- published: 26 Apr 2014
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Tabaré Ramos Ricciardi, known as Tab Ramos (born September 21, 1966) is a retired American soccer player who currently serves as head coach of the United States U-20 team.
Over this thirteen-year professional career, Ramos played as a midfielder in Spain, Mexico, and the United States. The first player to sign with Major League Soccer, he spent the last seven years of his career with the MetroStars. He featured in three World Cups and was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005.
Born in Uruguay, Ramos emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 11. His father played professional soccer in Uruguay with CA River Plate and instilled a love for the game into Tab from an early age. While living in Uruguay, he played for the Union Vecinal Youth Soccer Club in Montevideo.
When his family arrived in the U.S., they settled in New Jersey where Ramos lived in Harrison and Kearny. He attended Saint Benedict's Preparatory School, the same high school attended by Claudio Reyna a few years later. In 1982, he became U.S. citizen. He also played for local youth club Thistle FC where he played with future United States captain John Harkes. Ramos and Harkes played together from their youth through the U.S. National Team. They were both inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.