NASL
After graduating from high school, Etherington chose to bypass college and turn professional. He signed with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League in 1977 as an amateur player and saw time in ten games that year. However, 1978 was considered his first professional season with the Cosmos. As such, he earned NASL Rookie of the Year honors that season. Etherington remained with the Cosmos for only one more season before being traded to the Los Angeles Aztecs before the 1980 season. While Etherington had begun as a forward with the Cosmos, his lack of production had led to his move to the midfield. When the Aztecs traded Etherington to the San Jose Earthquakes at the end of the 1980 season, Etherington found himself at right back for the 1981 season. However, in 1982, he was back in the midfield. Etherington moved once more, this time to the Minnesota Strikers for the 1984 NASL season, the last for the league as it folded at the end of the season.
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