Jeff Baicher
Encyclopedia
Jeff Baicher is a retired U.S. soccer forward
whose professional career took him through multiple U.S. leagues, including the Western Soccer League
, American Professional Soccer League
, Continental Indoor Soccer League
and Major League Soccer
. He ended his playing career with the Bay Area Seals of the USL A-League
. He earned two caps with the U.S. national team
and currently coaches youth soccer.
where he played on the boys soccer team. After graduating from high school, Baicher attended Foothill College
, a local two year community college near his home. In 1989, he transferred to Santa Clara University
where he spent the next two seasons. In 1989, Baichers first year with the Broncos, the team shared the NCAA championship
title with Virginia
after the two schools played even through four overtimes. While at Santa Clara, he paired with fellow forward Paul Bravo
who later teamed with Baicher at both the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
and the San Jose Clash. He ended his two years at Santa Clara fifth on the NCAA list of assists per game with 37 in 43 games.
of the Western Soccer League
during the collegiate off season. He would remain with the Blackhawks for their entire existence under that name, beginning with the team’s first season in 1989 and ending in 1991. During his years with the Blackhawks, he became an integral part of this dominant U.S. club, seeing time in 17 games and scoring 3 goals in the 1992 season. That same season, the Blackhawks went to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The last two seasons saw Baicher play for Laurie Calloway
as well as former Broncos team mate Paul Bravo
.http://a-leaguearchive.tripod.com/1991/stats91.htm#SFB
In 1991, he traveled to England where he had a trial with Manchester United. Although he played games with the reserve squad, he was never offered a contract.
In 1994, Baicher spent the season with the Central California Valley (CCV) Hydra
of the U.S. Interregional Soccer League (USISL). The next year found him with the Monterey Bay Jaguars of the USISL Professional League. That season, Monterey Bay compiled a 16-4 record, taking their Division championship. That put them in the Sizzling Nine tournament where they failed to make the title game.
The 1995 season also saw Baicher spend time with the San Jose Grizzlies
of the Continental Indoor Soccer League
(CISL).http://www.kicksfan.com/1995/box/season/game21.htm
took Baicher in the 6th round (58th overall) of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft
. He went on to play from 1996 to 1999 in San Jose. The first two seasons saw him reunited with his former Blackhawks coach Laurie Calloway
as well as his recurring team mate Paul Bravo
. The team thought so highly of him that they protected him in the 1997 MLS Expansion Draft
. However, in 1999, he was the team’s second leading scorer with three goals and nine assists when San Jose sent him to the New England Revolution
for Jair
on August 13, 1999. The mid-season trade sparked considerable controversy as Robert Kraft
owned both teams. Kraft owned the New England Patriots
of the National Football League
(NFL) and had grown up and lived in the New England area his entire life. At the time it appeared as if Kraft had made the trade in order to boost the Revolution’s prospects at the expense of the Clash.http://www.soccertimes.com/langdon/1999/aug18.htm
Regardless, Baicher spent only the remainder of the 1999 season with the Revs before being traded, with a third round draft pick, to the Kansas City Wizards
on January 3, 2000 for the Wizards’ second, third and fourth round picks in the 2000 Super Draft
.http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=17603&pcid=115 Baicher was furious with the trade and refused to move to Kansas City. He had spent his entire playing career in the San Francisco bay area and his wife had long established herself in the Silicon Valley
computer industry. He demanded that the league send him back to San Jose. When MLS refused to invalidate the trade or pressure the Wizards to send him to the Earthquakes, Baicher retired from MLS.http://www.soccertimes.com/wagman/2000/apr12.htm
That year, he played for the Bay Area Seals of the USL A-League. He was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Yearhttp://uslfans.com/news/2000/news,2000,0185.shtml The team folded at the end of the season and Baicher retired from playing professionally.
in 1990 and 1991. His first cap came as a substitute for Bruce Murray in a February 13, 1990 victory over Bermuda
. His second, and last, cap came a year later as a substitute for Fernando Clavijo
in a February 1, 1991 loss to Switzerland
.
. He is currently President, Boys Coaching Director and coach for the DeAnza Force Soccer Club.
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
whose professional career took him through multiple U.S. leagues, including the Western Soccer League
Western Soccer League
Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alliance...
