Carl Strong (born January 21, 1958, in Annandale, Virginia) is a former U.S. soccer midfielder who spent seven seasons in the North American Soccer League.
Strong grew up in Virginia where attended Annandale High School. After graduating from Annandale in 1976, he entered James Madison University. He was the 1978 Virginia Intercollegiate Player of the Year.Potomac District Washington Post, The (DC) - Thursday, December 15, 1977
Strong began his professional career in 1978 with the expansion Colorado Caribous of the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Caribous moved to Atlanta where the team was renamed the Atlanta Chiefs between the 1978 and 1979 season. Strong became a regular with the Chiefs, seeing time in twenty-five games in 1979, twenty-eight in 1980 and thirty-two in 1981. The Chiefs folded at the end of the season and on September 22, 1981, the Portland Timbers purchased his contract from the Chiefs.Transactions; Basketball - New York Times
In 1982, Strong saw limited action for the Timbers. On October 26, 1982, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers selected Strong in the dispersal draft after the Timbers folded.STRIKERS ACQUIRE STRONG Miami Herald, The (FL) - Thursday, October 28, 1982 He first appeared as a member of the Strikers in the winter of 1983 during the NASL's Indoor Grand Prix.SATURDAY'S SUMMARY, page 2C, Evening Independent, The (FL) - Monday, February 7, 1983 At about that same time he was also an invitee to the Team America try-outs, but did not make the squad.TEAM AMERICA ALMOST READY TO TAKE THE FIELD, Palm Beach Post, The (FL) - Friday, January 21, 1983 He saw time in only six outdoor games with the Strikers. However, the Strikers moved to Minnesota before the 1984 season and Strong played in twenty-one games that year.
The NASL folded at the end of the 1984 season and Strong moved to the South Florida Sun of the United Soccer League. However, he broke his leg during the pre-season. The league collapsed after six games and Strong never saw playing time with the Sun.THE USL TEAMS Miami Herald, The (FL) - Sunday, May 19, 1985
Strong coached the Pequannock Township High School varsity boys' soccer team in New Jersey for 19 years. He was also a physical education teacher at the high school before retiring. Strong's son, Ben, played college soccer at Virginia Tech and the University of Louisville.
References
External links Timbers fan page with photo NASL stats