Paul Dougherty

Paul Dougherty
Personal information
Date of birth	12 May 1966 (age 57)
Place of birth	Leamington Spa, England
Position(s)	Forward / Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team
1984–1987	Wolverhampton Wanderers
1985	→Torquay United (loan)
1987–1989	San Diego Sockers (indoor)
1988	San Diego Nomads
1989–1990	Baltimore Blast (indoor)
1990	Orlando Lions
1990	Cheltenham Town
1990–1992	San Diego Sockers (indoor)
1991	Miami Freedom
1991	Fort Lauderdale Strikers
1992–1996	Buffalo Blizzard (indoor)
1993	→ Tampa Bay Rowdies (loan)
1995	Montreal Impact
1996–1997	Houston Hotshots (indoor)
1998	MetroStars
1998–1999	Tampa Bay Mutiny
1999	Chicago Fire
1999	→ Charleston Battery (loan)
2000	Colorado Rapids
2001	Pittsburgh Riverhounds
2004–2005	San Diego Sockers (indoor)
Managerial career
2001	San Diego Flash (assistant)
2002–	La Jolla Nomads
2002–08	UC San Diego (assistant)
2009–	San Diego WFC SeaLions
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:47, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Paul Dougherty (born 12 May 1966) is an English former professional soccer player and soccer coach who began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in England. He then moved to the United States where he became a journeyman player, bouncing through sixteen teams in multiple indoor and outdoor leagues.^[1]

He is currently the head coach of the San Diego WFC SeaLions, who play in the Women's Premier Soccer League.^[2]

English football league

Dougherty began his career when he signed as an apprentice with English First Division club Wolverhampton Wanderers at age 16. He made his league debut while still an apprentice during the 1983/84 season that saw the club lose their top flight status. He made the most appearances of his Wolves career during the following season, which also saw him spend time on loan at Torquay United during February 1985.

He failed to establish himself as a regular choice though, and played only sporadically over the next two years as the club continued to slide down the divisions under a succession of managers. At the end of the 1986/87 season, he moved to the US to further his career there, where he would remain employed as a player for the next eighteen years. He did however make a very brief (1 game) return to English football playing for Cheltenham Town in October 1990.

Indoor soccer

In the fall of 1986, the

National Professional Soccer League (NPSL).^[8] During his two stints with the Sockers, Dougherty had played 204 games and scored 104 goals. At the time, the NPSL was the higher paying of the two indoor leagues. Dougherty remained with the Blizzard for three seasons, from 1992 to 1996. At the completion of the 1995–1996 NPSL season, Dougherty jumped both teams and leagues. On 1 May 1996, he signed with the Houston Hotshots of CISL.^[9] That season he was the CISL third leading scorer while the Hotshots went to the championship series, only to fall to the Monterrey La Raza. Dougherty was named All-CISL. The next season, the Hotshots did not go so far in the playoffs, but Dougherty led the league in scoring, garnering both All CISL and CISL MVP honors. The CISL folded at the end of the 1997, leading Dougherty to move to Major League Soccer

(MLS)

Outdoor minor leagues

By the time Dougherty moved to MLS, he was already a veteran of several outdoor US teams. While he made his name with the indoor game, he also was a consistent performer outdoors. In July 1988, while in San Diego with the Sockers, Dougherty signed with the

Tampa Bay Rowdies.^[14] That season was one of his best as he bagged eight goals in twenty-two games and a spot on the APSL All Star team.^[15] Once again, he took time off from the outdoor game to devote himself to indoor soccer. However, in 1995 he signed with the Montreal Impact

of A-League, successor to the APSL. He once again earned All Star honors.

