Roger Verdi is a retired English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 professional footballer who spent his entire career in North America, making over 100 league appearances 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:...

.

Early life

Verdi was born as Rajinder Singh Virdee in Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, to Indian Sikh parents. He moved to England at the age of seven, and changed his name due to racism.

England

Verdi played with the youth teams of both Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...

 and Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town F.C.

Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....

, but failing to get a professional contract with either team, moved to North America.

North America

In the United States, Verdi played in the NASL

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:...

 between 1972 and 1978 for the Montreal Olympique

Montreal Olympique

Montreal Olympique were a soccer team based out of Montreal that played in the NASL. They played from 1971 to 1973. Their home field was Autostade.-Year-by-year:...

, Miami Toros

Miami Toros

The Miami Gatos were a soccer team based out of Miami that played in the North American Soccer League. The club was previously known as the Washington Darts. After the 1972 season, the team was renamed the Miami Toros...

, St. Louis Stars and San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose Earthquakes (NASL)

San Jose Earthquakes was a professional soccer club that played from 1974 to 1984. The team began as an expansion franchise in the North American Soccer League. From 1983 to 1984, the team was known as the Golden Bay Earthquakes...

., making a total of 103 league appearances.

Coaching career

After his playing career ended he moved into coaching, holding assistant coaching positions with Athlone Town FC, Stockport County, Phoenix Inferno and Cleveland Cobras. Other coaching positions include Co-director for Hubert Vogelsinger Soccer Academy in Texas, Connecticut and California and has been the Technical Director for youth clubs in Washington, New Mexico. He joined DFW Tornados as a coach in 2010.

He Is also the owner of the Roger Verdi International Soccer Academy.

External links

• NASL career stats