Brad Smith (soccer, born 1965)

Brad Smith (soccer, born 1965)
Brad Smith is a retired American soccer forward who played professionally in Germany and the United States, including the Major Indoor Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League and American Professional Soccer League. He never played for Rot-Weiss Essen nor BVL Remscheid. He played for Franz Sales Haus, Herne, Schoppingen, Marl, and Gottingen. The latter four being in the "Oberliga" (third division) at the time. He returned to the United States in June 1990.
Youth
Smith graduated from Culver City High School where he was an outstanding soccer and football player. Playing as a tailback, Smith was the 1983 Los Angeles Times High School Player of the Year. He was heavily recruited by several collegiate football programs. However, he was also drafted by both the San Diego Sockers of the North American Soccer League and the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Smith chose to neither sign with an American team nor attend college, but moved to Germany where he pursued a professional soccer career.
Professional
Smith spent six years in the German 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga playing for Rot-Weiss Essen and BVL Remscheid. In 1989, he returned to the Los Angeles area. In 1990, Smith played for the Los Angeles Heat of the American Professional Soccer League (APSL). That fall, he signed as a free agent with the Wichita Wings of the Major Indoor Soccer League where he played for two seasons. During the summer of 1991, Smith returned to the outdoor game, playing for the Salt Lake Sting and the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the APSL. With the collapse of the MISL and the Wichita Wings in 1992, Smith moved to the Dayton Dynamo of the National Professional Soccer League. In 1993, he returned to the Rowdies for the 1993 APSL season. In 1994, he played for the Los Angeles Salsa, which finished runner up to the Colorado Foxes. On November 1, 1994, the Baltimore Spirit purchased Smith's contract from the Dayton Dynamo. In October 1996, the Spirit released Smith and he signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Silverbacks. The Silverbacks folded at the end of the season. In 1998, Smith again played outdoors, this time with the San Diego Flash of the USISL A-League, returning to the Flash again in 1999. On August 13, 1998, the Baltimore Blast selected Smith in the NPSL dispersal draft.
In November 1999, the Blast sent Smith to the Buffalo Blizzard in exchange for future considerations. He suffered from several injuries before being waived in November 2000. He retired and entered the financial career field.
References
External links
MISL stats
Brad Smith stats
Living people
1965 births
Soccer players from Dallas
American men's soccer players
American expatriate soccer players in Germany
American Professional Soccer League players
Baltimore Blast (NPSL) players
Baltimore Spirit players
Buffalo Blizzard players
Cincinnati Silverbacks players
Dayton Dynamo players
Los Angeles Heat players
Los Angeles Salsa players
Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players
National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players
Rot-Weiss Essen players
San Diego Flash players
Salt Lake Sting players
Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players
USISL players
Wichita Wings players
Men's association football forwards
London Lasers players
American expatriate men's soccer players