Victor Nogueira

Victor Nogueira (born July 17, 1959) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper. Nogueira spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, but gained his greatest recognition in over twenty seasons in three indoor leagues, the Major Indoor Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League and the second Major Indoor Soccer League. He was also a member of the U.S. futsal team which took second place at the 1992 FIFA Futsal World Championship, and he is the father of FC Kansas City and United States forward Casey Loyd. He was elected to the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011.

Outdoor soccer

Early career Nogueira was born in Maputo, Mozambique, but was raised in South Africa. In 1974, when he was fifteen, Nogueira signed with Rangers, a South African club based in Johannesburg. While he gained his fame as a goalkeeper, he began his career as a forward. In his first season with Rangers as a keeper, he was switched to forward for the last 10 games and scored 10 goals. He was traded to Newcastle United in England and played on the reserves for 6 months prior to joining the Atlanta Chiefs.

NASL In 1979, Nogueira moved to the Atlanta Chiefs of the North American Soccer League (NASL). He played two seasons in Atlanta, then missed the 1981 season after surgery to repair a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Nogueira played nineteen games with the Montreal Manic in 1982, then moved to the Chicago Sting for the 1983 and 1984 NASL seasons. Nogueira and the Sting won the 1984 NASL title, the last year the league existed.

Indoor soccer

NASL In 1979–80, the NASL held an indoor season. The Chiefs went 10-2 and won the Eastern Division before falling to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in two games in the playoffs. Nogueira was the second-leading goalkeeper in the league with a 3.67 Goals Against Average.

MISL The NASL had planned a 1984–1985 indoor season, but cancelled it. When the league subsequently cancelled its 1985 outdoor season and folded, the Chicago Sting jumped to the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). In 1986, the Sting traded Nogueira to the Cleveland Force for Cris Vaccaro. The Force folded at the end of the 1987–1988 season and Nogueira moved to the San Diego Sockers.

When he arrived in San Diego, Nogueira joined a championship team who had Zoltán Tóth, the top goalkeeper in the league. Nogueira quickly supplanted Toth as the team's starting goalkeeper as the Sockers won 1988–1989 MISL title. Nogueira was also named the MISL Goalkeeper of the Year. The Sockers repeated as champions every season through 1991–1992 as Nogueira was a three-time Goalkeeper of the Year. The league folded at the end of the season and the Sockers moved to the Continental Indoor Soccer League. Nogueira did not make that move, but jumped to the Milwaukee Wave of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). Although thirty-two at the time, Nogueira would spend the next eleven years with the Wave.

NPSL During his eleven seasons in Milwaukee, Nogeuira won another three titles as the Wave won 1997–1998, 1999–2000 and 2000–2001 championships. In addition to winning the title in 1998, Nogueira was named the league MVP, playoff MVP, All-Star MVP, and Goalkeeper of the Year and first team All Star. He was the first indoor soccer player ever to reach 40,000 career minutes.

MISL II On October 2, 2003, Nogueira signed a one-year contract with San Diego Sockers which was now competing in a new Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). The Sockers began the 2004–2005 season, but folded after ten games. On January 5, 2005, the Baltimore Blast selected Nogueira in the third round of the MISL Dispersal Draft following the folding of the Sockers. Nogueira chose to retire instead.

Futsal Nogueira earned sixteen caps with the U.S. National Futsal team from 1992 to 2000. The team gained its greatest success in 1992 when it took second place at FIFA Futsal World Championship. Nogueira was named both as the top goalkeeper of the tournament and to the first team all-tournament team. While the U.S. did not place in the 1996 tournament, Nogueira was selected as an honorable mention All Tournament. In 2000, the U.S. placed third at the CONCACAF Tournament, but only the top two teams qualified for the World Championship. Nogueira retired from the futsal team following the CONCACAF Tournament.

Coaching Since his retirement from playing, Nogueira has coached professional teams, college teams and a youth soccer club. His daughter Casey currently plays in the National Women's Soccer League with FC Kansas City, and has also played for the United States women's national soccer team. Casey's husband Zach Loyd played in Major League Soccer for FC Dallas. Nogueira also coaches the Torrey Pines High School freshman soccer team. In 2010, Victor moved to Orange County and coaches with West Coast Futbul Club. In 2018, Nogueira became the goalkeeping coach for Orange County Soccer Club playing in USL Championship.

Honors Championships NASL: 1984 MISL: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 NPSL: 1998, 2000, 2001

MVP MISL: 1991, 1992 NPSL: 1996, 1998

Goalkeeper of the Year MISL: 1989, 1991 NPSL: 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 MISL II: 2002, 2003

Championship MVP MISL: 1989 NPSL: 1998

All Star Game MVP NPSL: 1998

First team All Star MISL: 1990, 1991 NPSL: 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, MISL II: 2002, 2003

FIFA FUTSAL Championship First Team All-World: 1992 Honorable Mention All World: 1996 Best Goalkeeper: 1992