Laurie Abrahams
Personal information
Full name Lawrence Adam Michael Abrahams
Date of birth (1953-04-03) 3 April 1953
Place of birth Stepney, London, England
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Irvine Valley College (coach)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Alford
0000–1977 Barking
1977–1978 Charlton Athletic 16 (2)
1978 New England Tea Men 17 (7)
1979 Tulsa Roughnecks 15 (10)
1979–1981 California Surf 58 (30)
1980–1981 California Surf (indoor) 14 (14)
1982–1983 Tulsa Roughnecks 53 (28)
1983–1984 Tulsa Roughnecks (indoor) 25 (23)
1984 San Diego Sockers 19 (1)
1984–1985 New York Cosmos (indoor) 18 (7)
1985–1986 Kansas City Comets (indoor) 55 (38)
1986 Melbourne Croatia 9 (5)
1986–1987 Wichita Wings (indoor) 23 (14)
Total 283 (142)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Lawrence Adam Michael Abrahams (born 3 April 1953) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a striker in England, the United States, and Australia. In a career which lasted from 1977 to 1987, Abrahams played 283 career league games, and scored 142 league goals.

Career

Playing career

Abrahams was born in Stepney, in the East End of London. His family moved to Alfold in Surrey and he started his football career in the youth team at Alfold F.C., once scoring 101 goals in a single season)[1] He returned to London and joined non-league club Barking, also working in a tailor's shop.[1] He signed a professional contract in 1977 with Charlton Athletic. He spent one season at Charlton, making sixteen appearances.[2] After leaving Charlton in 1978, Abrahams moved to the United States and played in the North American Soccer League for the New England Tea Men, Tulsa Roughnecks, and California Surf. The Surf folded at the end of the 1981 season and on 6 October 1981, the Tulsa Roughnecks selected Abrahams in the Dispersal Draft.[3] He played the 1982 and 1983 outdoor seasons in Tulsa followed by the 1983–1984 NASL indoor season. He was the Offensive MVP of 1983 NASL Grand Prix of Indoor Soccer, posting 12 goals and 6 assists in 8 games.[4] In May 1984, the Roughnecks traded Abrahams to the San Diego Sockers in exchange for Peter Skouras and two used soccer balls.[5] He began the season paired with Ade Coker up front, but was relegated to the bench after the Sockers acquired Steve Zungul and Branko Segota. On 17 October 1984, the Sockers sold Abrahams's rights to the New York Cosmos for $25,000.[6] The Cosmos entered the Major Indoor Soccer League in the fall of 1984, but sold his contract to the Kansas City Comets in January 1985.[7] He remained with the Comets through the 1985–1986 season. Abrahams spent the 1986 season in Australia with the Melbourne Knights, where he made 9 appearances,[8] before returning to America to play with the Wichita Wings during the 1986–1987 MISL season.

Coaching career

Abrahams is currently the Assistant Soccer Coach at Irvine Valley College.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Loyalty Points David Bauckham
  2. ↑ "CHARLTON ATHLETIC – 1946/47 – 2007/08". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Transfer Database. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  3. ↑ 4 Dips Taken in NASL Draft Washington Post, The (DC) – Wednesday, 7 October 1981
  4. ↑ "The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search".
  5. ↑ "Socks' deals put on hold" Evening Tribune (San Diego) Friday, 11 May 1984
  6. ↑ "Sockers sell Abrahams to Cosmos Team gets $25,000 for English forward" San Diego Union Thursday, 18 October 1984
  7. ↑ "COMETS STIFF TEST FOR STING" Chicago Tribune Sunday, 27 January 1985
  8. ↑ "Australian Player Database". Oz Football. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  9. ↑ "Assistant Coach: Laurie Abrahams". Irvine Valley College. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
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