Desmond Armstrong
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Desmond Kevin Armstrong | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | November 2, 1964 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Washington, D.C., U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | |||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1985 | Maryland Terrapins | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1986–1988 | Cleveland Force (indoor) | 93 | (14) | ||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Baltimore Blast (indoor) | 19 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Santos | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Maryland Bays | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Washington Warthogs (indoor) | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Charlotte Eagles | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 117 | (19) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1994 | United States | 81 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2006 | Montreat College | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Desmond Kevin Armstrong (born November 2, 1964) is an American former soccer defender and midfielder, who was a member of the United States national team from 1987 to 1994. He played three seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League, part of one in the Brazilian First Division, two in the American Professional Soccer League and two in USISL. After he retired from playing, Armstrong continued to play an active role in the sport, coaching and supporting community clubs. In June 2018 he was appointed technical director of FC Columbus in the National Premier Soccer League.
Early life
Desmond Kevin Armstrong was born on November 2, 1964 in Washington, D.C..[1] His family first lived in a mainly Black neighborhood in Hyattsville, Maryland. His family then moved to Wheaton, Md., a mainly White town, where they lived next to a family of which the father once was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. However, this family just ignored the Black family next door and did not trouble them.[2]
He attended Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland, and then University of Maryland.
Career
Youth
Up until age 11, basketball was Armstrong's main sport. After an altercation with another boy on the basketball court, the boy's father, who was a youth soccer coach, invited Armstrong to come try out for his team.[2] From that point on Armstrong moved into high school, college, and national team soccer.
Armstrong's college career was spent at the University of Maryland, where he was first team All ACC in 1984 and 1985 and second team All ACC in 1983. He played in a total of 78 games for the university, tallying 24 goals and 18 assists. In 1986, he was part of the Fairfax Spartans club which won the National Amateur Cup, defeating St. Louis Busch 3–0. The Spartans featured other national team players John Kerr, Bruce Murray, and John Stollmeyer in addition to Armstrong.
Professional
Armstrong played two seasons for the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1986 to 1988. At the end of the 1987–1988 season, he transferred to the Baltimore Blast. However, on January 14, 1989, he broke his leg midway through the season.
In February 1991, he signed with Santos of the Brazilian First Division making Armstrong the first American player ever to sign a professional contract in Brazil. Upon completing the season Armstrong returned to the U.S. with the Maryland Bays, in the American Professional Soccer League. That year, the Bays made it to the league semifinals before falling to the Albany Capitals.
In 1995, he moved to the Washington Warthogs of the Continental Indoor Soccer League on loan from Major League Soccer as he was the fifth player signed to the new league. Armstrong decided to compete with the Charlotte Eagles of the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) for the 1996 season opting out of his contract with Major League Soccer and later retiring from the game at the age of 31.
That year he was selected to the USISL All Pro League Team.[3]
National team
His first appearance for the United States national team came in 1987 in a match against Egypt. He was also a member of the Olympic team in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. His performance with the Olympic team made him a mainstay on the national team through the early 1990s, playing in all three of the team's appearances at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He made a total of 81 appearances for the national team, though he never scored a goal at this level.
After the U.S. had exited the 1990 World Cup in the first round, Armstrong, one of two Black players on the team, criticized the U.S. Soccer Federation for not doing more to recruit Black youth in the inner cities.[4]
Armstrong was the first U.S.-born African American player to represent the nation at the World Cup.[5]
Other roles in soccer
Since his retirement from international soccer, he has remained active in coaching and community initiatives. He has spent time organizing for inner-city Christian Ministries programs such as Soccer Beats (now Heroes FA) Also now owning a team based out of Murfreesboro Tennessee Legacy Heroes FC. With a new entrance into Pioneer Premier League 2, led By Luis A. In the mid-1990s he coached the USA Hurricanes club level soccer team in Charlotte, NC.
In 2002, he became the head coach and director of soccer operations of the Montreat College Cavaliers in Montreat, North Carolina, which played in the NAIA. He remained in this position until his retirement on May 7, 2004, citing family reasons and an expanded role as Director of Premier Soccer Academies.[6] He also coached the youth team '85 HFC Vipers of Asheville, North Carolina from 2000 to 2004.
After leaving Montreat, Armstrong joined the youth club Bethesda Roadrunners, as its head coach. He also created another section of Heroes FA, in Maryland and is currently their head coach and technical director. He is also the Director of Recruiting in Ohio for Brad Friedel's Premier Soccer Academies.
He was named technical director of Rocket City United on December 11, 2009.[7]
In 2012, he created the Heroes Soccer Club in Nashville, Tennessee.[8] As of 2022, the youth soccer club has 550 players and plays in several venues in the Nashville area.[5]
In June 2018, Armstrong was appointed technical director of FC Columbus in the National Premier Soccer League.[9]
Broadcaster
Armstrong has worked for ABC Sports. During the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Armstrong was an ESPN studio analyst. Armstrong provided commentary for all Cleveland City Stars home games on SportsTime Ohio.
Recognition and awards
On May 11, 2007, he was inducted into the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame.[10]
In 2012, he was inducted to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.[11]
Personal life
Armstrong's sons, Ezra and Dida, are also professional soccer players.[11][12]
References
- ^ "MISL-Desmond Armstrong". nasljerseys.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ a b Michael, Lewis (September 14, 2020). "Paving The Way: Desmond Armstrong On Race And His Unlikely Path To The U.S. Men's National Team". US Soccer. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- ^ 1996 USISL Awards Archived March 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Black U.S. Soccer Star Suggests Black Recruiting", Jet (magazine), July 16, 1990, p. 53. Accessed March 17, 2012.
- ^ a b Streeter, Kurt (December 2, 2022). "The U.S. World Cup Team Is Notably Diverse, but the Pipeline Needs Help". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
- ^ "Montreat College: Men's Soccer News and Game Updates". montreat.edu. November 9, 2005. Archived from the original on December 19, 2005. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ Armstrong Announced Rocket City United Technical Director
- ^ Glennon, John (February 27, 2014). "Link to MLS champions will spur player training, development". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
- ^ "FC Columbus Front Office Announcement". fccolumbus95. June 20, 2018. Archived from the original on November 18, 2025. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame Archived August 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Sporting Club Jacksonville unveils Dida Armstrong, Luc Granitur as first signings". USL Championship. December 20, 2025. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ Freeman, Clayton. "Sporting Jax men begin with UNF striker, second-generation defender". Jacksonville.com. The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
External links
- Desmond Armstrong on MISL
- Desmond Armstrong – FIFA competition record (archived)