Jan Goossens

Jan Goossens
Personal information
Date of birth	18 December 1958 (age 65)
Place of birth	Velp, Netherlands
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
	Gelria
1976–1977	N.E.C.
Senior career*
Years	Team
1977–1979	N.E.C.
1979–1982	Edmonton Drillers
1979	→ Heracles
1982–1984	Golden Bay Earthquakes
1984–1986	Minnesota Strikers
1986–1991	Kansas City Comets
1991–1992	Dallas Sidekicks
Total
Managerial career
1999–2002	s.c. Veluwezoom
2004–2008	Gazelle Nieuwland
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jan Goossens (born December 18, 1958) is a former Dutch soccer player and coach. He played for clubs from the Netherlands and Canada, but spend most of his career in the United States of America. Jan Goossens played 612 official matches and scored a total of 474 goals during his career

Career

Youth

Jan Goossens was born and raised in the Dutch village Velp, Gelderland, where he played his youth soccer at the local soccer team Gelria. At the age of 18 he started playing for the professional soccer team N.E.C. from Nijmegen.

N.E.C.

On October 16, 1977 Jan Goossens made his debut on the first squad of N.E.C. in a home match against F.C. Twente. Goossens played 13 matches for N.E.C., but unfortunately never scored. Almost a year after his debut, Jan Goossens played his last match for N.E.C. against F.C. Den Haag on October 25, 1978.

Edmonton Drillers

In the beginning of 1979 Jan Goossens moved from N.E.C. tot the Edmonton Drillers, where Hans Kraay Sr. was the head coach at that time. Goossens wasn’t the only Dutch soccer player that moved to the Edmonton Drillers that year. Also Henk ten Cate, Dwight Lodeweges and Hans Kraay Jr. moved to the Edmonton Drillers in 1979-1980. In the 1980–81 season Jan Goossens won the NASL Indoor competition with the Edmonton Drillers. Goossens played a total of 139 matches for the Edmonton Drillers, in which he scored 92 goals. In 1982 the Edmonton Drillers folded due to financial troubles, which caused Goossens to leave for a club from the United States of America.

Heracles Almelo

From October 1979 till March 1980 Goossens was out on loan to Heracles Almelo. During this period the American competition had ended, which made it possible for Dutch soccer players to go out on loan to Dutch teams. Goossens played 15 matches for Heracles Almelo, in which he scored 7 goals. On March 2, 1980 Goossens played his last match for Heracles Almelo against F.C. Eindhoven. After that match he had to return to the Edmonton Drillers.

Golden Bay Earthquakes

In 1982 Goossens moved from the Canadian Edmonton Drillers to the American Golden Bay Earthquakes. That year, the Golden Bay Earthquakes, normally an NASL team, spent the indoor season playing in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). The Earthquakes returned to the NASL for the 1983 summer season and Goossens remained with the team into the 1984 season. He was hindered by a knee injury in 1984 and was sent to the Minnesota Strikers late in the season.

Minnesota Strikers

Jan Goossens left the Golden Bay Earthquakes in 1984 for the Minnesota Strikers, but due to his knee injury he was not able to play any match the first season. The Minnesota Strikers ended the 1985-1986 MISL season as runner up, after losing the playoff final against the San Diego Sockers (4-3). Jan Goossens played a total of 93 games for the Minnesota Strikers, in which he scored 71 goals.

Kansas City Comets

In 1986 Jan Goossens left the Minnesota Strikers and moved to the Kansas City Comets, where he would play until that team folded in 1991. Goossens played three MISL playoff finals with the Kansas City Comets, but the team ended up as runner-up every time. Jan Goossens holds the Kansas City Comets all-time record for the most goals, by scoring 221 goals in 227 games. Goossens also holds the Kansas City Comets all-time record for the most assists, by giving 237 assists in 227 games. In the 1989–1990 seasons Goossens even got the MISL Pass Master Award, which was given out to the player with the most assists during the regular season.

Dallas Sidekicks

After a very successful period at the Kansas City Comets, Jan Goossens moved to the Dallas Sidekicks in 1991. His teammate David Doyle made the same move. Jan Goossens played 29 games for the Dallas Sidekicks, in which he scored 19 goals. In July 1992 with the league on verge of collapsing, Goossens announced his retirement.

Prices

NASL indoor champion: season 1980–81
MISL Pass Master Award: season 1989–90

Trivia

Most scoring Dutch player in the North American Soccer League (NASL)
All-time record leader for the most goals for the Kansas City Comets
All-time record leader for the most assists for the Kansas City Comets
6th all-time points leader of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)
5th all-time leader of goals of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)
5th all-time leader of assists of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)

External links