Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Paul Caligiuri (born May 9, 1964 in Westminster,
California|Westminster, California) is an American
soccer player and coach, currently the head coach
of the Cal Poly Pomona college soccer team.

Caligiuri is probably best remembered for the
"Goal Heard Round the World," which he scored in a
Football World Cup|World Cup Qualifier November
19, 1989 against Trinidad and Tobago national
football team|Trinidad & Tobago, which qualified
the United States men's national soccer
team|United States for the Football World Cup
1990|1990 World Cup in Italy, the first World Cup
the United States had played in since Football
World Cup 1950|1950.  Caligiuri was, however, far
more than that single goal - he had a
distinguished career, both for club teams and for
the United States national team.  On top of that,
Caligiuri would go on to score the first World Cup
goal for the national team in 40 years, scoring in
a 5-2 defeat against Czechoslovakia national
football team|Czechoslovakia.

Caligiuri attended UCLA from 1982 to 1985, was
named an NCAA All-American twice, was named 1986
U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, and captained the
Bruins to an NCAA Championship his junior year. 
While at UCLA Caligiuri also earned his first cap
for the national team, playing October 9, 1984
against El Salvador national football team|El
Salvador.  Caligiuri would eventually tally 110
appearances for the United States, and would add
five goals from his position in the midfield. 
Caligiuri was a central figure to the national
team throughout the 80's up to the mid-90's, and
would start every match in both the 1990 and
Football World Cup 1994|1994 World Cups, playing
his final game in 1997, thirteen years after his
debut.

From 1987-89, Caligiuri played for Meppen of the
German 2. Bundesliga (football)|Bundesliga.  After
leaving Meppen, he moved to FC Hansa Rostock in
East Germany, with whom he would win the East
German championship in 1990.  He would move on to
Hamburger SV and SC Freiburg before 1995-6, when
he played for FC St. Pauli, also in the
Bundesliga, appearing in 14 games.  In 1996, he
returned to America to play in the emerging Major
League Soccer.  Caligiuri negotiated a promise
from the league to let him play for his hometown
Los Angeles Galaxy, but MLS allocated him to the
Columbus Crew.  After an extended lawsuit in the
first season, Caligiuri was placed with Los
Angeles for the 1997 season, and would play with
them until his retirement in 2001.  Caligiuri
finished his MLS career with 9 goals and 14
assists, accumulated over 135 games, 123 of which
were starts.

Caligiuri had no trouble finding a job after his
retirement, and was appointed head coach of both
the men and women's soccer teams at Cal
Poly-Pomona before the beginning of their 2001
fall season, although he did not take over until
2002.

In 2004, Caligiuri was elected into the United
States National Soccer Hall of Fame, along with
Michelle Akers and Eric Wynalda.