Tony Meola
Encyclopedia
Antonio Michael "Tony" Meola (born February 21, 1969) is an American
former soccer goalkeeper
who played for the United States national team at the 1990
and 1994
World Cups
, and from 1996 to 2006 played in Major League Soccer
, the U.S. top soccer division, where he obtained multiple honors. He currently plays for charity team Global United FC.
In 1999, he was named by The Star-Ledger
as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1980s.
Meola not only excelled at soccer, he was a three-sport varsity
letterman. He was the captain of the school's basketball team and was named an All-State baseball player in 1987. The New York Yankees
drafted him out of high school. Meola later played in their farm system.
, New Jersey
, grew up in Kearny, New Jersey
and played boys soccer for Kearny High School, in Kearny, New Jersey
. He learned his love for the game from his father, Vincent, who had played for Italian second division
club Avellino
before immigrating to the U.S. Tony was All-State both as a goalkeeper (1985) and a forward (1986). He had a part in 41 shutouts and scored 42 goals during his high school career.
on a soccer/baseball athletic scholarship. While at Virginia, he played under coach Bruce Arena
. By the time he was playing for the Cavaliers, he had already begun to make a name for himself on the international scene. In October 1987, he backstopped the U.S. U-20 national team at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
.http://www.fifa.com/en/comp/U20M2007/tournament/0,6416,U20M-2007-105,00.html One of the greatest goalkeepers to play college soccer, he earned first team All American
honors both his freshman and sophomore years. He also won the Hermann Trophy
as a freshman in 1988 and the MAC Award as a sophomore in 1989. On December 15, 1989, he announced that he was leaving U.Va. to pursue a career with the U.S. national team.
He also was a varsity letterman for the U.Va. baseball team.
. Following the cup, Meola signed on loan with English club Brighton & Hove Albion
where he played eleven games, only two were league games. He gained his first start when he replaced the injured Perry Digweed
and promptly won man of the match honors. On September 14, 1990, Meola was transferred to Watford
before moving back to the U.S. He returned to the U.S. after he was unable to renew his work permit due to his inability to gain first team time with Watford.
. He shared the goal with Arnie Mausser
. On December 14, 1994 Meola signed with the Buffalo Blizzard
of the NPSL
in the 1994-1995 indoor season. He became the team's starting keeper, but on January 31, 1995, he announced that he had taken a lead role in the off-Broadway play Tony and Tina's Wedding. He played five more games with the Blizzard before leaving to join the cast on February 16.
In February 1995, Meola joined the Long Island Rough Riders
for its upcoming 1995 USISL
season. That year the Rough Riders claimed the USISL championship.
to the NY/NJ MetroStars
, for whom he played between 1996 and 1998, starting almost every game. However, before the league began play, he spent three weeks in February 1996 training with Italian club Parma
. During his time with the MetroStars, he set a league record with nine shutouts in 1996. He did not win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award
, however; the honor went to Mark Dodd
.
Meola was traded to the Kansas City Wizards
(with Alexi Lalas
for Mark Chung
and Mike Ammann
) in 1999, but missed most of his first year in the midwest due to injury. In 2000, Meola was named League MVP, Goalkeeper of the Year, and MLS Cup MVP as he led Kansas City to the championship
. He set a new the league record by recording 16 shutouts.
Meola played for the Wizards through the 2004 MLS season. That year, an injury forced him out of contention. Bo Oshoniyi
took over the goalkeeping position, and Meola was not asked back for next season. He was then re-acquired by the MetroStars in June 2005. Meola was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI
after the season. Following the 2006 season, Meola was waived by the team, now known as the New York Red Bulls. However, he signed a contract with the indoor New Jersey Ironmen
on August 14, 2007.
debut on June 10, 1988, against Ecuador
. Meola's second cap came in a June 4, 1989 victory over Peru in the Marlboro Cup which won the U.S. the cup. The team took the trophy to the Scots-American Club in Kearny, New Jersey. After the party, Meola drove back to the team's hotel, dropped the trophy at the front desk and drove home. As he remembers it, "A week later Doug Newman called me up and asked where the cup was. I told him I'd left it at for him at the hotel. . . . I'm sure they got it back. Back then there weren't too many cups in U.S. Soccer."http://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=53697
Later in the summer, the national team went on a tour of Italy, playing several Serie A
teams. At the time, David Vanole
was the U.S. starter, but he and Meola had traded goalkeeper duties over the previous month as Vanole fought USSF on a contract dispute and attempted to get his burgeoning weight under control. U.S. coach Bob Gansler
intended to start Meola against A.S. Roma
, but Meola was injured in a freak accident when a ball struck his head during practice. Vanole started in his place, but let in three weak goals in a 4-3 U.S. victory.http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/SoccerAmerica/2002/sa1522o.pdf Gansler benched Vanole, who never again played for the U.S., and turned toward Meola as his starting keeper. Meola went on to play the remaining U.S. qualifying games for the 1990 FIFA World Cup
, including the famous 1-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago which clinched a spot in the finals for the U.S. He then played every minute in goal for the US in the 1990 FIFA World Cup
.
