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THROWBACK THURSDAY | Paul Child's Journey Typifies NASL American Dream

Coming from England as a teenager, Child carved out a career, life in the United States
Matthew Levine (@NASLInsider} | Oct 1, 2015

In the NASL’s Golden Era, Paul Child wasn’t the first or the last to make the move to the United States. His journey mirrors the experience of many players.

Soccer was just starting to stream into the mainstream consciousness in the U.S., and players came from around the world to join NASL sides. Many never left.

Child, who came to the U.S. for the first time in 1972, said that he has spent more years in the U.S. than in his native England. What’s more, Child represented the U.S. national team two times in 1973, and has since been voted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame.

An American dream indeed.

“I definitely do [think it was the American dream],” Child told NASL.com. “It’s like a lot of players – you have to hit the bottom of the barrel to bounce back up and become a stronger player and person, and that’s what it did for me. I’ve stayed in America longer than I did in England and became a big part of the game.

“I feel really lucky I got to come here and played with a lot of great players and against them – the Pelé’s and [Franz] Beckenbauer’s of the world – and it helped me become a better player.”

The path to the U.S. opened up for the 19-year-old when he was loaned to the Atlanta Chiefs from Aston Villa in the summer of 1972. Child hit the ground running, scoring eight goals in 12 games and being named a first team all-star by the league. His introduction to Atlanta and the U.S. was put in motion by another Brit with ties to the city.

“It had to do with the manager during my time at Aston Villa, Vic Crowe, who came over here and played a little bit in the ’60s, and had a relationship with the American teams,” Child said. (Crowe was a member of the Atlanta Chiefs squad that won the first NASL title, in 1968)

“He thought sending over players like myself would gain experience playing against different nationalities in North America,” Child said. “That was the main reason I got here – he thought it would be good for our development.”

After one more season in Atlanta, Child would be drafted by the expansion San Jose Earthquakes for the 1974 season. Back in England, a return to the U.S. took some coaxing.

“I went back to England, but I got drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes and they finally talked me into coming back to the States and I’m glad I did it,” Child said.

“It took a lot to get me to leave England because there were other clubs looking at me and wanting me to play in England, but I kind of got a taste for the NASL, and I just felt the game would get big,” he said. “They talked me into it. Milan Mandaric [the owner of the Earthquakes] got a lot of English players to talk to me who told me I have to go to San Jose and that it’ll be a great situation. I took a chance and went and it was probably the best thing I ever did.”

The move proved fruitful for both player and club. Child led the league in scoring with 15 goals as the Earthquakes reached the playoffs in their first season. He went on to score 61 times in six seasons with the Quakes.

“We had a fantastic group of guys,” Child said. “I played a long time after playing in San Jose, and it’s tough to find the chemistry and the kind of players that were there. It was mainly for the fans and community, and we did everything possible to promote the game of soccer and I think the people appreciated it and we appreciated them.”

He would later spend one season with the Memphis Rogues before a return to where his U.S. sojourn began, playing his final season with the Chiefs.

His time in the U.S., though, was fueled by the desire to prove doubters wrong after Aston Villa had let him go.

“When I went back to Aston Villa, they told me I was too old – I was 19 years old – and that I wasn’t going to make it and they let me go,” Child said. “That’s what really motivated me to come here. Aston Villa let me come back to Atlanta if they had the first option to sign me if I came back to the UK. After that, I didn’t really want to go back [to Aston Villa]. I felt like I had something to prove.

“The neat thing was I got to play against the coaches and all those players that said I couldn’t make it and did very well against them in the North American Soccer League.”

He certainly did. Child finished fifth in goals scored (102) and in games played (239) in the NASL’s Golden Era. He has since been inducted to the San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Fame to go along with his induction into the US Soccer Hall of Fame. 

“It’s great when you get those recognitions when you get older and realize you had a big impact on a lot of people and the game is getting to where it should be,” Child said. “That’s when it hits you that you had an impact because people recognize it. I was lucky enough to get into the National Hall of Fame. It’s a great honor for me that peers, coaches, and players vote you in – and I’ve been lucky enough to be voted into the San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Fame and the San Jose City Hall of Fame. It’s overwhelming and a great, great honor, especially when you’ve been playing a sport you love to do and only wanted to see the game grow.”

Now the transplant from England who has held many positions from coaching to club ambassador for the USL’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds, just hopes to see the growth of the sport and its popularity continue in his adopted home.

“It feels good to be a part of when it began, and it’s great to see where it’s going,” Child said. “It’s just going to get bigger and bigger and stronger.”

Child and many others’ American dreams continue. 

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