Sándor "Alex" Tarnóczi is a retired Hungarian football (soccer) player who spent eleven seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League and American Indoor Soccer Association.

Alex Tarnóczi
Personal information
Full name Sándor Alexsandor Tarnóczi
Date of birth (1959-07-29) 29 July 1959 (age 65)
Place of birth Budapest, Hungary
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Midfielder / Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1979 Csepel 7 (3)
1980 Csepel 13 (5)
1980–1981 Hartford Hellions (indoor) 31 (24)
1981 New York Arrows (indoor) 8 (1)
1981–1983 Buffalo Stallions (indoor) 66 (39)
1983–1984 Memphis Americans (indoor) 23 (9)
1984–1986 Cleveland Force (indoor) 83 (24)
1986 New York Express (indoor) 9 (3)
1987 Dallas Sidekicks (indoor) 7 (0)
1988–1989 Canton Invaders (indoor)
1989–1990 Dayton Dynamo (indoor)
1990–1991 Chicago Power (indoor) 30 (13)
1992–1993 Canton Invaders (indoor) 22 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Tarnoczi, a native of communist Hungary, fled his country along with Julie Hegyi for the United States in November 1980. At the time, both were playing for Csepel SC on a tour of Yugoslavia. The two men walked away from their team and took a flight to Rome where they contacted agents of the Hartford Hellions of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The Hellions then signed them both and cleared their way for immigration into the United States.[1] Tarnoczi spent one season with Hartford. He moved to the New York Arrows for the 1981–1982 season. On 24 December 1981, the Buffalo Stallions purchased Tarnoczi's contract from the Arrows. He began the 1982–1983 season in Buffalo before moving to the Cleveland Force during the season. On 12 December 1986, the Force traded Tarnoczi to the New York Express for a first-round draft pick in the 1987 draft.[2] The Express withdrew from the league and folded at the All Star break.[3] On 13 March 1987, the Dallas Sidekicks signed Tarnoczi on a ten-day contract. Six days later, they placed him on a contract until the end of the season. Tarnoczi then joined the Canton Invaders of the American Indoor Soccer Association. He was captain of the Invaders during their 1988-1989 championship season. In the fall of 1989, Tarnoczi joined the Dayton Dynamo. In January 1990, he moved to the Chicago Power.[4] He began the 1990–1991 season with Chicago.[5] He played the 1992–1993 season with the Invaders.

References

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  1. ^ Hungarian Soccer Players Enjoying Freedom, Santa Fe Mexican; Santa Fe, New Mexico, 29 January 1981
  2. ^ Soccer
  3. ^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1987". Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  4. ^ "1989-1990 Chicago Power". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  5. ^ 1990-1991 Chicago Power Archived 9 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
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