Meola remained the keeper of choice for the U.S. national team from 1990 through the 1994 FIFA World Cup
. At that tournament, his play and ponytail
made him a recognizable face around the country. After the U.S. loss to Brazil in the second round of the World Cup, Meola informed the U.S. coach Bora Milutinović that he intended to pursue a professional football
career as a placekicker
. Milutinović never called Meola back to the U.S. team and it was not until January 1999 that Meola again played for the U.S. By that time, Kasey Keller
and Brad Friedel
were competing for the starting goalkeeper spot on the team and Meola never regained the first team place he had enjoyed in the early 1990s. However, he continued to play for the U.S. and earned his 100th cap in 2006. He was the third-choice goalkeeper at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
behind Brad Friedel
and Kasey Keller
.
with NFL
's New York Jets
in July 1994, appearing Off-Broadway
in Tony and Tina's Wedding in 1995, and running his own mortgage
firm.
Meola was the original drummer for New Jersey's Hottest Cover Band, "MUSHMOUTH", with whom he still occasionally plays with and often fills in for when their full time drummer, Bob Docherty, is unable to fulfill the task due to soccer related injuries.
The last time Tony played drums with Mushmouth was November 19, 2011 at the Beachcomber in Seaside Heights.
A soccer video game
for the SNES
was released in 1993 with his name.
Meola is now coaching his son's U12 soccer club in Toms River, NJ.
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United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former soccer goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
who played for the United States national team at the 1990
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
and 1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, and from 1996 to 2006 played in 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...
, the U.S. top soccer division, where he obtained multiple honors. He currently plays for charity team Global United FC.
In 1999, he was named by The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1980s.
Meola not only excelled at soccer, he was a three-sport varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
letterman. He was the captain of the school's basketball team and was named an All-State baseball player in 1987. The New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
drafted him out of high school. Meola later played in their farm system.
Early life and soccer career
Meola, born in BellevilleBelleville, New Jersey
Belleville is a Township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 35,926.-History:...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, grew up in Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 40,684. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark....
and played boys soccer for Kearny High School, in Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 40,684. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark....
. He learned his love for the game from his father, Vincent, who had played for Italian second division
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
club Avellino
U.S. Avellino
Associazione Sportiva Avellino 1912 , since summer 2010, is the new name of the Italian football club, based in Avellino, Campania. The club was founded in 1912 and its traditional colours are green and white...
before immigrating to the U.S. Tony was All-State both as a goalkeeper (1985) and a forward (1986). He had a part in 41 shutouts and scored 42 goals during his high school career.
College
Meola attended the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
on a soccer/baseball athletic scholarship. While at Virginia, he played under coach Bruce Arena
Bruce Arena
Bruce Arena is a former coach of the United States men's national soccer team as well as a former professional soccer and lacrosse player...
. By the time he was playing for the Cavaliers, he had already begun to make a name for himself on the international scene. In October 1987, he backstopped the U.S. U-20 national team at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
1987 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Chile from October 10 to October 25, 1987. The 1987 championship was the 6th contested and won for the first time by Yugoslavia. Remarkably, in the course of the tournament the Yugoslavs defeated each of the three other semi-finalists, and...
.http://www.fifa.com/en/comp/U20M2007/tournament/0,6416,U20M-2007-105,00.html One of the greatest goalkeepers to play college soccer, he earned first team All American
Division I First-Team All-American (soccer)
The Division I First-Team All-Americans are the best eleven U.S. college soccer players as selected by the NCAA.-1970–1983:From 1970 to 1983 the NCAA only named defenders and forwards in addition to one goalkeeper.-1983–present:...
honors both his freshman and sophomore years. He also won the Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
as a freshman in 1988 and the MAC Award as a sophomore in 1989. On December 15, 1989, he announced that he was leaving U.Va. to pursue a career with the U.S. national team.
He also was a varsity letterman for the U.Va. baseball team.
