View source for Poli Garcia

{{Short description|American soccer player}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Poli Garcia 
| image = 
| fullname = Jose Garcia
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|1|8}}
| birth_place = [[San Diego]], [[California]], United States
| height = 
| position = [[Midfielder]], [[Forward (association football)|forward]]
| years1 = 1977–1979 
| years2 = 1979–1980 
| years3 = 1980–1981 
| years4 = 1980–1981 
| years5 = 1981–1982 
| years6 = 1982–1983 
| years7 = 1982–1987 
| years8 = 1987–1988 
| years9 = 1988–1989 
| years10 = 1989
| clubs1 = [[California Sunshine (soccer)|California Sunshine]]
| clubs2 = [[Cleveland Force (1978–1988)|Cleveland Force]] (indoor)
| clubs3 = [[Los Angeles Aztecs]]
| clubs4 = [[Los Angeles Aztecs]] ''(indoor)''
| clubs5 = [[Jacksonville Tea Men]] ''(indoor)'' 
| clubs6 = [[Jacksonville Tea Men]] 
| clubs7 = [[Los Angeles Lazers]] (indoor)
| clubs8 = [[St. Louis Steamers (1979–1988)|St. Louis Steamers]] (indoor) 
| clubs9 = [[San Diego Sockers (1978–96)|San Diego Sockers]] (indoor)
| clubs10 = [[Los Angeles Lazers]] (indoor)
| caps1 = 56
| caps2 = 38
| caps3 = 48
| caps4 = 18
| caps5 = 13
| caps6 = 39
| caps7 = 211
| caps8 = 78
| caps9 = 21
| caps10 = 17
| goals1 = 50
| goals2 = 24
| goals3 = 10
| goals4 = 22
| goals5 = 3
| goals6 = 11
| goals7 = 135
| goals8 = 69
| goals9 = 1
| goals10 = 1
| totalcaps  = 539
| totalgoals = 326
| nationalyears1 = 1975
| nationalteam1  = [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]]
| nationalcaps1  = 2  
| nationalgoals1 = 0 
}}
'''Jose “Poli” Garcia''' (born in [[San Diego, California]]) is an American former [[Association football|soccer]] player.  He spent at least four seasons in the [[American Soccer League (1933-1983)|American Soccer League]], three in the [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|North American Soccer League]] and four in the [[Major Soccer League|Major Indoor Soccer League]].  He was the 1979 [[American Soccer League (1933-1983)|American Soccer League]] MVP and earned two [[cap (sports)|caps]] with the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] in 1975.

==Professional==
Born in San Diego, Garcia spent most of his youth in [[Mexico City, Mexico]].  His family returned to California when he was fifteen.  Garcia signed with the expansion [[California Sunshine (soccer)|California Sunshine]] of the [[American Soccer League (1933-1983)|American Soccer League]] in 1977.  In 1979, he and teammate [[Joey Fink]] tied for the league lead in goal scoring with fifteen apiece.  Garcia also garnered league MVP and first team All Star recognition.<ref>[http://www.section219.com/Default.aspx?tabid=139&ProductID=464 Store Search] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060604012043/http://www.section219.com/Default.aspx?tabid=139&ProductID=464 |date=2006-06-04 }}</ref>  In 1980, he moved from the Sunshine to the [[Los Angeles Aztecs]] of the [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|North American Soccer League]] (NASL).<ref>[http://nasljerseys.com/Players/G/Garcia.Poli.htm Garcia's NASL statistics]</ref>  After the Aztecs folded following the 1981 season, and Garcia moved to the [[Jacksonville Tea Men]] for the 1982 season.  The Tea Men left the NASL and joined the ASL following and Garcia remained with the team through at least the 1983 ASL season.

===Indoor years===
Garcia began his indoor career with the [[Cleveland Force (1978–1988)|Cleveland Force]] of [[Major Soccer League|Major Indoor Soccer League]] in 1979–80.  After one season in MISL, he played NASL indoor with the Aztecs in 1980–81 and the Tea Men for 1981–82. He then moved back to the MISL with the [[Los Angeles Lazers]] for the 1982–83 season.  On February 27, 1987, the Lazers traded Garcia and [[Jim Kavanaugh]] to the [[St. Louis Steamers (1979–1988)|St. Louis Steamers]] for [[Don Ebert]] and [[Steve Pecher]]. The following year, his only full season with the Steamers, he led the team in scoring with 50 goals.<ref>''St. Louis Indoor Soccer Year-by-Year'', St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 30, 1995, by Keith Schildroth</ref>  When the Steamers folded, Garcia became a free agent and signed with the [[San Diego Sockers (1978–96)|San Diego Sockers]] on September 14, 1988.  He began the season with the Sockers, but was traded to the Lazers in exchange for [[Waad Hirmez]] on February 3, 1989.  When the Lazers folded at the end of the season, the [[St. Louis Storm]] selected Garcia in the MISL dispersal draft, but did not sign him.

==National team==
Garcia earned two [[cap (sports)|caps]] with the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] in August 1975 at the Mexico City Cup. His first game was a 6–0 loss to [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] on August 21. His second was a 2–0 loss to [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] on August 24, 1975. In the second game, he replaced [[Hank Liotart]] in the 71st minute.<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesu/usa-intres-det70.html USA – Details of International Matches 1970–1979]</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://nasljerseys.com/Players/G/Garcia.Poli.htm NASL/MISL stats]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Poli}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:American Soccer League (1933–1983) players]]
[[Category:American men's soccer players]]
[[Category:California Sunshine players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Force (original MISL) players]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Jacksonville Tea Men players]]
[[Category:American sportspeople of Mexican descent]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Aztecs players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Lazers players]]
[[Category:Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players]]
[[Category:San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) indoor players]]
[[Category:Soccer players from San Diego]]
[[Category:St. Louis Steamers (original MISL) players]]
[[Category:United States men's international soccer players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]