Tony Meola
Tony Meola was born in Belleville, New Jersey, United States on February 21st, 1969 and is the Soccer Player. At the age of 55, Tony Meola biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 55 years old, Tony Meola has this physical status:
Antonio Michael "Tony" Meola (born February 21, 1969) is an American soccer goalkeeper who competed for the United States national team in 1990, 1994, and 2002 World Cups.
He played in Major League Soccer, the nation's best soccer division, from 1996 to 2006, where he received multiple awards.
He is currently a radio host on SiriusXM FC.
Early life
Meola was born in Belleville, New Jersey, and was the first child of a boy named Meola. He grew up in Kearny. He played boys' soccer at Kearny High School. Vincenzo, his father, who competed for Italian second division team Avellino before emigrating to the United States Meola, was both a goalkeeper (1985) and a forward (1986). During his high school years, he was involved in 41 clean sheets and scored 42 goals.
Meola was ranked one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1980s by The Star-Ledger in 1999. Meola was not only a soccer star, but he was also a three-sport varsity letterman. In 1987, he was named captain of the school's basketball team and was named an All-State baseball player. Meola was drafted out of high school by the New York Yankees, but they did not sign a contract with them.
Personal life
Meola's non-soccer ventures include appearing Off-Broadway in Tony and Tina's Wedding in 1995 and founding his own mortgage company.
Meola was the original drummer for Mushmouth's cover band, and he still plays with the band on occasion.
With Meola's name, Tony Meola's Sidekicks Soccer (also known as Super Copa and Ramos Rui no World Wide Soccer) was released in 1993.
Meola was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
Meola lives in Toms River, New Jersey, and she and her three children, Jon, Kylie, and Aidan, are the members. Jon Meola was a member of the University of Virginia's baseball team during the 2016 season before transferring to Stetson University.
Professional career
Meola had been signed to the United States Soccer Federation before the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Meola joined Brighton & Hove Albion, England's second division club, where he played eleven games; only two of which were league games. He made his first appearance when he took over the injured Perry Digweed and then received man of the match awards right away. Meola was moved to Watford in 1990 before returning to the United States, where he did not have to renew his work visa due to his inability to get his first team time with Watford.
Meola was a member of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the American Professional Soccer League in 1991. He and Arnie Mausser shared the goal.
In July 1994, Meola started to play for the New York Jets, but was unable to pass the try-outs and was suspended.
Despite Meola's signing with the Buffalo Blizzard of the NPSL on December 14, 1994 as the team's starting keeper, he left in mid-February 1995 as he had played a leading role in Tony and Tina's Wedding but did not attend the performances.
Meola began riding with the Long Island Rough Riders in February 1995 for the upcoming 1995 USISL season. The Rough Riders won the USISL championship that year.
Meola spent three weeks in February 1996 training with Italian club Parma. He was signed to the New York/NJ MetroStars, for whom he played from 1996 to 1998, winning almost every game. In 1996, he set a new school record of nine shutouts. He did not win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award, but Mark Dodd was named runner of the year award.
Meola was drafted to the Kansas City Wizards in 1999 (with Alexi Lalas for Mark Chung and Mike Ammann), but he missed the majority of his first year in the midwest due to injury. During Meola's absence, Chris Snitko and David Winner backstopped. With both Winners and Snitko, the team battled for success and success.
Meola was named League MVP, Goalkeeper of the Year, and MLS Cup MVP in 2000 as he led Kansas City to the championship. He set a new league record by registering 16 shutouts. Meola was accepted in the 2000 MLS All Star Game, playing the first half in goal, and he made a cameo in the 2nd half as a forward.
Meola appeared for the Wizards in the 2004 MLS season. He was forced out of contention due to an injury this year. Bo Oshoniyi took over the goalkeeping duties, though Meola won the U.S. Open Cup final over the Chicago Fire, and Meola retained Oshoniyi as the starting goalkeeper.
Meola was recalled by the MetroStars in June 2005. After the season, he was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI. Meola was waived by the club, now known as the New York Red Bulls, following the 2006 season.
Meola joined the New Jersey Ironmen, an indoor soccer expansion team based in Newark, NJ, who competed in the Major Indoor Soccer League in summer 2007. Meola, the team's starting goalie, led the team to the playoffs for the first year.
International career
Meola made his U.S. national team debut against Ecuador on June 10, 1988. Meola's second cap came in 1989, after a victory over Peru in the Marlboro Cup, which also won the Cup in the United States. The team presented the award to the Scots-American Club in Kearny, New Jersey. Meola walked back to the team's hotel, dropped the trophy at the front desk, and headed home after the fete. "A week later, Doug Newman called me up and asked where the cup was located," he recalls. I told him I'd left it at the hotel. The company is a division of the United States. . . I'm positive they got it back. In the United States, there aren't many cups back then. Soccer "is the game of soccer."
The national team went on a tour of Italy later this summer, competing with many Serie A sides. David Vanole, the US starter, was in charge of his start, but Meola and him had swapped goalkeeper positions over the previous month as Vanole combated the USSF on a labor dispute and tried to keep his burgeoning weight under control. Meola was supposed to start against A.S. Roma, but Meola was hospitalized after a ball struck his head during practice. In a 4-3 win, Vanole got off to a promising start, but three of his goals fell short. Vanole was benched by Gansler, who never played for the United States again, and Meola was drafted as his starting keeper. Meola also appeared in the remaining qualifying games for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, including the historic 1–0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago, which clinched a spot in the U.S. finals. In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, he spent every minute in goal for the United States.
Meola remained the keeper of choice for the United States national team from 1990 to 1994 FIFA World Cup. His play and ponytail made him a nationally recognized celebrity at the tournament. Meola told US coach Bora Milutinovi that he wanted to pursue a competitive American football career as a placekicker after the United States' loss to Brazil in the second round of the World Cup. Meola was never called back to the United States team by Milutinovi, who was not aware of it.
Meola did not play for the United States until 1999, and Meola never regained the first team position he had longed for in the early 1990s. However, he continued to play for the United States and received his 100th cap in 2006. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he was the third-choice goalkeeper, after Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller.