Chris Dangerfield

For the English stand-up comedian, see Chris Dangerfield (comedian).

Chris Dangerfield

Personal information
Full name	Christopher George Dangerfield
Date of birth	(1955-08-09) 9 August 1955
Place of birth	Coleshill, Warwickshire, England
Height
Position(s)	Forward / Midfielder
Youth career
1972–1976	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1975–1976	→ Portland Timbers (loan)	36	(6)
1976	Port Vale	2	(0)
1976–1977	Coventry City	0	(0)
1977	Las Vegas Quicksilvers	16	(2)
1977	Team Hawaii	6	(0)
1978	Tulsa Roughnecks	1	(0)
1978	California Surf	22	(0)
1979–1981	Los Angeles Aztecs	71	(19)
1982	San Jose Earthquakes	30	(9)
1982–1983	Golden Bay Earthquakes (indoor)	48	(52)
1983–1984	Golden Bay Earthquakes	30	(5)
1984–1988	Minnesota Strikers (indoor)	159	(60)
1985	San Jose Earthquakes
1988	San Jose Earthquakes		(2)
	San Jose Oaks
Total		421+	(155+)
International career
1973–1974	England U-20	3	(0)
Managerial career
1992–1996	San Jose Oaks
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Christopher George "Chris" Dangerfield (born 9 August 1955) is an English former footballer who spent most of his career in the United States.

He began his career in England before playing ten seasons in the North American Soccer League and at least one in the Western Soccer Alliance. A former England under-20 international, he played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Portland Timbers, Port Vale, Las Vegas Quicksilvers, Team Hawaii, Tulsa Roughnecks, California Surf, Los Angeles Aztecs, San Jose Earthquakes / Golden Bay Earthquakes, Minnesota Strikers, and San Jose Oaks.

Playing career

Dangerfield grew up in Sutton Coldfield and attended John Willmott School. Preferring rugby as a youth, he began playing football around fourteen. In 1972, he began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers, but made no first-team appearances. In 1975, he went on loan with the expansion Portland Timbers of the North American Soccer League, and scored four goals in 14 games in the 1975 season. Timbers reached Soccer Bowl '75, losing 2–0 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies at the Spartan Stadium. He was kept on by manager Vic Crowe for the 1976 season, scoring another two goals in 22 appearances. He was then released from his contract at Molineux by Wolves boss Bill McGarry. He returned to England to have a trial with Port Vale in August 1976, but only made two substitute appearances at Vale Park in the Third Division for Roy Sproson's "Valiants". He then signed with Coventry City, where he spent the entire 1976–77 season with the team's reserves in The Central League and then turned down a new contract offer from manager Jimmy Hill to search for first team football elsewhere.

In 1977, he moved permanently to the United States, and signed with Derek Trevis's Las Vegas Quicksilvers, who boasted the legendary Eusébio on their playing staff. Dangerfield scored two goals in 16 games in the 1977 season. He was traded to Team Hawaii, playing six games. At the end of the season both Quicksilvers and Team Hawaii were disbanded. In 1978, he began the season with the Tulsa Roughnecks, but saw time in only one game before being sent to the California Surf, where he made 22 appearances. In 1979, he signed with the Los Angeles Aztecs, scoring nine goals in 22 games in his first season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He then scored 15 goals in 12 games in the 1979–80 Indoor season. He scored two goals in 19 games in the 1980 season, before hitting 35 goals in 16 matches in the 1980–81 Indoor season. He scored eight goals in 30 appearances in the 1981 season.

Dangerfield moved to the San Jose Earthquakes in 1982, and scored 16 goals in 15 games in the 1981–82 Indoor season and then nine goals in 30 appearances in the 1982 season. At the end of the 1982 season, the Earthquakes were renamed the Golden Bay Earthquakes. They entered the Major Indoor Soccer League for the winter indoor season. Dangerfield was the 15th leading scorer with 48 games, 52 goals, 20 assists, and 72 points. The Earthquakes returned to the NASL for the 1983 outdoor seasons. Dangerfield injured his knee during the 1983–84 NASL indoor season and lost the entire 1984 outdoor season. In February 1985, the Kansas City Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League made an offer to purchase Dangerfield's contract from the Earthquakes, but the deal fell through when Dangerfield was unable to pass a physical.

In March 1985, he signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Strikers of the MISL. He scored four goals in seven games in 1984–85, 24 goals in 47 games in 1985–86, 20 goals in 49 appearances in 1986–87, and hit 12 goals in 52 matches in the 1987–88 season. In June 1985, he returned to the renamed San Jose Earthquakes for the Western Soccer Alliance. He played one more season, 1988, for the Earthquakes in the Western Soccer Alliance after which he retired from playing professionally. However, he continued to play for the San Jose Oaks, eventually also becoming the team's coach.

Coaching career

In 1992, he became the coach of the amateur San Jose Oaks, taking them to the 1992 U.S. Open Cup title. He remained in that position until 1996.

He holds a USSF "National-A" coaching license and has coached for the De Anza Soccer Club of Cupertino, Saratoga, West San Jose, area of California, and has worked as the head coach of teams in the US Soccer Development Academy League until the end of the 2011 season.

After coaching for De Anza Force's club and Academy teams, Chris went on to work with Comcast SportsNet Bay Area as a color commentator for the San Jose Earthquakes.

Honours

with Portland Timbers

• Soccer Bowl runner-up: 1975

with San Jose Earthquakes

• Western Soccer Alliance runner-up: 1988

with San Jose Oaks

• US Open Cup champion: 1992

External links

• Dangerfield7 Staffing