Pat Fidelia (born April 16, 1959, in Port-au-Prince) is a retired Haitian-American soccer forward who spent four seasons in the North American Soccer League, two in the American Soccer League and one in the United Soccer League. He also earned one cap playing with/for the national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Patrick Fidelia | ||
| Date of birth | April 16, 1959 | ||
| Place of birth | Port-au-Prince, Haiti | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Mercer County College | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1980 | Philadelphia Fury | 46 | (17) |
| 1979–1980 | Cleveland Force (indoor) | 29 | (10) |
| 1981 | Montreal Manic | 6 | (0) |
| 1981–1982 | Philadelphia Fever (indoor) | 6 | (0) |
| 1982–1983 | Carolina Lightnin' | ||
| 1984 | Charlotte Gold | ||
| International career | |||
| 1979 | United States | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Youth
editFidelia was born in Haiti and moved to the United States as a child, settling in Mount Holly, New Jersey and graduating in 1976 from Rancocas Valley Regional High School.[1] He then attended Mercer County Community College.[2]
Playing
editProfessional
editThe Houston Hurricane of the North American Soccer League (NASL) drafted Fidelia with the last pick (96th overall) of the 1978 Draft. It then traded him to the Philadelphia Fury.[3] While playing as a substitute for most of the 1978 season with the Fury, Fidelia led the team in scoring with eight goals. The Fury folded at the end of the 1980 season and Fidelia moved to the Montreal Manic for the 1981 season.[4] In 1979, he signed with the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League, playing 29 games for the team during the 1979–1980 season.[5] In 1982, Fidelia left the NASL for the Carolina Lightnin' of the American Soccer League. He scored eight goals that season.[6] The ASL folded following the 1983 season and the Lightnin' jumped to the United Soccer League, changing its name to the Charlotte Gold. The Gold lasted only the 1984 season before folding. Fidelia retired from playing professionally.
National team
editFidelia earned his one cap with the national team in a 3–1 win over Bermuda on October 7, 1979, when he came on for Greg Villa.[7]
Amateur
editFidelia continued to play for amateur teams in the Charlotte Amateur Soccer League. In the late 1980s he played for Fish Fare and was with Pepsi in 1990.
Coaching
editAfter retiring from playing, Fidelia coached high school soccer at Charlotte Christian. In April 1989, he resigned, but was hired by Christ School in Arden, NC. He currently coaches at Carolina Day in Asheville, NC.
References
edit- ^ Holroyd, Steve. "Before Hoppenot, there was Fidelia", The Philly Soccer Page, July 11, 2012. Accessed July 18, 2019. "Pat Fidelia was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on April 16, 1959. Moving to the United States at a young age, his family settled in Mt. Holly, New Jersey.... While attending Rancocas Valley Regional High School, Fidelia starred as a forward for the school’s soccer team, graduating in 1976 as the team’s leading scorer."
- ^ Westcott, Rich. "Pat+Fidelia+Rancocas" "Veterans Stadium: field of memories", p. 189. Temple University Press, 2005. ISBN 1-59213-428-9. Accessed February 14, 2011.
- ^ SoccerAmerica Sports Library
- ^ REMEMBERING THE "PSEUDO-ATOMS"--THE PHILADELPHIA FURY, 1978-1980 Archived 2002-11-27 at archive.today
- ^ The Cleveland Force 1979-1980 Season
- ^ "The Year in American Soccer - 1982". Archived from the original on 2009-09-05. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
- ^ USA – Details of International Matches 1885–1969 Archived 2010-01-13 at the Wayback Machine