England
Meola had signed with the U.S. Soccer Federation before the 1990 FIFA World Cup1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
. Following the cup, Meola signed on loan with English club Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
where he played eleven games, only two were league games. He gained his first start when he replaced the injured Perry Digweed
Perry Digweed
Perry Digweed is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Wimbledon and Watford, making 226 appearances in the Football League.-References:...
and promptly won man of the match honors. On September 14, 1990, Meola was transferred to Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
before moving back to the U.S. He returned to the U.S. after he was unable to renew his work permit due to his inability to gain first team time with Watford.
Back in the States
In 1991, Meola played for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the American Professional Soccer LeagueAmerican 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...
. He shared the goal with Arnie Mausser
Arnie Mausser
Arnold "Arnie" Mausser is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played with 8 different NASL teams from 1975-1984. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame....
. On December 14, 1994 Meola signed with the Buffalo Blizzard
Buffalo Blizzard
The Buffalo Blizzard was an indoor soccer team based in Buffalo, New York. The team was a member of the now defunct NPSL from 1992 to 2001. From 1992-1996, the team played at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, and they moved to HSBC Arena in 1996 where they played until 2001.The team was originally...
of the NPSL
Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008)
The Major Indoor Soccer League was the top professional indoor soccer league in the USA. The league was a member of both the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA. The MISL had replaced the NPSL which folded in 2001. According to MISL.net, the league has ceased operations as of May 31, 2008...
in the 1994-1995 indoor season. He became the team's starting keeper, but on January 31, 1995, he announced that he had taken a lead role in the off-Broadway play Tony and Tina's Wedding. He played five more games with the Blizzard before leaving to join the cast on February 16.
In February 1995, Meola joined 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...
for its upcoming 1995 USISL
United Soccer Leagues
The United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
season. That year the Rough Riders claimed the USISL championship.
Major League Soccer
Upon the creation of Major League Soccer, he was allocated1996 MLS Inaugural Allocations
The Major League Soccer Inaugural Allocations were signed by the league in 1996 and distributed to the ten initial teams prior to the beginning of the first MLS season...
to the NY/NJ MetroStars
Red Bull New York
The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The team competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
, for whom he played between 1996 and 1998, starting almost every game. However, before the league began play, he spent three weeks in February 1996 training with Italian club Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
. During his time with the MetroStars, he set a league record with nine shutouts in 1996. He did not win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award
MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award
In the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Goalkeeper of the Year Award since its inception in 1996. Here is a list of recipients:-Winners:-External links:*...
, however; the honor went to Mark Dodd
Mark Dodd
Mark Dodd is a former U.S. soccer goalkeeper. He spent one season in the Major Indoor Soccer League, six in the American Professional Soccer League and four in Major League Soccer with the Dallas Burn. He also earned fifteen caps with the U.S. national team.-High school and college:Dodd attended...
.
Meola was 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...
(with Alexi Lalas
Alexi Lalas
Panayotis Alexander Lalas is a retired American soccer player who played mostly as a defender for the United States national team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup...
for Mark Chung
Mark Chung
Mark Chung is a former American soccer midfielder who, after a season in the Continental Indoor Soccer League, played ten seasons in Major League Soccer. He also earned twenty-four caps, scoring two goals, with the U.S. national team.-Youth and college:Chung was born in Toronto to Chinese...
and Mike Ammann
Mike Ammann
Mike Ammann is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in England and Major League Soccer.-Youth:...
) in 1999, but missed most of his first year in the midwest due to injury. In 2000, Meola was named League MVP, Goalkeeper of the Year, and MLS Cup MVP as he led Kansas City to the championship
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
. He set a new the league record by recording 16 shutouts.
Meola played for the Wizards through the 2004 MLS season. That year, an injury forced him out of contention. Bo Oshoniyi
Bo Oshoniyi
Adegboyega "Bo" Oshoniyi is an American soccer goalkeeper who last played for the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer.- Career :...
took over the goalkeeping position, and Meola was not asked back for next season. He was then re-acquired by the MetroStars in June 2005. Meola was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI
MLS All-Time Best XI
In 2005, as part of its tenth anniversary celebrations, Major League Soccer, the United States' top soccer league, named its All-Time Best XI, a selection of the best eleven players in the history of the league...
after the season. Following the 2006 season, Meola was waived by the team, now known as the New York Red Bulls. However, he signed a contract with the indoor New Jersey Ironmen
New Jersey Ironmen
The New Jersey Ironmen were an American indoor soccer team. They originally joined the Major Indoor Soccer League for the 2007–08 season. When the MISL ceased operations a year later, they joined the Xtreme Soccer League. The team played at the Prudential Center, sharing the facility with the...
on August 14, 2007.
