Everald Cummings
Encyclopedia
Everald “Gally” Cummings (born August 28, 1948 in Trinidad and Tobago
) was a football midfielder
who played for six years in the North American Soccer League
. He also played professionally in Mexico
. He was a mainstay of the Trinidad and Tobago national team
in the 1960s and 1970s and later became the national team coach of Trinidad and Tobago in the 1980s during the Strike Squad years. He is listed in the Top 100 Sportsmen and Sportswomen of the Millennium (1900–1999) by the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Sports and was inducted into the T&T Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.
secondary school in Port of Spain
playing for his school's football team. He helped them win their first every Intercol championship (nationwide football competition amongst schools) in 1965. He was also a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Youth Team in 1966 that toured Jamaica
.
in the North American Soccer League
with whom he was champions in 1968 until leaving the club in 1970. In 1972 he signed with the New York Cosmos
, winning the championship with them the same year. He left the club in 1973. He moved to Veracruz in Mexico
in 1974 until 1976. He also played with the Boston Minutemen
in 1977. He played indoor football with the Cleveland Force in the Major Indoor Soccer League
in the United States
in 1979.
from at least November 17, 1968 when it lost 4-0 to Guatemala
in World Cup qualifying until December 18, 1976 when it lost to Surinam 3-2. He was a member of the national team for the 1973 CONCACAF Championship
to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup
when Trinidad and Tobago had five goals controversially disallowed against Haiti
and fell two points short of qualifying. He was named T&T Sportsman of the Year in 1973 and Most Valuable Player during the World Cup Qualification Preliminary Series.
in Italy
. Trinidad and Tobago came within one game of qualifying for the World Cup Finals in Italy
, needing only a draw to qualify in their final game played at home against the United States
on November 19, 1989. In front of an over capacity crowd of over 30,000 at the National Stadium
on Red Day, Paul Caligiuri
of the USA scored the only goal of the game in the 38th minute dashing T&T's qualification hopes. For the good behaviour of the crowd at the stadium despite the devastating loss and overcrowded stands, the spectators of Trinidad and Tobago were awarded the FIFA Fair Play Award
in 1989. Cummings was awarded the Chaconia Silver Medal (Second highest National Award
) alongside his players for their efforts in the campaign.
In recent years he has coached teams in the TT Pro League including South Starworld Strikers
and North East Stars
.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
) was a football midfielder
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 for six years 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:...
. He also played professionally in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He was a mainstay of the Trinidad and Tobago national team
Trinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
in the 1960s and 1970s and later became the national team coach of Trinidad and Tobago in the 1980s during the Strike Squad years. He is listed in the Top 100 Sportsmen and Sportswomen of the Millennium (1900–1999) by the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Sports and was inducted into the T&T Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.
Early career
Cummings attended the Fatima CollegeFatima College
Fatima College is a government-assisted, highly-selective Roman Catholic boys' secondary school in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. It was established in 1945 and had an enrollment of 895 students . The school was established and is run by the Holy Ghost Fathers, an international Roman Catholic...
secondary school in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
playing for his school's football team. He helped them win their first every Intercol championship (nationwide football competition amongst schools) in 1965. He was also a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Youth Team in 1966 that toured Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
.
Professional
He began playing for local Trinidad club Paragon in the Northern Football Association Premier Division in 1964. In 1967 he joined the Atlanta ChiefsAtlanta Chiefs
The Atlanta Chiefs were a soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia that played in the NPSL and NASL from 1967 to 1972. Their home fields were Atlanta Stadium and Tara Stadium . The club was the brainchild of Dick Cecil, then Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise who were the Chiefs'...
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:...
with whom he was champions in 1968 until leaving the club in 1970. In 1972 he signed with the New York Cosmos
New York Cosmos
The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...
, winning the championship with them the same year. He left the club in 1973. He moved to Veracruz in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1974 until 1976. He also played with the Boston Minutemen
Boston Minutemen
The Boston Minutemen were a soccer team based out of Boston that played in the NASL. They played from 1974 to 1976. Their home fields included Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy and Sargent Field in New Bedford.Portuguese legend...
in 1977. He played indoor football with the Cleveland Force 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1979.
National team
Everald Cummings was a regular with the Trinidad and Tobago national teamTrinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
from at least November 17, 1968 when it lost 4-0 to Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
in World Cup qualifying until December 18, 1976 when it lost to Surinam 3-2. He was a member of the national team for the 1973 CONCACAF Championship
1973 CONCACAF Championship
The 1973 CONCACAF Championship, the 6th staging of the CONCACAF Championship, was held in Haiti from November 29 to December 18. All matches were played at Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince. This is the first edition to double as qualification for the World Cup. Haiti became winners for the...
to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
when Trinidad and Tobago had five goals controversially disallowed against Haiti
Haiti national football team
The Haiti national football team represents Haiti in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Haïtienne de Football, the governing body for football in Haiti. Haiti's home ground is Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince and their head coach is Edson Tavares...
and fell two points short of qualifying. He was named T&T Sportsman of the Year in 1973 and Most Valuable Player during the World Cup Qualification Preliminary Series.
Coaching career
Cummings was coach of the Trinidad and Tobago team, dubbed the Strike Squad during the qualification campaign for the 1990 FIFA World Cup1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Trinidad and Tobago came within one game of qualifying for the World Cup Finals in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, needing only a draw to qualify in their final game played at home against the United States
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...
on November 19, 1989. In front of an over capacity crowd of over 30,000 at the National Stadium
Hasely Crawford Stadium
The Hasely Crawford Stadium, located in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is named after Hasely Crawford, the first person from Trinidad and Tobago to win an Olympic gold medal. Originally built as the National Stadium in 1980, the stadium was re-named to honour Crawford in 2001. The stadium...
on Red Day, Paul Caligiuri
Paul Caligiuri
Paul David Caligiuri is a retired American soccer player.Caliguiri's professional career spanned 16 years, during which he played for numerous teams in the United States and Germany, and for the U.S. national team...
of the USA scored the only goal of the game in the 38th minute dashing T&T's qualification hopes. For the good behaviour of the crowd at the stadium despite the devastating loss and overcrowded stands, the spectators of Trinidad and Tobago were awarded the FIFA Fair Play Award
FIFA Fair Play Award
The FIFA Fair Play Award is a FIFA recognition of good or sporting behaviour or other actions by people or bodies involved in :association football around the world. First awarded in 1987, it has been presented to individuals , teams, fans, spectators, football associations/federations and even...
in 1989. Cummings was awarded the Chaconia Silver Medal (Second highest National Award
National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago
The National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago consist of:* The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago - the country's highest award.* The Chaconia Medal of the Order of the Trinity - in Gold, Silver or Bronze...
) alongside his players for their efforts in the campaign.
In recent years he has coached teams in the TT Pro League including South Starworld Strikers
South Starworld Strikers
The South Starworld Strikers are a professional football team, which plays in Trinidad and Tobago's Professional Football League. The team currently plays in Ato Boldon Stadium, in Couva, Trinidad.-History:...
and North East Stars
North East Stars
The North East Stars are a professional football team, which currently plays in Trinidad and Tobago's Pro League. The team currently plays in Sangre Grande Regional Complex, in Sangre Grande, Trinidad.-History:...
.