John Diffley
Encyclopedia
John Diffley is a retired American soccer player who is currently the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Administration at St. John's University
.
of Rockland, New York
where he played on the soccer team from 1981 to 1984. He was a Parade
High School All-American and was inducted into the Albertus Magnus Hall of Fame in 1998. In 1985, he entered American University
. He spent four seasons as a midfielder with American. During Diffley's freshman year, American went to the NCAA title game
where the Eagles fell to the University of California, Los Angeles
in eight overtimes. Diffley graduated in 1989 with honors and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
of the American Soccer League
(ASL). At the conclusion of the ASL season, Diffley signed with the expansion indoor team Atlanta Attack of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA). The Attack finished second in the league 1989-1990 standings and went to the playoff semi-finals before losing to the Dayton Dynamo
. In the 1990 off-season, the AISA renamed itself the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). The Attack again finished second in the standings, but fell to Dayton again in the first round of the playoffs. That summer, Diffley moved to the Penn-Jersey Spirit
of the American Professional Soccer League
(APSL).
club HFC Haarlem
and spent the 1992-1993 season in Holland.
of USISL, where he was captain and was named to the USISL All-Star team. The next season, 1995, he signed with the Long Island Rough Riders
. That year, Long Island won the USISL national championship. Diffley was named to the Championship All-Tournament team.
The Tampa Bay Mutiny
of Major League Soccer
(MLS) drafted Diffley in the third round (twenty-seventh overall) of the 1996 Draft
. He saw time in thirteen games before being traded to the Kansas City Wizards
for the 1997 season. That year, Diffley played in six games and retired at the end of the season to become a full-time coach. Diffley spent at least one more season playing professionally when he was with the New York Freedom
as a player-assistant coach in 2003.
men's soccer team. In 1997, he moved to St. John's University where he served as an assistant coach with the men's soccer team while working on his master's degree
in business administration.
in 1988. He earned his first cap as a substitute for Jeff Agoos
in a 1-0 loss to Guatemala
on January 10, 1988. Earned eight caps for the U.S. in 1988 when he contended for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. His last game came six months later as a substitute for Brian Bliss
in a June 12 tie with Ecuador
. At the time the national team was preparing for the 1988 Summer Olympics
. Diffley was selected as an alternate for the 1988 for the U.S. Olympic Team.
American University inducted Diffley into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.
St. John's University (New York City)
St. John's University is a private, Roman Catholic, coeducational university located in New York City, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1870, the school was originally located in the borough of Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant...
.
Youth and college
Diffley attended Albertus Magnus High SchoolAlbertus Magnus High School
Albertus Magnus High School is a Catholic, co-educational high school located in Bardonia, New York, named after the German philosopher and theologian of the same name...
of Rockland, New York
Rockland, New York
Rockland is a town in the northern part of Sullivan County, New York, United States. At the 2000 census, the population was 3,913.- History :The town, like most of this part of New York, was part of the Hardenburgh Patent...
where he played on the soccer team from 1981 to 1984. He was a Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
High School All-American and was inducted into the Albertus Magnus Hall of Fame in 1998. In 1985, he entered American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
. He spent four seasons as a midfielder with American. During Diffley's freshman year, American went to the NCAA title game
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...
where the Eagles fell to the University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
in eight overtimes. Diffley graduated in 1989 with honors and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
Going professional
In 1989, Diffley began his professional career with the Albany CapitalsAlbany Capitals
The Albany Capitals joined the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1989. The team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soccer League...
of the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
(ASL). At the conclusion of the ASL season, Diffley signed with the expansion indoor team Atlanta Attack of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA). The Attack finished second in the league 1989-1990 standings and went to the playoff semi-finals before losing to the Dayton Dynamo
Dayton Dynamo
The Dayton Dynamo was a professional indoor soccer team from Dayton, Ohio. The team played in the American Indoor Soccer Association ....
. In the 1990 off-season, the AISA renamed itself the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). The Attack again finished second in the standings, but fell to Dayton again in the first round of the playoffs. That summer, Diffley moved to the Penn-Jersey Spirit
Penn-Jersey Spirit
Penn-Jersey Spirit played in the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 and 1991. The team's home stadium was Lions Stadium in Ewing, New Jersey, on the campus of Trenton State College...
of the 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...
(APSL).
Holland
Diffley then decided to try a career in Europe. He signed with Dutch Second DivisionEerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
club HFC Haarlem
HFC Haarlem
HFC Haarlem was a Dutch football club from the city of Haarlem, established in 1889. The club won the Dutch national title in 1946 and reached five Cup finals, winning in 1902 and 1912...
and spent the 1992-1993 season in Holland.
Back to the U.S.
In 1994, Diffley joined the North Jersey ImperialsNorth Jersey Imperials
The North Jersey Imperials were a soccer club based in Paramus, New Jersey. They played in the United Soccer Leagues between 1994 and 2001. The Imperials were the first pro team of US national team goalkeeper Tim Howard....
of USISL, where he was captain and was named to the USISL All-Star team. The next season, 1995, he signed with the Long Island Rough Riders
Long Island Rough Riders
Long Island Rough Riders is an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its...
. That year, Long Island won the USISL national championship. Diffley was named to the Championship All-Tournament team.
The Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...
of 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...
(MLS) drafted Diffley in the third round (twenty-seventh overall) of the 1996 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 saw time in thirteen games before being traded 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...
for the 1997 season. That year, Diffley played in six games and retired at the end of the season to become a full-time coach. Diffley spent at least one more season playing professionally when he was with the New York Freedom
New York Freedom
The New York Freedom are a defunct American soccer club based in New York, New York.-Year-by-year:...
as a player-assistant coach in 2003.
Coaching
In 1995, Diffley became the head coach for the Dominican CollegeDominican College
There are several current and former institutions of higher learning named Dominican College.-Higher education:*Dominican College , a four-year private college in Orangeburg, New York...
men's soccer team. In 1997, he moved to St. John's University where he served as an assistant coach with the men's soccer team while working on his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in business administration.
Administration
In 2001, Diffley gained his master's degree and left St. John's to work in the financial industry. On January 1, 2004, Diffley returned to St. John's when the school hired him as its Senior Associate Athletic Director for Administration.National team
Diffley earned seven 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 1988. He earned his first cap as a substitute for Jeff Agoos
Jeff Agoos
Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Agoos is a retired American soccer defender, and one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team....
in a 1-0 loss to Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
on January 10, 1988. Earned eight caps for the U.S. in 1988 when he contended for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. His last game came six months later as a substitute for Brian Bliss
Brian Bliss
Brian Boyer Bliss is a retired American soccer defender and former coach of the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer. He played professionally in Europe and the United States including the original Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League and...
in a June 12 tie with Ecuador
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
. At the time the national team was preparing for the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
. Diffley was selected as an alternate for the 1988 for the U.S. Olympic Team.
American University inducted Diffley into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.