, American Professional Soccer League
American Professional Soccer League
The American Professional Soccer League is a former professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. It was the first outdoor soccer league to feature teams from throughout the United States since the demise of the original North American Soccer League...
, Continental Indoor Soccer League
Continental Indoor Soccer League
The Continental Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997.-History:When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to...
and Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. He ended his playing career with the Bay Area Seals of the USL A-League
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
. He earned two caps with the U.S. national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
and currently coaches youth soccer.
Youth
Baicher was born and raised in California. He lived in Santa Clara County while growing up and entered organized soccer with the Sunnyvale United Soccer Club. He also attended Homestead High SchoolHomestead High School (Cupertino, California)
Homestead High School is a four-year high school serving north western Cupertino, western Sunnyvale, and portions of southern Los Altos, in Santa Clara County, California. Established in 1962, the school serves 2,270 students in grades 9 to 12 as part of the Fremont Union High School District...
where he played on the boys soccer team. After graduating from high school, Baicher attended Foothill College
Foothill College
Foothill College is a community college located in Los Altos Hills, California and is part of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. It was founded on January 15, 1957 by Founding Superintendent and President Dr. Calvin C. Flint.-History:...
, a local two year community college near his home. In 1989, he transferred to Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
where he spent the next two seasons. In 1989, Baichers first year with the Broncos, the team shared the NCAA championship
NCAA Men's Soccer Championship
The NCAA began conducting a Men's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1959 with an eight-team tournament. Currently, the tournament field consists of 48 teams...
title with Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
after the two schools played even through four overtimes. While at Santa Clara, he paired with fellow forward Paul Bravo
Paul Bravo
Paul Bravo is a former American soccer midfielder and forward who played six seasons in Major League Soccer, two in the American Professional Soccer League and two in the USISL. He also earned four caps, scoring one goal, with the United States men's national soccer team...
who later teamed with Baicher at both the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
San Francisco Bay Blackhawks was a professional soccer team which came into existence in 1989 as a team in the Western Soccer League . The Blackhawks spent time in the American Professional Soccer League and the United States Interregional Soccer League...
and the San Jose Clash. He ended his two years at Santa Clara fifth on the NCAA list of assists per game with 37 in 43 games.
Minor leagues
While still in college, Baicher began playing for the San Francisco Bay BlackhawksSan Francisco Bay Blackhawks
San Francisco Bay Blackhawks was a professional soccer team which came into existence in 1989 as a team in the Western Soccer League . The Blackhawks spent time in the American Professional Soccer League and the United States Interregional Soccer League...
of the Western Soccer League
Western Soccer League
Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alliance...
during the collegiate off season. He would remain with the Blackhawks for their entire existence under that name, beginning with the team’s first season in 1989 and ending in 1991. During his years with the Blackhawks, he became an integral part of this dominant U.S. club, seeing time in 17 games and scoring 3 goals in the 1992 season. That same season, the Blackhawks went to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The last two seasons saw Baicher play for Laurie Calloway
Laurie Calloway
Laurence John "Laurie" Calloway is a retired English-U.S. soccer defender who spent thirteen years in the English leagues and six years in the North American Soccer League....
as well as former Broncos team mate Paul Bravo
Paul Bravo
Paul Bravo is a former American soccer midfielder and forward who played six seasons in Major League Soccer, two in the American Professional Soccer League and two in the USISL. He also earned four caps, scoring one goal, with the United States men's national soccer team...
.http://a-leaguearchive.tripod.com/1991/stats91.htm#SFB
In 1991, he traveled to England where he had a trial with Manchester United. Although he played games with the reserve squad, he was never offered a contract.
In 1994, Baicher spent the season with the Central California Valley (CCV) Hydra
Central California Valley Hydra
Central California Valley Hydra was an American soccer team that played in Stockton, California. The team joined the USISL in 1994 and moved to the USISL Pro League in 1995. They folded after the 1996 season.-Year-by-year:...
of the U.S. Interregional Soccer League (USISL). The next year found him with the Monterey Bay Jaguars of the USISL Professional League. That season, Monterey Bay compiled a 16-4 record, taking their Division championship. That put them in the Sizzling Nine tournament where they failed to make the title game.
