Greg Villa
Encyclopedia
Gregory "Greg" Villa is a retired U.S. soccer forward
who played professionally in the North American Soccer League
and Major Indoor Soccer League. He earned eighteen caps, scoring five goals, with the United States men's national soccer team
between 1977 and 1980.
. In 1975, he scored 9 goals and assisted on 8 others. The next season he led the team with 14 goals.
from 1977 to 1979. The Strikers traded Villa to the Tulsa Roughnecks
only a few games into the 1979 season. At the end of the season, the Roughnecks traded him to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers for the 1980 season. At the completion of the 1980 NASL season, he signed with the St. Louis Steamers
of Major Indoor Soccer League
(MISL). He played two seasons with the Steamers before trying out for Team America
after being waived by the Chicago Sting
without playing a game with them. In 1983, the U.S. Soccer Federation enetered the U.S. national team
in NASL. Team America ended the season 10-20 and USSF withdrew it from the league at the end of the season. Villa played one more season with the Steamers in 1985-1986.
. Villa scored in the game, putting him in the company of about a dozen U.S. players who have scored in their debut with the national team. Villa went on to play nearly every national team game during the next three years. He also was a member of the U.S. Olympic Soccer Team which qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics
. However, due to President Carter’s boycott of the games, held in the Soviet Union, Villa did not play in the Olympics
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
who played professionally in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
and Major Indoor Soccer League. He earned eighteen caps, scoring five goals, with the United States men's national soccer team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
between 1977 and 1980.
Youth
Villa grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri where he attended Mehlville High School from 1971 to 1975. He also played for the Busch Soccer Club as a youth player. Villa attended Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, commonly abbreviated SIUE, is a four-year coed public university in Edwardsville, Illinois about from St. Louis, Missouri. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and is the younger of the two largest...
. In 1975, he scored 9 goals and assisted on 8 others. The next season he led the team with 14 goals.
Professional
Villa played for the Minnesota KicksMinnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League. The team had relocated to Minnesota after having been based in Denver, Colorado as the Denver Dynamos...
from 1977 to 1979. The Strikers traded Villa to the Tulsa Roughnecks
Tulsa Roughnecks
-NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place...
only a few games into the 1979 season. At the end of the season, the Roughnecks traded him to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers for the 1980 season. At the completion of the 1980 NASL season, he signed with the St. Louis Steamers
St. Louis Steamers (1979–1988)
The original St. Louis Steamers played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1979 through 1988. Their home fixtures were held at the St. Louis Arena.-Ownership:* Ben Kerner & Partnership * Thomas M...
of Major Indoor Soccer League
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
(MISL). He played two seasons with the Steamers before trying out for Team America
Team America (soccer)
Team America was a professional version of the United States men's national soccer team which played as a franchise in the defunct North American Soccer League during the 1983 season...
after being waived by the Chicago Sting
Chicago Sting
The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988...
without playing a game with them. In 1983, the U.S. Soccer Federation enetered the U.S. national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in NASL. Team America ended the season 10-20 and USSF withdrew it from the league at the end of the season. Villa played one more season with the Steamers in 1985-1986.
National team
Villa earned eighteen caps with the national team from 1977 to 1980. His first game with the national team came in a September 15, 1977 victory over El SalvadorEl Salvador national football team
El Salvador's national football team represents El Salvador in international football and is sanctioned by the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol . In 1899, Santa Ana and San Salvador met for the first hosted football game in El Salvador...
. Villa scored in the game, putting him in the company of about a dozen U.S. players who have scored in their debut with the national team. Villa went on to play nearly every national team game during the next three years. He also was a member of the U.S. Olympic Soccer Team which qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
. However, due to President Carter’s boycott of the games, held in the Soviet Union, Villa did not play in the Olympics