Tony Crudo

Anthony “Tony” John Crudo (born March 25, 1959 in Seattle, Washington) is a former U.S. soccer defender who spent five seasons in the North American Soccer League. He also earned seven caps with the U.S. national team between 1979 and 1982.

Youth

Crudo attended Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington where he was a member of the school’s 1976 state championship soccer team.^[1]

NASL

Crudo signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the fall of 1977. He saw no regular season outdoor games that year, but did play in an exhibition game against China on October 13, 1977. In 1979, he played the first seven games of the season in Tampa Bay^[2] before being traded to the California Surf in July. He continued with the Surf until the end of 1981 when the Surf folded. During the 1980-1981 NASL indoor season, Crudo played 11 games. In October 1981, the Seattle Sounders purchased his contract. He played only three games during the 1982 season. He left the NASL at the end of the season.

National team

Crudo played seven times with the U.S. national team between 1979 and 1982. His first caps came in a 6-0 loss to France on May 2, 1979.^[3] He played on World Cup qualifier, a loss to Canada on November 1, 1980. His last game with the national team came on March 21, 1982, a victory over Trinidad and Tobago.^[4]

Coaching

Crudo continues to live in Washington where he is a special education teacher, the boys soccer coach at Fife High School, and the Girls Sparta 99 coach.^[5]

References

External links

• NASL stats
• Tony Crudo at National-Football-Teams.com