The 1995 season also saw Baicher spend time with the San Jose Grizzlies
San Jose Grizzlies
San Jose Grizzlies were a professional indoor soccer team based in San Jose, California. The team was founded on November 24, 1993 as a member of the Continental Indoor Soccer League. After playing in the 1994 and 1995 CISL seasons, the Grizzlies folded following the 1995 season. The team played...
of the Continental Indoor Soccer League
Continental Indoor Soccer League
The Continental Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997.-History:When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to...
(CISL).http://www.kicksfan.com/1995/box/season/game21.htm
MLS
In 1996, the San Jose Clash of Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
took Baicher in the 6th round (58th overall) of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft
1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft
The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer's initial 1996 season, distributed players who had already graduated from college to the league's ten inaugural teams. The draft occurred on February 6 and 7, 1996...
. He went on to play from 1996 to 1999 in San Jose. The first two seasons saw him reunited with his former Blackhawks coach Laurie Calloway
Laurie Calloway
Laurence John "Laurie" Calloway is a retired English-U.S. soccer defender who spent thirteen years in the English leagues and six years in the North American Soccer League....
as well as his recurring team mate Paul Bravo
Paul Bravo
Paul Bravo is a former American soccer midfielder and forward who played six seasons in Major League Soccer, two in the American Professional Soccer League and two in the USISL. He also earned four caps, scoring one goal, with the United States men's national soccer team...
. The team thought so highly of him that they protected him in the 1997 MLS Expansion Draft
1997 MLS Expansion Draft
The 1997 MLS Expansion Draft was held November 6, 1997. Two teams participated, the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion F.C., both expansion Major League Soccer clubs planned for the 1998 season.-Format:...
. However, in 1999, he was the team’s second leading scorer with three goals and nine assists when San Jose sent him to the New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
for Jair
Jair
Jair died and was buried in Kamon.-External links:* *...
on August 13, 1999. The mid-season trade sparked considerable controversy as Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
owned both teams. Kraft owned the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) and had grown up and lived in the New England area his entire life. At the time it appeared as if Kraft had made the trade in order to boost the Revolution’s prospects at the expense of the Clash.http://www.soccertimes.com/langdon/1999/aug18.htm
Regardless, Baicher spent only the remainder of the 1999 season with the Revs before being traded, with a third round draft pick, to the Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
on January 3, 2000 for the Wizards’ second, third and fourth round picks in the 2000 Super Draft
2000 MLS SuperDraft
The 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6:...
.http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=17603&pcid=115 Baicher was furious with the trade and refused to move to Kansas City. He had spent his entire playing career in the San Francisco bay area and his wife had long established herself in the Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
computer industry. He demanded that the league send him back to San Jose. When MLS refused to invalidate the trade or pressure the Wizards to send him to the Earthquakes, Baicher retired from MLS.http://www.soccertimes.com/wagman/2000/apr12.htm
That year, he played for the Bay Area Seals of the USL A-League. He was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Yearhttp://uslfans.com/news/2000/news,2000,0185.shtml The team folded at the end of the season and Baicher retired from playing professionally.
National team
Baicher earned two caps with the U.S national teamUnited States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in 1990 and 1991. His first cap came as a substitute for Bruce Murray in a February 13, 1990 victory over Bermuda
Bermuda national football team
The Bermuda national football team is the national team of Bermuda and is controlled by the Bermuda Football Association. A member of CONCACAF, it is not among its strongest teams....
. His second, and last, cap came a year later as a substitute for Fernando Clavijo
Fernando Clavijo
Fernando Clavijo is a retired American soccer football defender and former head coach of the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. He played three seasons in the American Soccer League, two in the North American Soccer League and ten in the Major Indoor Soccer League...
in a February 1, 1991 loss to Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
.
Coaching
Since retiring from playing professionally, Baicher has joined the coaching ranks with Bethany UniversityBethany University
Bethany University was a four-year private Christian university located in Scotts Valley, California in Santa Cruz County. It operated from 1919 until closing in 2011 and was endorsed by the Assemblies of God USA, a Pentecostal denomination, and was the denomination's oldest college at the time of...
. He is currently President, Boys Coaching Director and coach for the DeAnza Force Soccer Club.