Hubert Birkenmeier
 Birkenmeier circa 1984 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 May 1949 | ||
| Place of birth | Hartheim am Rhein, West Germany | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1972 | Freiburger FC | ||
| 1972–1977 | Tennis Borussia Berlin | 85 | (0) |
| 1977–1979 | Freiburger FC | 76 | (0) |
| 1979–1985 |
New York Cosmos | 145 | (0) |
| 1981–1985 | New York Cosmos (indoor) | 24 | (0) |
| 1985–1986 | Chicago Sting (indoor) | 23 | (0) |
| 1986–1987 | New York Express (indoor) | 13 | (0) |
| 1987 | Los Angeles Lazers (indoor) | 3 | (0) |
| 1987 |
Cosmopolitan Eagles | ||
| 1988 | New York Pancyprian-Freedoms | ||
| 1989–1990 | New Jersey Eagles | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1984 |
New York Cosmos (interim) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Hubert Birkenmeier (born 24 May 1949 in
Career
Birkenmeier began his career in
Retirement from professional soccer
Birkenmeier now manages a sporting goods store called Birkenmeier Sport Shop in Hackensack, New Jersey. The store was founded and originally owned by Birkenmeier but was sold in 1985 to his former Cosmos teammate Andranik Eskandarian[8] when Birkenmeier left to play for the Chicago Sting.[9] The teammates helped teach Eksandarian's son, Alecko, how to play inside the store.[10] He also is now a goalkeeping coach for World Class FC.[11]
Current activities
On a visit back to his hometown of Hartheim in 2009 to celebrate his 60th Birthday, he described initially having mixed feelings about leaving Germany to play in the United States. He stated that in his first few months as a Cosmo, he lived in a hotel and had some difficulty with both homesickness and the learning of a new language. However, he credits his teammate and fellow countryman, Franz Beckenbauer with helping him adjust quickly to his new home, team and language, helping him to become one of the team's most dependable and popular players while sharing in two NASL Championships. Birkenmeier continues to manage the sporting goods store he founded but stays involved in the sport acting as goalkeeping coach with the U.S. Youth National Team. He also runs a soccer youth camp for seven weeks each summer in Northern New Jersey. In the same interview, he stated that he goes back home to Hartheim every year to visit his brother and sister and stays abreast of hometown news via the internet. [12]
References
- ^ "The Americanization of Birkenmeier". etecsolutions.net. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011.
- ^ "1983 All-Stars". United Press International. 18 September 1983. Retrieved 13 January 2017 – via UPI Archives.
- ^ "FORMER COSMOS' GOALIE FINALLY NETTED BY STING". Chicago Tribune. 24 August 1985.
- ^ "STING SIGN ALONSO, WAIVE GOALKEEPER BIRKENMEIER". The Seattle Times. 29 April 1986.
- ^ '"RESULTS UNCLEAR AS EAGLES TEST LOCAL SOCCER WATERS". The Record (New Jersey). 1 June 1987.
- ^ "American Soccer League 1989 Season". a-leaguearchive.tripod.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- ^ "American Professional Soccer League 1990 Season". a-leaguearchive.tripod.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- ^ "Birkenmeier Sport Shop History". Archived from the original on 15 May 2008.
- Daily News. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ Gildea, William (14 November 2004). "For Eskandarians, A Father-Son Game – United's Alecko Enjoys Same Success". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
- ^ Coaching Staff wcsocceracademy.org [dead link]
- ^ "Ein Fußballstar auf Heimatbesuch". Badische Zeitung (in German). 28 May 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
External links
- NASL career stats
- Hubert Birkenmeier at fussballdaten.de (in German)