Charlie Mitchell is a Scottish American former soccer defender and coach. He played ten seasons in the North American Soccer League from 1970 to 1979.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1948-05-18) 18 May 1948 (age 74) | ||
| Place of birth | Paisley, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| St Mirren F.C. | |||
| 1969 | Sudbury Italia | ||
| 1970–1975 | Rochester Lancers | 121 | (5) |
| 1976 | New York Cosmos | 7 | (0) |
| 1977 | Team Hawaii | 23 | (0) |
| 1978 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 25 | (0) |
| 1979 | Toronto Blizzard | 30 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1977 | Team Hawaii | ||
| 1980–1981 | Tulsa Roughnecks | ||
| 1996–2005 | Northeastern State RiverHawks (men & women) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mitchell played for St Mirren F.C. in his native Scotland.[1] In 1969, he played in the National Soccer League with Sudbury Italia.[2]
He joined the Rochester Lancers of the NASL in 1970. The Lancers won the NASL championship in 1970, and Mitchell was named an NASL all-star. He was an NASL second-team all-star in 1971 and 1975, and an honorable mention all-star in 1972 and 1974.[3] In 1977, he was named to the Rochester Lancers Team of the Decade.[4]
In 1976 Mitchell moved to the New York Cosmos,[5] where he had an assist on a spectacular bicycle kick goal scored by his teammate Pelé in a game against the Miami Toros.[1]
In 1977 Mitchell played for Team Hawaii, where he became player-manager in mid-season.[6] Team Hawaii moved to Tulsa in 1978 and became the Tulsa Roughnecks; Mitchell was the only player Tulsa retained from the Hawaii roster.[7]
Mitchell played the 1979 season for the Toronto Blizzard,[5] and finished his NASL playing career with a total of 206 NASL regular-season games and nine NASL playoff games.[3] He also served as an assistant coach for Toronto throughout the season.[2]
After ending his playing career, Mitchell returned to Tulsa as manager of the Roughnecks.[6] The 1980 team finished with a 15-17 record and lost to the Cosmos in the first round of the playoffs. His 1981 team started with an 11-10 record, but in July 1981, Mitchell was replaced by his assistant Terry Hennessey. Sports Illustrated reported that this was due to team management's dissatisfaction with the Roughnecks' low-scoring offense.[8]
Mitchell remained a popular figure in Tulsa, as a participant in local youth soccer programs,[9] and as a sports bar-restaurant operator.[10] He coached the men's and women's soccer teams at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma for nine years[11] until his resignation in June 2005.[12]
1970 NASL All-Stars | |
|---|---|
| First Team | |
| Second Team | |
1971 NASL All-Stars | |
|---|---|
| First Team | |
| Second Team | |
| Honorable Mention | |
1972 NASL All-Stars | |
|---|---|
| First Team | |
| Second Team | |
| Honorable Mention | |
1974 NASL All-Stars | |
|---|---|
| First Team | |
| Second Team | |
| Honorable Mention | |
1975 NASL All-Stars | |
|---|---|
| First Team | |
| Second Team | |
| Honorable Mention | |