Ben Crawley

Ben Crawley (born May 6, 1971, in Austin, Texas) is a retired American soccer player. He was a member of the United States teams at both the 1987 FIFA U-16 World Championship and 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship but spent most of his professional career with lower division teams. He played five games in Major League Soccer with D.C. United in 1996.

Ben Crawley
Personal information
Date of birth (1971-05-06) May 6, 1971
Place of birth Austin, Texas, United States
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position(s) Forward
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1992 Virginia Cavaliers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1992 Austin Sockadillos
1993–1994 TuS Celle
1995 Richmond Kickers
1996 D.C. United 5 (0)
1996 Richmond Kickers
1997–1999 Austin Lone Stars
2000 Palm Beach Pumas
National team
1986–1987 U.S. U-16
1988–1989 U.S. U-20
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Youth

Crawley spent his early youth in Portland, Oregon, moving with his family to Austin, Texas when he was six. He spent his early years as a goalkeeper in the Capital Soccer Club, but was put on the front line as a freshman in high school. He was a 1989 Parade Magazine High School All American soccer player at Westlake High School. He attended the University of Virginia, playing on the men's soccer team from 1989 to 1992. He led the Cavaliers in scoring in 1990, 1991 and 1992, finishing his career with forty-seven goals and thirty-three assists.[1] In 1992, he was selected as a First-Team All-American.[2] Crawley and his teammates won the 1989, 1991 and 1992 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.

National team

Crawley was a regular on the junior national teams during the late 1980s. In 1986, he joined the U-17 national team as it prepared for the 1987 FIFA U-16 World Championship. The team successfully made it through qualification and Crawley played all three U.S. games at the World Championship. On July 12, 1987, he scored the winning goal in the opening game for the U.S., a 1–0 win over Ecuador. But two losses put the team out of contention for a spot in the second round. In 1988, he moved up to the U-20 national team which qualified for the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship. Crawley again played every game as the U.S. took fourth.[3]

Professional

In 1990, during the collegiate off-season, Crawley played for the Austin Sockadillos in the SISL outdoor league. He spent the 1991 with the Sockadillos as well.[4] Following his graduation from Virginia in 1993, he signed with TuS Celle F.C. in the German Regionalliga Nord.[5] In the fall of 1994, he had trials with the Baltimore Spirit and Wichita Wings of the National Professional Soccer League, but was not signed by either team for the regular season. On January 27, 1995, he signed with the Richmond Kickers in USISL where he was named a 1995 USISL All Star.[6] In August 1995, the Kickers take the "double" when they win the league and 1995 U.S. Open Cup titles. On February 7, 1996, D.C. United selected Crawley in the tenth round (100th overall) in the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft.[7] He played five games for United. On June 8, 1996, D.C. sent him on loan to the Richmond Kickers, then waived him on June 30, 1996.[8] He finished the season in Richmond. In 1997, he returned to the Austin Lone Stars in USISL. In 2000, he played a single season with the Palm Beach Pumas in the Premier Development League. Crawley now coaches youth soccer at the River City Rangers Soccer Club, in Austin, Texas.

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References
  1. "Men's Soccer: Career Records". Virginiasports.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  2. 1992 All Americans Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
  3. FIFA Player Record
  4. "The Year in American Soccer – 1991". Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  5. Deutsche-marked man - By putting his best foot forward, Ben Crawley could make his journey to Germany a lucrative one. But he knows it's not going to be easy. Austin American-Statesman - Sunday, June 27, 1993
  6. 1995 USISL Awards Archived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
  7. 1996 Inaugural Player Draft Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "All-Time Player Register". DCUnited.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved 9 December 2018.


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