Roy Wegerle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Roy Wegerle

Personal information
Date of birth	(1964-03-19) March 19, 1964 (age 61)
Place of birth	Pretoria, South Africa
Playing position	Striker, midfielder
Youth career
1980–1981	Arcadia Shepherds
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1984	Tampa Bay Rowdies	21	(9)
1984	Arcadia Shepherds
1984–1986	Tacoma Stars (indoor)	59	(36)
1986–1988	Chelsea	15	(3)
1988	→ Swindon Town (loan)	7	(1)
1988–1989	Luton Town	45	(10)
1989–1992	Queens Park Rangers	65	(29)
1992–1993	Blackburn Rovers	11	(4)
1993–1995	Coventry City	53	(9)
1996–1997	Colorado Rapids	36	(4)
1997–1998	D.C. United	24	(7)
1998	Tampa Bay Mutiny	12	(1)
Total		394	(114)
National team
1992–1998	United States	41	(7)
Teams managed
1996	Colorado Rapids (interim)
Honours Representing  United States Runner-up CONCACAF Gold Cup 1993 Runner-up CONCACAF Gold Cup 1998
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Roy Wegerle (born March 19, 1964) is a former professional soccer player. He also plays golf professionally.

Roy was a player for the U.S. national soccer team. He played 41 games for his country between 1992 and 1998. He was born and grew up in South Africa. Roy became a U.S. citizen in 1991.

As a soccer player, Roy Wegerle was a striker. He played from 1984 until 1998. He played for famous English teams like Queens Park Rangers, Blackburn Rovers, and Coventry City in the Premier League. He also played for Chelsea, Swindon Town, and Luton Town in the English Football League.

In the United States, he played for teams such as Tampa Bay Rowdies, Tacoma Stars, Colorado Rapids, D.C. United, and Tampa Bay Mutiny. Roy was part of the U.S. team for the 1994 and 1998 World Cups. He is one of only two players who played in both the NASL and MLS. The other player is Hugo Sánchez.

Roy Wegerle's Soccer Journey

Starting His Career in South Africa

Roy Wegerle was born in Pretoria, South Africa. He started his soccer career at Waterkloof Primary School. He quickly showed great talent. Soon, he was invited to join Arcadia Shepherds F.C.. His older brothers had also played successfully for this club.

Playing College Soccer in the U.S.

In 1980, Roy tried out for Manchester United but it didn't work out. So, he decided to play college soccer in the United States. He played for the University of South Florida's team, the South Florida Bulls, in 1982 and 1983. He still holds the school's record for most goals in a single season, with 21 goals.

Joining the Tampa Bay Rowdies

The Tampa Bay Rowdies picked Roy in the first round of the 1984 NASL college draft. The NASL was a major league at the time. In 1984, the league's last year, he played 21 games and scored 9 goals. He also made 17 assists. Roy was named the league's Rookie of the Year.

At Tampa Bay, he was coached by Rodney Marsh. This connection helped Roy move to England later. After the NASL ended, Roy played indoor soccer for two seasons. He joined the Tacoma Stars in the Major Indoor Soccer League. At the University of South Florida, Roy was coached by Derek Smethurst. Smethurst was a former Chelsea striker. He helped Roy get ready for his professional career.

Playing for Chelsea in England

In 1986, Rodney Marsh used his connections in England to get Roy a tryout. QPR didn't sign him, but Chelsea was impressed. They offered Roy a contract. However, Roy didn't play much for Chelsea's main team. On March 24, 1988, Chelsea loaned him to Swindon Town. He played seven games there.

Moving to Luton Town and QPR

After that season, Chelsea sold Roy to Luton Town. At Luton, Roy became the team's top scorer. In December 1989, he was sold to Queens Park Rangers for £1 million. He did very well at QPR. In the 1990–91 season, he was the third-highest scorer in the First Division. He even won the ITV 'Goal of the Season' award for a goal against Leeds. Roy continued to play well for QPR until a new manager, Gerry Francis, arrived. Francis didn't want Roy on the team and sold him in March 1992.

Time with Blackburn Rovers

Roy then joined Blackburn Rovers for £1.1 million. This was a record fee for a Second Division club at the time. He helped Blackburn get promoted to the new FA Premier League in May 1992. But his chances to play were reduced when Alan Shearer joined the team. Shearer and Mike Newell became the main strikers.

Playing for Coventry City

In March 1993, Blackburn sold Roy to Coventry City for £1 million. This was another transfer for Roy during the 1992–93 season. Despite having several injuries, Roy played 53 league games for Coventry. He scored nine goals. His contract ended at the end of the 1994–95 season.

Back to the U.S. with MLS

In 1996, Roy signed with Major League Soccer (MLS). This was a new league, and they were signing well-known players. Roy was assigned to the Colorado Rapids. However, he didn't have much success in the MLS at first.

Playing for D.C. United

He played for Colorado for a season and a half. Then, the team traded him to D.C. United in 1997. Roy scored four goals in 36 games with the Rapids. He also served as a temporary head coach for one game after the main coach was fired. When Roy joined D.C. United, the team was on its way to winning the league championship. Roy's scoring improved a bit, but the coach, Bruce Arena, expected more from him.

Finishing His Career with Tampa Bay Mutiny

Because of this, D.C. United traded Roy to the Tampa Bay Mutiny on April 26, 1998. This trade was seen as very one-sided. D.C. United got Roy Lassiter, who was MLS's all-time leading goal scorer. Roy Wegerle played the rest of the 1998 season for the Mutiny. He scored one goal, and then he retired from soccer.

Roy Wegerle's International Career

Roy Wegerle became a U.S. citizen in 1991. He was able to do this because his wife was American. He played his first game for the U.S. national team on May 30, 1992. It was against the Republic of Ireland. He went on to play 41 games and score seven goals for the U.S. team.

On January 8, 1994, Roy injured his knee. He had several surgeries. But he worked hard and recovered in time to be a key player for the U.S. in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. By 1998, repeated injuries had made it harder for Roy to play. He had a brief comeback before the 1998 FIFA World Cup. However, he was not as strong a player as he had been in 1994.

Roy Wegerle's International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	June 3, 1992	Chicago, Illinois; Soldier Field	Portugal	1–0	1–0	1992 U.S. Cup
2	June 4, 1994	Pasadena, California; The Rose Bowl	Mexico	1–0	1–0	Friendly
3	June 18, 1995	Washington, D.C.; RFK Stadium	Mexico	1–0	4–0	1995 U.S. Cup
4	November 9, 1997	Vancouver, Canada; Swangard Stadium	Canada	2–0	3–0	1998 World Cup Qualifying
5				3–0
6	January 24, 1998	Orlando, Florida; Citrus Bowl	Sweden	1–0	1–0	Friendly
7	February 1, 1998	Oakland, California; Oakland Coliseum	Cuba	1–0	3–0	1998 Gold Cup

Life After Soccer

Family Connections

Roy is the younger brother of Geoff Wegerle and Steve Wegerle. They were also soccer players in the NASL. All three brothers played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies at different times in their careers.

Becoming a Professional Golfer

After he retired from soccer, Roy Wegerle started playing golf professionally. He has been working to become a successful golfer.

Working in Media

Roy also spent some time as a co-host for MLS Extratime on ESPN2.

See also

In Spanish: Roy Wegerle para niños