to Minnesota after having been based in Denver, Colorado as the Denver Dynamos...
. He spent only a single season in Minnesota before moving to the New England Tea Men
New England Tea Men
The New England Tea Men were a soccer team based out of Foxboro, MA that played in the NASL from 1978 to 1980. Their home field was Schaefer Stadium....
for the 1978 season. That year, he was named as an Honorable Mention All-Star.
MISL and NASL
At the end of the 1978 season, D'Errico began alternating between the outdoor NASL and the indoor Major Indoor Soccer LeagueMajor Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
(MISL). In 1978, he joined the Cincinnati Kids
Cincinnati Kids
The Cincinnati Kids were a soccer team based out of Cincinnati that played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League. They played only in the 1978-79 MISL season and were partially owned by Pete Rose. Their home arena was Riverfront Coliseum....
for its one season in the newly established MISL. The Kids played the first MISL game, against the New York Arrows
New York Arrows
The New York Arrows was an indoor soccer team that played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. They won the first four MISL championships.-Preparing for the first season:...
. That year the Kids made the playoffs only to lose to the Arrows in the semifinals.
In 1979, D'Errico played for the Rochester Lancers
Rochester Lancers
The Rochester Lancers were a soccer team based in Rochester, New York that played in the American Soccer League from 1967 until 1969 and the North American Soccer League from 1970 to 1980 at Aquinas Stadium...
of the NASL. Once again he played only a single season with the Lancers, but his time with the team was significant in that the Lancers also entered the MISL as the New York Arrows. D'Errico was second-team All-Star for the 1979-1980 MISL season and a first-team All-Star for the 1980-1981 MISL season.
D'Errico played one more season in the NASL, this time with the San Diego Sockers in 1980. The Sockers were a team, much like the Lancers/Arrows, who did little outdoors, but came to dominate the indoor league.
USL
In 1984, D'Errico played for the Charlotte GoldCarolina Lightnin'
The Carolina Lightnin was an American soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina that was a member of the American Soccer League. The Lightnin' played home matches at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Attendance at home games averaged 6,000 spectators...
. The Gold were a part of the short live outdoor 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...
which lasted only the 1984 and part of the 1985 season. D'Errico acted as a player-coach and led the team to an 11-13 record. The Gold folded at the end of the season.
National team
D'Errico also made his debut for the U.S. national teamUnited States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in 1974, playing the team's only two games of that year, both loses to Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
. In 1975 he played only two of the team's five games, one as a sub. However, in 1976, he became an integral member of the team and its eventual captain as it began qualifications for the 1978 World Cup. He continued to play through the end of 1977 and experienced the disappointment of failing to qualify for the World Cup finals.
D'Errico has a graduate degree from Seattle Pacific University
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle Pacific University is a Christian university of the liberal arts, sciences and professions, located on the north slope of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, Washington, USA. It was founded in 1891 by the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary...
in sports psychology and sociology.
In 1995, Hartwick College inducted D'Errico into its Athletic Hall of Fame.