Tad Willoughby
Encyclopedia
Tad Willoughby is a retired American soccer midfielder
who played four seasons in the Western Soccer Alliance and three in the Major Indoor Soccer League
.
. He attended the University of Washington
where he played soccer from 1979 to 1983. In 1984, he joined F.C. Seattle for the F.C. Seattle Challenge Series which pitted the team against three North American Soccer League
teams. He did not play for Seattle in 1985, but rejoined the team in 1986 and played through the 1989 season. In 1986, Seattle coach Jimmy Gabriel
installed Willoughby as the team’s primary playmaker. He retired from playing following the 1989 season. Willoughby served as the team’s ticket manager until released in February 1990. Willoughby had also spent three seasons for the Tacoma Stars in the Major Indoor Soccer League
.
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
who played four seasons in the Western Soccer Alliance and three in the 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...
.
Playing
Willoughby grew up in Bellevue, WashingtonBellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
. He attended the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
where he played soccer from 1979 to 1983. In 1984, he joined F.C. Seattle for the F.C. Seattle Challenge Series which pitted the team against three 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:...
teams. He did not play for Seattle in 1985, but rejoined the team in 1986 and played through the 1989 season. In 1986, Seattle coach Jimmy Gabriel
Jimmy Gabriel
James Gabriel is a Scottish former football midfielder who earned two caps with the Scotland national football team. Chiefly associated with English club Everton, Gabriel played extensively in Scotland and England before ending his career with the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer...
installed Willoughby as the team’s primary playmaker. He retired from playing following the 1989 season. Willoughby served as the team’s ticket manager until released in February 1990. Willoughby had also spent three seasons for the Tacoma Stars in the 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...
.