Martín Vásquez

Martín Vásquez Gómez (born December 24, 1963) is a Mexican-American former professional football player. One of only two players to have featured for both the United States and Mexico, he has served as a coach since retiring, most recently with the United States.

Martín Vásquez
Personal information
Full name Martín Vásquez Gómez
Date of birth (1963-12-24) December 24, 1963
Place of birth Yahualica de González Gallo, Mexico
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1]
Position(s) Defender, midfielder
Club information
Current team
Houston Dynamo (assistant)
Youth career
1984 Tecos UAG
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1983 Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles (67)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1986 Los Angeles Lazers (indoor) 39 (5)
1986–1988 California Kickers (4+)
1986–1988 Memphis Storm (indoor) 63 (44)
1988–1990 Leones Negros UdeG 62 (2)
1990–1991 Puebla 36 (2)
1991–1992 Veracruz 25 (0)
1992–1996 Atlas 119 (1)
1996–1997 Tampa Bay Mutiny 59 (9)
1998 San Jose Clash 28 (0)
1999 Orange County Zodiac 19 (0)
Total 450+ (67+)
National team
1990–1992 Mexico 3 (0)
1996–1997 United States 7 (0)
Teams managed
1999–2000 Cal Poly Pomona (assistant)
2001–2002 San Diego Spirit (assistant)
2004 LA Galaxy (assistant)
2005–2007 Chivas USA (assistant)
2008–2009 Bayern Munich (assistant)
2010 Chivas USA
2011–2014 United States (assistant)
2019 Real Monarchs
2021– Houston Dynamo (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Youth and college

Vasquez and his family moved to Los Angeles at age 12. He attended Alhambra High School in Alhambra, California, where he was a high school All-American soccer player.[2] After high school, he returned to Mexico to briefly play for the B side of the Leones Negros de Guadalajara.

In 1981, Vasquez entered California State University, Los Angeles, playing on the men's soccer team from 1981 to 1983.[3] During his first two years, he spent the college off-season with Cojumatlan in the San Gabriel Valley Soccer League, in El Monte, California.

Club

In the fall of 1984, Vasquez signed with the Los Angeles Lazers of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He then played for the Hollywood Kickers of the Western Soccer Alliance.[4] That fall, he joined the Memphis Storm in the American Indoor Soccer Association, where he scored seventeen goals and added nineteen assists in twenty-three games, ranking second on the league's points list.[5]

In 1987, Vasquez returned to the Kickers, now renamed the California Kickers.[6] In 1988, Cachorros de la Universidad de Guadalajara signed the player, based on the recommendation of Hugo Salcedo, president of the Kickers.[7] In 1990–91, he represented Puebla FC, moving to CD Veracruz in the following campaign.

In 1992, Vasquez joined F.C. Atlas, leaving four years later to return to the United States, with the establishment of Major League Soccer. That year, he was allocated to the Tampa Bay Mutiny, and spent two season with them, before rounding out his MLS career with the San Jose Clash in 1998. The next year, he played for the Orange County Zodiac in the USL A-League.[8]

International

Vasquez played three games with the Mexico national team one of them being against Colombia and the other two against Russia, during César Luis Menotti's spell as coach. However, none of the matches he played for his birth nation were FIFA-sanctioned.

Vasquez received American citizenship in 1996. Subsequently, he was called up to the national team by Steve Sampson, going on to earn seven caps in a two-year span. His debut came on December 21, 1996 against Guatemala (2–2 away draw), in a 1998 World Cup qualifier, and he last appeared in the home 4–2 victory over El Salvador, for the same competition, on November 16, 1997. He started the game, then came off in the 63rd minute for Mike Sorber.[9]

Coaching career

After retiring from his playing career, Vasquez worked as assistant coach with Cal Poly Pomona and the women's team San Diego Spirit. He also coached the Damien High School boys' team for two seasons.[10] After one season as assistant with the Los Angeles Galaxy,[11] he joined newly created MLS team C.D. Chivas USA in the same capacity, on January 2, 2005.

Between July 2008 and April 2009, Vasquez worked as the assistant to Jürgen Klinsmann at German club FC Bayern Munich.[12][13] He left when Klinsmann was dismissed due to bad results.[14] Vasquez was hired to his first head coaching job on December 2, 2009, at former club Chivas.[15]

Vasquez was released from his duties following a season which saw the Goats miss the playoffs for the first time since its 2005 expansion campaign.[16]

Vasquez was recalled by Klinsmann after the latter was named head coach of the United States men's national team as an assistant coach for a friendly against Mexico on August 11, 2011.[17] On March 31, 2014, less than 3 months before the World Cup Vásquez was replaced by Tab Ramos, relegating him to unannounced "other responsibilities",[18] which later turned out to be scouting and match observations.[19]

Managerial statistics

Team From To Record
GWDLWin %
Chivas USA December 2, 2009 October 27, 2010 30 8 4 18 026.67

References

  1. Martín Vásquez at WorldFootball.net
  2. "Martín Vásquez (1981) – Alhambra High School Hall of Fame". Alhambra High School. Alhambra Unified School District. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  3. "Martín Vásquez (1993) – Cal State Los Angeles Hall of Fame". Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles. California State University, Los Angeles. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  4. "Martín Vásquez outdoor statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  5. "Martín Vásquez indoor and MLS statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  6. "Martín Vásquez statistics at NASLJerseys.com". NASLJerseys.com. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  7. Woitalla, Mike (April 28, 2008). "Backline: Martin Vasquez's great adventure". Soccer America. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  8. "Cypress' Larkin, Corona Win Conference Baseball Honors". Los Angeles Times. Times Mirror Company. May 21, 1999. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  9. "Martín Vásquez". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  10. "Spirit Names Martin Vasquez As Assistant Coach". La Prensa San Diego. La Prensa América Inc. February 16, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  11. Vasquez previously coached in WUSA, college Archived November 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  12. Chivas USA Coach Vasquez Joins Klinnsmann & More
  13. "The Klinsmann way". BBC Sport. BBC News. April 7, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  14. "Bayern Munich fire Klinsmann as coach". The Independent. Reuters. April 27, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  15. "Martin Vasquez to be named Chivas USA's next coach". Los Angeles Times. December 2, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  16. "Vasquez ousted as Chivas USA head coach after one season". October 27, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  17. "Jurgen Klinsmann sets U.S. roster". ESPN.com. ESPN. Associated Press. August 5, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  18. "Klinsmann Appoints Berti Vogts as U.S. MNT Special Advisor". U.S.Soccer. March 30, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  19. "World Cup: Jurgen Klinsmann addresses USMNT shake-up: It's simply a professional shift". Yahoo!SPORTS.
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