Eli Durante
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Sao Paulo, Brazil | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1967 | Los Angeles Toros | 23 | (15) |
| 1968 | San Diego Toros | 6 | (1) |
| 1968 | St. Louis Stars | 6 | (1) |
| 1970 | Kansas City Spurs | 22 | (8) |
| 1971–1975 | Rochester Lancers | 90 | (5) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Eli Durante is a Brazilian retired footballer who played in the North American Soccer League from 1967 to 1975.
In 1967, Durante moved to the United States and signed with the Los Angeles Toros of the National Professional Soccer League. He was the league's third leading scorer that season.[1] At the end of the season, the NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League and the Toros moved to San Diego. Durante played six games with the Toros before moving to the St. Louis Stars.
In 1969, Durante signed with the Kansas City Spurs as it won the league title. The Spurs folded at the end of the 1970 season and Durante moved to the Rochester Lancers where he spent the last five seasons of his career. After retiring from soccer, Durante returned to Kansas City where he lived[2] before buying Florida Forklift Supply, LLC in 2008.[3]
Awards and honors
On December 27, 2014, the Rochester Lancers of the Major Arena Soccer League will induct Durante into the Rochester Lancers Wall of Fame as one of Rochester's "soccer pioneers". Durante played for the original Rochester Lancers of the North American Soccer League.[4]
References
- ↑ "1967". The Year in American Soccer.
- ↑ "Never too early for soccer - Fans wake up to watch Cup final at KC-area pub". The Kansas City Star. July 1, 2002.
- ↑ "Company History". Florida Forklift Supply, LLC.
- ↑ DiVeronica, Jeff (December 11, 2014). "Sarachan, Funke, Durante, Short to be inducted to Lancers Wall of Fame". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY: Gannett. Retrieved December 11, 2014.