Zequinha (footballer, born 1949)


José Márcio Pereira da Silva , better known in the United States as Zequinha is a Brazilian former footballer, who played in Brazil and the United States.

Biography

Born in Leopoldina, Minas Gerais, Zequinha started his career in 1967 at Flamengo and he left to play for Botafogo two years later. After six season there, he then made the transfer to Grêmio in 1975 and stayed on for three years, before moving to São Paulo FC for one season.
With the popularity of the North American Soccer League at its zenith, Zequinha moved to the U.S. and joined the Dallas Tornado in 1979. Rather than go home during the off-season, he chose to play indoor soccer in the MISL for the Detroit Lightning. He played two more years in Dallas before the team was merged with the Tampa Bay Rowdies after the 1981 season. After one season with the Rowdies he joined the Tulsa Roughnecks and was a member of their Soccer Bowl winning side in 1983. From there he moved back to MISL, playing indoors for the Tacoma Stars. He finished out his career in the USL, first with the Dallas Americans in 1984, then with the Tulsa Tornados in 1985. It was in the indoor game that he had his greatest success while in the U.S.