Juergen Sommer
Personal information | |||||||||||||
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Full name | Juergen Peterson Sommer | ||||||||||||
Date of birth | February 27, 1969 | ||||||||||||
Place of birth | New York, New York, United States | ||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||
1987–1990 | Indiana University | ||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
1991–1995 | Luton Town | 82 | (0) | ||||||||||
1991–1992 | → Brighton (loan) | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
1991–1992 | → Kettering Town (loan) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||
1992–1993 | → Torquay United (loan) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||
1995–1998 | Queens Park Rangers | 66 | (0) | ||||||||||
1998–1999 | Columbus Crew | 21 | (0) | ||||||||||
2000 | Connecticut Wolves | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
2000–2002 | New England Revolution | 33 | (0) | ||||||||||
2001 | → Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
Total | 224 | (0) | |||||||||||
National team | |||||||||||||
1994–1998 | United States | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||
Teams managed | |||||||||||||
2014–2015 | Indy Eleven | ||||||||||||
Honours
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Juergen Peterson Sommer (born February 27, 1969) is a former American soccer player and coach. He is a former American soccer goalkeeper, who became the first American goalkeeper to play in the FA Premier League, when he signed to play for Queens Park Rangers in 1995. He has served as the U.S. Men's National team goalkeeping coach. Later on, Sommer coached Indy Eleven in the NASL.[1]
Youth and college[]
Sommer played soccer at Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana where he was an All-American. After graduation, Sommer walked on at Indiana University, where he quickly became the starting goalkeeper in 1987. He was named Collegiate Goalkeeper of the Year in 1990.
Professional career[]
Sommer left Indiana to sign with Luton Town of the First Division in 1991. Sommer played for the next seven years in England for Queens Park Rangers, Luton Town and Torquay. In 1998, he made the jump back home to sign with the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer, as a replacement for Brad Friedel, who had signed for Liverpool the previous year. Sommer became the Crew starter over the next two seasons, and after a pair of major knee injuries, he signed with the New England Revolution. In 2000, he played one game with the Connecticut Wolves in the USISL A-League.[2] After another injury forced Sommer to the sidelines, and the emergence of Adin Brown as the Revolution's starting goalkeeper, he retired after the 2002 MLS Cup. He represented English side Bolton Wanderers for just one FA Cup game against Blackburn Rovers in February 2001. Sommer answered an S.O.S. by Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce who saw his other goalkeepers either injured or ineligible but was himself injured during the match.
International[]
Throughout his career, Sommer earned ten caps for the U.S. National Team, and was a member of the U.S. team which competed at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups. Although many believe him to be a solid goalkeeper in his prime, the play of Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and Tony Meola greatly reduced his chances of seeing an extended run in the national team.
References[]
- ^ "Juergen Sommer to Lead Indy Eleven as Head Coach". indyeleven.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- ^ 2000 Connecticut Wolves
- 1969 births
- Living people
- 1994 FIFA World Cup players
- 1995 Copa América players
- 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
- 1998 FIFA World Cup players
- American soccer players
- American expatriate soccer players
- Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
- Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
- Columbus Crew players
- Connecticut Wolves players
- Expatriate footballers in England
- American expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom
- Association football goalkeepers
- Luton Town F.C. players
- Major League Soccer players
- New England Revolution players
- Sportspeople from New York City
- Premier League players
- Queens Park Rangers F.C. players
- Soccer players from New York (state)
- Torquay United F.C. players
- United States men's international soccer players
- USL First Division players
- American people of German descent
- North American Soccer League coaches
- Indy Eleven coaches
- Culver Academies alumni