National team
Meola made his 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...
debut on June 10, 1988, against 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...
. Meola's second cap came in a June 4, 1989 victory over Peru in the Marlboro Cup which won the U.S. the cup. The team took the trophy to the Scots-American Club in Kearny, New Jersey. After the party, Meola drove back to the team's hotel, dropped the trophy at the front desk and drove home. As he remembers it, "A week later Doug Newman called me up and asked where the cup was. I told him I'd left it at for him at the hotel. . . . I'm sure they got it back. Back then there weren't too many cups in U.S. Soccer."http://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=53697
Later in the summer, the national team went on a tour of Italy, playing several Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
teams. At the time, David Vanole
David Vanole
David Charles Vanole was an American soccer goalkeeper and coach. He spent his professional career in the Western Soccer Alliance and its successor league, the American Professional Soccer League. He also earned 14 caps with the U.S...
was the U.S. starter, but he and Meola had traded goalkeeper duties over the previous month as Vanole fought USSF on a contract dispute and attempted to get his burgeoning weight under control. U.S. coach Bob Gansler
Bob Gansler
Bob Gansler is a Hungarian-born American soccer player and coach of German descent. He coached the US National Team at the 1990 World Cup, the team's first appearance at the tournament since 1950....
intended to start Meola against A.S. Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
, but Meola was injured in a freak accident when a ball struck his head during practice. Vanole started in his place, but let in three weak goals in a 4-3 U.S. victory.http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/SoccerAmerica/2002/sa1522o.pdf Gansler benched Vanole, who never again played for the U.S., and turned toward Meola as his starting keeper. Meola went on to play the remaining U.S. qualifying games for the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, including the famous 1-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago which clinched a spot in the finals for the U.S. He then played every minute in goal for the US in the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
.
Meola remained the keeper of choice for the U.S. national team from 1990 through the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
. At that tournament, his play and ponytail
Ponytail
A ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
made him a recognizable face around the country. After the U.S. loss to Brazil in the second round of the World Cup, Meola informed the U.S. coach Bora Milutinović that he intended to pursue a professional football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
career as a placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
. Milutinović never called Meola back to the U.S. team and it was not until January 1999 that Meola again played for the U.S. By that time, Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller is a retired American soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer....
and Brad Friedel
Brad Friedel
Bradley Howard Friedel is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League....
were competing for the starting goalkeeper spot on the team and Meola never regained the first team place he had enjoyed in the early 1990s. However, he continued to play for the U.S. and earned his 100th cap in 2006. He was the third-choice goalkeeper at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
behind Brad Friedel
Brad Friedel
Bradley Howard Friedel is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League....
and Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller is a retired American soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer....
.
Major Indoor Soccer League
In July 2007 it was announced that Meola had signed with the New Jersey Ironmen, an expansion team in the Major Indoor Soccer League. The team played in the new Prudential Center arena in Newark, NJ. As starting goalie, Meola led the team to the playoffs in its first year.Non-soccer ventures
Meola's non-soccer ventures include trying out as a placekickerPlacekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
with NFL
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...
's New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in July 1994, appearing Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in Tony and Tina's Wedding in 1995, and running his own mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
firm.
Meola was the original drummer for New Jersey's Hottest Cover Band, "MUSHMOUTH", with whom he still occasionally plays with and often fills in for when their full time drummer, Bob Docherty, is unable to fulfill the task due to soccer related injuries.
The last time Tony played drums with Mushmouth was November 19, 2011 at the Beachcomber in Seaside Heights.
A soccer video game
Tony Meola's Sidekick Soccer
Tony Meola's Sidekick Soccer is a soccer/football video game released for Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993.-Summary:This game is named after US goalkeeper Tony Meola...
for the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
was released in 1993 with his name.
Meola is now coaching his son's U12 soccer club in Toms River, NJ.
Career statistics
|-|1996||rowspan="3"|NY/NJ MetroStars||rowspan="11"|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...
||29||0||||||||||||||||
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|1997||30||0||||||||||||||||
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|1998||31||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999||rowspan="6"|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...
||9||0||||||||||||||||
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|2000||31||0||||||||||||||||
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|2001||17||0||||||||||||||||
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|2002||17||0||||||||||||||||
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|2003||30||0||||||||||||||||
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|2004||21||0||||||||||||||||
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|2005||rowspan="2"|New York Red Bulls||15||0||||||||||||||||
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|2006||20||0||||||||||||||||
250||0||||||||||||||||
250||0||||||||||||||||