Tom Poltl
{{Short description|American soccer player and coach}}
{{infobox football biography
| name = Tom Poltl
| image =
| fullname = Thomas Poltl
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|9|21}}
| birth_place = San Marcos, California, United States
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=6}}
| position = Midfielder
| youthyears1 = 1995–1998
| youthclubs1 = UCLA Bruins
| years1 = 1999–2000
| clubs1 = Boston Bulldogs
| caps1 = 53
| goals1 = 4
| years2 = 2000
| clubs2 = Cape Cod Crusaders
| caps2 = 1
| goals2 = 1
| years3 = 2002–2004
| clubs3 = Orange County Blue Star
| caps3 =
| goals3 =
| years4 = 2005–2009
| clubs4 = Portland Timbers
| caps4 = 98
| goals4 = 2
| manageryears1 = 2002–2004
| managerclubs1 = Orange County Blue Star
| nationalyears1 = 1995–1997
| nationalteam1 = United States U-20
| nationalcaps1 = 11
| nationalgoals1 = 0
}}
Tom Poltl (born September 21, 1977) is a retired American soccer midfielder who was a member of the United States U-20 men's national soccer team at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.
Career
=Youth=
Poltl attended San Marcos High School, and played college soccer at UCLA from 1995 to 1998. In 1997, Poltl was part of the Bruins team which won the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship over the Virginia Cavaliers.
=Professional=
In February 1999, the Colorado Rapids selected Poltl in the second round (20th overall) of the MLS College Draft. Soon after, the San Francisco Bay Seals of the USL A-League selected Poltl in the second round (forty-ninth overall) in the A-League draft.[http://aleague.uslsoccer.com/draft/54201.html 1999 Draft List] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707110732/http://aleague.uslsoccer.com/draft/54201.html |date=2011-07-07 }} The Rapids did not sign him, and the Seals traded his rights to the Boston Bulldogs of the A-League, with whom he spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
In 2002 Poltl signed as a player-coach with the Orange County Blue Star of the fourth division USL Premier Development League. On April 20, 2005, he moved to the Portland Timbers of the USL First Division.[http://www.uslfans.com/news/2005/news,2005,0042.shtml Timbers Add Two To Roster As Season Opener Nears] He played over 100 games for Portland in his five years with club, leading his team to the 2009 USL First Division championship, before being released on December 7, 2009.[http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/387008.html Timbers sign Quavas Kirk; Nine players not returning for 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211063959/http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/387008.html |date=2009-12-11 }}
=International=
Between 1995 and 1997, Poltl earned eleven caps with the U.S. U-20 national team.[http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ucla/sports/m-soccer/auto_pdf/05-mg-natlteam-mls.pdf UCLA’S NATIONAL TEAM CONNECTION] In 1997, he was a member of the U.S. team at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. He played one game, a 3–0 loss to Uruguay in the Round of 16.[https://web.archive.org/web/20121019022902/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=194029/index.html FIFA]
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080622135038/http://www.portlandtimbers.com/team/roster/index.html?player_id=9 Portland Timbers bio]
- [http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/ucla/sports/m-soccer/auto_pdf/awards-honors.pdf UCLA Bruins stats]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poltl, Tom}}
Category:American soccer coaches
Category:American men's soccer players
Category:Boston Bulldogs (soccer) players
Category:Cape Cod Crusaders players
Category:Colorado Rapids draft picks
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Orange County Blue Star players
Category:Sportspeople from San Marcos, California
Category:Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players
Category:Soccer players from San Diego County, California
Category:UCLA Bruins men's soccer players
Category:A-League (1995–2004) players
Category:USL Second Division players
Category:USL First Division players
Category:USL League Two players
Category:United States men's under-20 international soccer players