Vancouver Whitecaps FC players will be busy this Sunday getting messages to their fathers, as many of them are thousands of miles away from their dads. It is a time to bond some more and tell their fathers how much he has meant to them and how he has helped them get to this point in their lives.
I have met a number of the Whitecaps' dads already, but one of them I got to know really well while I was playing in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) for Cleveland Force was George Nanchoff. George is, of course, the father of Michael Nanchoff, who is now getting to show his stuff for the Caps after coming off a serious groin injury.
After being around Michael's dad for a number of years and speaking to Michael himself, his father has had a big influence on his son. I have only seen Michael in training lately and I can see why he was made a 'Generation adidas' player and why the 'Caps drafted him number eight overall. It is not hard to see where he got his silky skills from.
George Nanchoff was born in Resen in the Republic of Macedonia (former Yugoslavia). He immigrated with his family in 1969 when he was 16-years-old. His family settled down in Akron, Ohio, where George attended Central-Hower High School and then the University of Akron (Michael also spent four years there).
George led the team in scoring his first three years, and finished his four-year career second on the team’s career scoring list with 56 goals and 32 assists. The University of Akron inducted George into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.
Like his son Michael, George went into the North American Soccer League (NASL) college draft. Where he was selected by Fort Lauderdale Strikers. In his first season, he led the team in both scoring and points with eight goals and 22 points. From there, he went on to play for Atlanta Chiefs before moving on to professional indoor soccer.
Nanchoff's indoor career spanned from 1980 to 1985, where he played for Phoenix Inferno and Cleveland Force until his retirement from playing.
Internationally, George earned 10 caps, scoring one goal with the United States national team between 1977 and 1979. In 1979, George was also a critical part of the USA Olympic squad, which qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He led the team in scoring, but was denied a chance to participate in the games when American President Jimmy Carter boycotted the games in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.
I did not play with George at a professional level, but we kicked the ball around before and after some Cleveland Force practices. Those that watched and played with him always commented on how skillful and entertaining he was. If Michael career is half as good as his dad's, he will have done very well.
We have a Whitecaps FC team that is full of character guys. We must give a big thanks to all their dads for the influence they have had on their sons.
Happy Fathers Day!
