Professional
Suarez had an unsuccessful initial tryout for the Carolina Lightnin' of the American Soccer League. He was put in the lineup for the team's second game; however, after a series of injuries decimated the roster. He was an immediate hit with the crowd who embraced him as "a hometown kid." Suarez became known for his "toothy grin and shoulder-length hair," according to Charlotte Observer sports reporter David Scott. Suarez scored nine goals in his first 12 games and ended his first season with 15 goals. Suarez' style, according to Scott, was to "knock the ball past defenders, run it down, then put it in the back of the net. Or he would chase down a pass behind the defense, slip the ball into the goal and race off to celebrate." He was named the 1981 American Soccer League Rookie of the Year. On August 11, 1981, he signed a two year joint contract with the Lightnin' and the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League worth just over $100,000. The contract stipulated that Suarez would play two outdoor seasons for the Lightnin' and two indoor winter seasons on loan to the Force. Suarez began the 1981-1982 MISL season in good form, scoring four goals in eight games only to injure his left knee in late 1981. He sat out the 1982 outdoor season, then rejoined the Lightnin' for that team's final season in 1983. While playing with the Charlotte Gold of the United Soccer League in 1984, Suarez injured his right knee, ending his professional career.
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Famous quotes containing the word professional:
“I hate the whole race.... There is no believing a word they say—your professional poets, I mean—there never existed a more worthless set than Byron and his friends for example.”
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