Perry Van der Beck
Encyclopedia
Perry Van der Beck is a retired U.S. soccer midfielder
and manager and a current soccer executive.
Van der Beck began his playing career with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League
and ended it with the Tampa Bay Terror
of the indoor National Professional Soccer League. He also earned twenty-three caps, scoring two goals, with the U.S. national team
between 1979 and 1985. He played for various indoor and outdoor teams until 1998, when he retired from the pitch and became an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Mutiny
.
After coaching for several other clubs and youth soccer organizations, Van der Beck was hired as the technical director and youth director for FC Tampa Bay in 2008. He was later promoted and is currently the club's executive vice president and director of player development.
(NASL) drafted Perry Van der Beck out of high school. At the time he was the youngest native born American playing professional soccer. He was also the first American drafted out of high school. Despite his youth and relative inexperience when he joined the Rowdies, he gradually worked himself into becoming a significant contributor to the team. At the time, the Rowdies were a major team in the NASL. In both 1978 and 1979, they made it to the championship game.
In 1983, Van der Beck played with Team America
during its dismal single season. USSF wanted to combine all the dominant U.S. players in NASL onto one team to give them an opportunity to develop, as well as to create publicity for the national team. While the concept attracted the support of Van der Beck and some other U.S. players, it was viewed with suspicion by many others, such as Rick Davis
. Team America went 10-20 and folded after the 1983 season. Van der Beck then returned to the Rowdies for a single season.
During his time with the Rowdies, the NASL had played both an indoor as well as its more well known outdoor seasons. However, the NASL was at heart an outdoor league and when the Major Indoor Soccer League
(MISL) began operation, it quickly took over the indoor soccer market. By the time Van der Beck had returned to the Rowdies in 1984, the NASL was on its last legs and in 1985, Van Der Beck left the team to follow former Rowdies coach Gordon Jago
to the Dallas Sidekicks
of the MISL.
. He then moved, sometime later, to the Wichita Wings
.
, scoring two goals with the team. He was an integral part in the U.S. failed attempts to qualify for the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cups.
In 1980, he would have been the captain of the U.S. soccer team at the 1980 Summer Olympics
. Despite qualifying for the tournament, the U.S. did not send a team to Moscow when President Jimmy Carter
organized a boycott of the games in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
In 1985, Van der Beck was selected the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year
.
Van der Beck served on the US Soccer Board of Directors from 1986-93.
He has also worked as a loan officer for Harborside Mortgage in Clearwater, Florida.
of the National Professional Soccer League during the 1996-1997 season.
of Major League Soccer
(MLS) as an assistant coach for the 1998 season. In 2001, he became the head coach of the Mutiny for its last 11 games of the team's existence when then head coach, Alfonso Mondelo
was fired. While assistant coach of the Mutiny, he also coached the Northdale Rangers of the Florida Youth Soccer Association to three State Cups and the 1998 Region III Cup. After MLS shut down the Mutiny at the end of the 2001 season, Van Der Beck replace Peter Vermes
as the Super Y-League Olympic Development Program National Camp Technical Director.
. By the time the team took the pitch in 2010, Van der Beck had been promoted to executive vice president and director of player development. Head coach Paul Dalglish
left the team with 2 games remaining in the regular season, and Van der Beck served as the interim coach until January 2011, when Ricky Hill
was hired as the club's new head coach and Van der Beck returned to his executive position.
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...
and manager and a current soccer executive.
Van der Beck began his playing career with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of 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:...
and ended it with the Tampa Bay Terror
Tampa Bay Terror
The Tampa Bay Terror were an indoor soccer team based in Tampa Bay, Florida that competed in the defunct National Professional Soccer League . The team existed for two seasons before folding: 1995-1996 and 1996-1997. The team's home games were held at the Bayfront Center. The two season that the...
of the indoor National Professional Soccer League. He also earned twenty-three caps, scoring two goals, with the U.S. 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 1979 and 1985. He played for various indoor and outdoor teams until 1998, when he retired from the pitch and became an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...
.
After coaching for several other clubs and youth soccer organizations, Van der Beck was hired as the technical director and youth director for FC Tampa Bay in 2008. He was later promoted and is currently the club's executive vice president and director of player development.
NASL
In 1978, the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer LeagueNorth 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) drafted Perry Van der Beck out of high school. At the time he was the youngest native born American playing professional soccer. He was also the first American drafted out of high school. Despite his youth and relative inexperience when he joined the Rowdies, he gradually worked himself into becoming a significant contributor to the team. At the time, the Rowdies were a major team in the NASL. In both 1978 and 1979, they made it to the championship game.
