Jerry Laterza

Gerardo "Jerry" Laterza is a retired Paraguayan American soccer player. He is the technical director of Newport Mesa Soccer Club. He was the first Paraguayan American to play football in Paraguay.

Career

Laterza graduated from Walnut High School where he was the 1990 and 1992 California Interscholastic Federation 1-A Player of the Year. Laterza attended Southern Methodist University, playing on the men's soccer team in 1992. On April 3, 1993, Laterza signed with the Los Angeles Salsa of the American Professional Soccer League. In 1997, Laterza began the season with the Orange County Zodiac. In July 1997, the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer signed Laterza. He played four games for the Galaxy in 1997, plus one game on loan to the Carolina Dynamo. The Galaxy released him on April 1, 1998 during a pre-season roster reduction. On April 10, 1998, Laterza signed with the Seattle Sounders of the USL A-League. He played two games, then was released on April 22. He then played for several clubs, including South China AA, and various teams in Hong Kong, China and Paraguay. While in Hong Kong, he was selected to play for Hong Kong League XI, featuring in one of the matches against Paraguay.