MLS

After the CISL folded at the end of 1997, Dougherty began pursuing full-time employment in an outdoor league. On 3 February 1998, the

Chicago Fire for Ritchie Kotschau and Manny Lagos. When Dougherty failed to produce with Chicago, they sent him on loan to the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division. In March 2000, Dougherty was able to add another team to his resume, having been a member of it for only a few hours. The Fire released Dougherty on 15 March 2000. He was then selected by the New England Revolution the next day in the Waiver Draft. The Revs then turned around and traded Dougherty to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for a fifth round pick in the upcoming Super Draft.^[1]

Dougherty spent the 2000 season with the Rapids, but failed to score in twenty-four games and on 31 October 2000 he announced his retirement.

Minor leagues

Dougherty didn't stay retired for long.

San Diego Sockers for one last indoor season.^[2]

The Sockers folded midway through the season.

Coaching

When the Riverhounds released Dougherty, he returned to

San Diego Nomads. In 2004, he took the Nomads U-15 team to the US national championship only to have his boys fall, 5–4, to the Greater Boston Bolts. In addition to coaching with the Nomads, he became an assistant coach with the UC San Diego

men's team as well as the Manchester Soccer Club and Rancho Santa Fe Attack.

References

^ SOCKERS’ LITTLE BIG MAN: Dougherty a 5-2 Scrapper latimes.com
^ "Featured Stories About Melaeuca: The Wellness Company".
^ "Newman's penalty reduced to $2,000" San Diego Union Thursday, 11 December 1986
^ "Sockers deal Collier to Comets, get visa" San Diego Union Thursday, 12 February 1987
^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1989". Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
^ "TURNER HAS A GRIEVANCE: RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL COSTING MISL CLUBS PLAYERS GETTING RICH BY PITTING TEAMS' OFFERS" Wichita Eagle (KS) Sunday, 3 September 1989
^ "Familiar faces join Sockers" Evening Tribune (San Diego) Thursday, 18 October 1990
^ "DOUGHERTY PICKS UP BLIZZARD OFFENSE" The Buffalo News Friday, 13 November 1992
^ "Hotshots address lack of attack" Houston Chronicle Thursday, 2 May 1996
^ "Nomads beef up ranks for playoffs with help from Sockers" Evening Tribune (San Diego) Thursday, 21 July 1988
^ 1990 Orlando Lions
^ "SHORT-OF-CASH FREEDOM FIRES COACH, RELEASES 8 PLAYERS" Sun-Sentinel Tuesday, 2 July 1991
^ 1991 APSL stats
^ "Rowdies sign 3 to boost offense" St. Petersburg Times Friday, 23 April 1993
^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1993". Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
^ Riverhounds sign proven midfielder

External links

[1] SOCKERS’ LITTLE BIG MAN: Dougherty a 5-2 Scrapper latimes.com

[2] "Featured Stories About Melaeuca: The Wellness Company".

[3] "Newman's penalty reduced to $2,000" San Diego Union Thursday, 11 December 1986

[4] "Sockers deal Collier to Comets, get visa" San Diego Union Thursday, 12 February 1987

[5] "The Year in American Soccer – 1989". Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.

[6] "TURNER HAS A GRIEVANCE: RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL COSTING MISL CLUBS PLAYERS GETTING RICH BY PITTING TEAMS' OFFERS" Wichita Eagle (KS) Sunday, 3 September 1989

[7] "Familiar faces join Sockers" Evening Tribune (San Diego) Thursday, 18 October 1990

[8] "DOUGHERTY PICKS UP BLIZZARD OFFENSE" The Buffalo News Friday, 13 November 1992

[9] "Hotshots address lack of attack" Houston Chronicle Thursday, 2 May 1996

[10] "Nomads beef up ranks for playoffs with help from Sockers" Evening Tribune (San Diego) Thursday, 21 July 1988

[11] 1990 Orlando Lions

[12] "SHORT-OF-CASH FREEDOM FIRES COACH, RELEASES 8 PLAYERS" Sun-Sentinel Tuesday, 2 July 1991

[13] 1991 APSL stats

[14] "Rowdies sign 3 to boost offense" St. Petersburg Times Friday, 23 April 1993

[15] "The Year in American Soccer – 1993". Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.

[16] Riverhounds sign proven midfielder

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