In 1983, Van der Beck played with Team America
Team America (soccer)
Team America was a professional version of the United States men's national soccer team which played as a franchise in the defunct North American Soccer League during the 1983 season...
during its dismal single season. USSF wanted to combine all the dominant U.S. players in NASL onto one team to give them an opportunity to develop, as well as to create publicity for the national team. While the concept attracted the support of Van der Beck and some other U.S. players, it was viewed with suspicion by many others, such as Rick Davis
Rick Davis
Richard Dean Davis is a retired American soccer midfielder, and former captain of the U.S. National Team for much of the 1980s...
. Team America went 10-20 and folded after the 1983 season. Van der Beck then returned to the Rowdies for a single season.
During his time with the Rowdies, the NASL had played both an indoor as well as its more well known outdoor seasons. However, the NASL was at heart an outdoor league and when 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...
(MISL) began operation, it quickly took over the indoor soccer market. By the time Van der Beck had returned to the Rowdies in 1984, the NASL was on its last legs and in 1985, Van Der Beck left the team to follow former Rowdies coach Gordon Jago
Gordon Jago
Gordon Harold Jago MBE is a former English association football player and manager.Born in Poplar, London, Jago began his career in the Football League with , whom he joined in the 1954–55 season from non-league team . He made a total of 147 appearances, scoring one goal, at The Valley...
to 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...
of the MISL.
MISL
Van der Beck remained with the Sidekicks for three seasons, caping his time with the team by winning the MISL championship in 1987. On July 4, 1987, the Sidekicks announced they would not renew Van der Beck's contract and he became a free agent. On August 11, 1987, he signed with the St. Louis SteamersSt. Louis Steamers (1979–1988)
The original St. Louis Steamers played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1979 through 1988. Their home fixtures were held at the St. Louis Arena.-Ownership:* Ben Kerner & Partnership * Thomas M...
. He then moved, sometime later, to the Wichita Wings
Wichita Wings
This article is about the original team. For the current team, see Wichita Wings .The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979...
.
National team
In 1979, Van der Beck played his first game with the U.S. national team. He would go on to earn 23 capsCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
, scoring two goals with the team. He was an integral part in the U.S. failed attempts to qualify for the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cups.
In 1980, he would have been the captain of the U.S. soccer team at the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
. Despite qualifying for the tournament, the U.S. did not send a team to Moscow when President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
organized a boycott of the games in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
In 1985, Van der Beck was selected the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year
U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year
The U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year is given by the United States Soccer Federation to the American soccer players judged best in the calendar year. It is the longest running major American soccer award...
.
Van der Beck served on the US Soccer Board of Directors from 1986-93.
He has also worked as a loan officer for Harborside Mortgage in Clearwater, Florida.
NPSL
He served as the player/coach with the Tampa Bay TerrorTampa Bay Terror
The Tampa Bay Terror were an indoor soccer team based in Tampa Bay, Florida that competed in the defunct National Professional Soccer League . The team existed for two seasons before folding: 1995-1996 and 1996-1997. The team's home games were held at the Bayfront Center. The two season that the...
of the National Professional Soccer League during the 1996-1997 season.
Coaching and Front Office
At the end of the 1997 season, he retired from playing and joined the Tampa Bay MutinyTampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...
of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
(MLS) as an assistant coach for the 1998 season. In 2001, he became the head coach of the Mutiny for its last 11 games of the team's existence when then head coach, Alfonso Mondelo
Alfonso Mondelo
Alfonso Mondelo is a soccer coach.Mondelo's coaching career includes many highlights, like the Puerto Rican national team, where he coached future United States of America National team star Chris Armas. He also coached the Long Island Rough Riders in the A-League...
was fired. While assistant coach of the Mutiny, he also coached the Northdale Rangers of the Florida Youth Soccer Association to three State Cups and the 1998 Region III Cup. After MLS shut down the Mutiny at the end of the 2001 season, Van Der Beck replace Peter Vermes
Peter Vermes
Peter Joseph Vermes is an American former professional soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer....
as the Super Y-League Olympic Development Program National Camp Technical Director.
FC Tampa Bay
In June 2008, Van der Beck was hired as the technical director of the expansion FC Tampa Bay of the USSF Division 2 Professional LeagueUSSF Division 2 Professional League
USSF Division 2 Professional League was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation in 2010 to last just one season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues and the North American Soccer League...
. By the time the team took the pitch in 2010, Van der Beck had been promoted to executive vice president and director of player development. Head coach Paul Dalglish
Paul Dalglish
Paul Kenneth Dalglish is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.-Playing career:Dalglish, son of former Scotland international Kenny Dalglish, was born in Glasgow though spent his childhood in Liverpool where his father managed Liverpool F.C...
left the team with 2 games remaining in the regular season, and Van der Beck served as the interim coach until January 2011, when Ricky Hill
Ricky Hill
Ricky Hill is a former English footballer and the current head coach for Tampa Bay in the second division North American Soccer League.He was born in Paddington.-Playing career:...
was hired as the club's new head coach and Van der Beck returned to his executive position.