Roger Verdi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rajinder Singh Virdee | ||
| Date of birth | 4 February 1953 | ||
| Place of birth | Nairobi, Kenya | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | |||
| Ipswich Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1972 | Vancouver Spartans | 25 | (1) |
| 1972–1973 | Montreal Olympique | 25 | (1) |
| 1974 | Miami Toros | 10 | (0) |
| 1975–1977 | St. Louis Stars | (0) | |
| 1978 | San Jose Earthquakes | 9 | (0) |
| 1979 | Cleveland Cobras | ||
| 1979 | Columbus Magic | ||
| 1980 | Phoenix Fire | 0 | (0) |
| 1980–1981 | Phoenix Inferno | 38 | (2) |
| Total | 141+ | (3+) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Roger Verdi (born Rajinder Singh Virdee on 4 February 1953) is an English retired professional footballer who spent his entire career in North America, making over 100 league appearances in the North American Soccer League.
Early life[edit]
Verdi was born on 4 February 1953,[1][2] as Rajinder Singh Virdee in Nairobi, Kenya, to Indian Sikh parents.[3] He was the youngest of their two sons.[4] The family moved to England when Verdi was aged seven, settling in Smethwick.[4] He attended Sandwell Boys school.[4]
Verdi changed his name due to racism.[4] He went by 'Roger Jones' and 'Roger Jones Verdi' before settling on 'Roger Verdi'.[4]
Career[edit]
England[edit]
Verdi played with the youth teams of both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ipswich Town,[4] but failing to get a professional contract with either team, moved to North America.[5]
North America[edit]
Verdi began his career in Canada with the Vancouver Spartans.[4]
Verdi played in the NASL between 1972 and 1978 for the Montreal Olympique, Miami Toros, St. Louis Stars and San Jose Earthquakes, making a total of 103 league appearances.[1] He later played in the ASL for the Cleveland Cobras, Columbus Magic, and the Phoenix Fire, and in the MISL for Phoenix Inferno.[1]
Coaching career[edit]
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.[6]
He is also the owner of the Roger Verdi International Soccer Academy.[6]
Later life[edit]
Verdi retired to Dallas, Texas, working in construction.[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Roger Verdi". nasljerseys.com (in Latin). 4 February 1953. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ 1977 St. Louis Stars (NASL) media guide
- ^ Harmit Singh Kamboe (June 2007). "Interview with Roger Verdi". IndianFootball.com. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Roger Verdi: Marking Pele and playing darts with George Best". BBC Sport. 3 April 2019.
- ^ Shamya Dasgupta (31 August 2003). "He played against Pele, Best, Banks, now he wants to coach here". IndianExpress.com. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- ^ a b DFW Tornados. "DFW Tornados Coaches". www.dfwtornados.org. Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  | This biographical article related to association football in England, about a defender born in the 1950s, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1953 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Nairobi
- English people of Punjabi descent
- British people of Indian descent
- Sportspeople of Indian descent
- British Asian footballers
- English men's footballers
- English expatriate men's footballers
- Kenyan people of Indian descent
- Kenyan emigrants to the United Kingdom
- British people of Indo-Kenyan descent
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
- Montreal Olympique players
- Miami Toros players
- St. Louis Stars (soccer) players
- San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players
- Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
- Ipswich Town F.C. players
- Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada
- Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
- Men's association football defenders
- English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- English expatriate sportspeople in Canada
- Cleveland Cobras players
- Columbus Magic players
- Phoenix Inferno players
- American Soccer League (1933–1983) players
- Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players
- Phoenix Fire (soccer) players
- English football defender, 1950s birth stubs