Gerardo "Jerry" Laterza (born July 1, 1974) is an American former soccer player. He is the technical director of Newport Mesa Soccer Club.[1] He was the first Paraguayan American to play football in Paraguay.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gerardo Laterza | ||
| Date of birth | (1974-07-01) July 1, 1974 (age 47) | ||
| Place of birth | Los Angeles, California, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992 | SMU Mustangs | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993 | Veracruz | ||
| 1993 | Los Angeles Salsa | 4 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Cerro Porteño | ||
| 1997 | Orange County Zodiac | ||
| 1997 | LA Galaxy | 4 | (0) |
| 1997 | → Carolina Dynamo (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1998 | Seattle Sounders | 2 | (0) |
| 1998 | Qianwei Huandao | ||
| 1999 | Shenyang Haishi | ||
| 1999 | Kitchee | ||
| 1999 | → South China (loan) | ||
| 1999–2000 | South China | ||
| 2002 | Guangzhou Xiangxue | ||
| 2003 | Ningbo Yaoma | ||
| 2003–2004 | Buler Rangers | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Laterza graduated from Walnut High School where he was the 1990 and 1992 California Interscholastic Federation 1-A Player of the Year.[2] Laterza attended Southern Methodist University, playing on the men's soccer team in 1992.[3] On April 3, 1993, Laterza signed with the Los Angeles Salsa of the American Professional Soccer League.[4][5] In 1997, Laterza began the season with the Orange County Zodiac. In July 1997, the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer signed Laterza.[6] He played four games for the Galaxy in 1997, plus one game on loan to the Carolina Dynamo.[7] The Galaxy released him on April 1, 1998 during a pre-season roster reduction. On April 10, 1998, Laterza signed with the Seattle Sounders of the USL A-League.[8] He played two games, then was released on April 22.[9] He then played for several clubs, including South China AA, and various teams in Hong Kong, China[10] and Paraguay. While in Hong Kong, he was selected to play for Hong Kong League XI, featuring in one of the matches against Paraguay.
1999–2000 Hong Kong Top Footballer | |
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