Joey Leonetti
Encyclopedia
Joe "Joey" Leonetti is a former U.S. soccer player. He played for numerous soccer teams over a career which began in 1988 with F.C. Portland
and ended in 1999 with the Willamette Valley Firebirds
. He also earned two caps with the U.S. national team
in 1992 and 1996.
where he played from 1988-1991 under coach Clive Charles
. In 1988, his freshman year, he was part of the Portland team which went to the NCAA Final Four only to lose to champion Indiana
. During his four seasons with the Pilots, Leonetti scored thirty-seven goals, and is fourth on the school’s all time scoring list. He tops the school’s season and career assists records with 14 and 36, respectively. He was a third team All American in 1989. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology.http://www.up.edu/news/shownews.asp?id=2371 He was inducted into the University of Portland Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.http://www.portlandpilots.com/assets/sports/baseball/Athletic%20Hall%20of%20Fame.pdf
, a local semi-pro team. Following his graduation from the University of Portland in 1992, Leonetti signed with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
of the American Professional Soccer League
(APSL) which had been formed by the merger of the WSA and American Soccer League
in 1990. http://a-leaguearchive.tripod.com/1992/stats92.htm While he played in only eight games, scoring two goals, during league play, he added another three goals in CONCACAF Champions' Cup play as the Blackhawks went to the semifinals, only to fall to eventual champions Club América
. He played with the national team in September 1992, but then tore his anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) which kept him from playing for nearly a year.
In 1993, Leonetti joined the local Portland Pride
of the Continental Indoor Soccer League
, a summer indoor league. He played in Portland through the 1995 season. In February 1996, the Los Angeles Galaxy
drafted Leonetti in the 10th round (94 overall) of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft
. The Galaxy cut him in pre-season and Leonetti moved north to sign with the Seattle Sounders
of the A-League (renamed APSL). That season, the team won the league title and Leonetti was named the playoff MVP. In 1997, Leonetti decided to try out for MLS again. He attended the MLS combine, but tore the ACL in his left knee, putting him out of action for several months. That summer, he re-joined the Portland Pride
for the team’s last season.
The Pride and its league, the CISL, folded at the end of the 1997 season. However, the team’s ownership decided to re-create the team as the Portland Pythons
and entered it into the indoor Premier Soccer Alliance in 1998. Leonetti remained with the Pythons through the end of the season. In 1999, he played his final year of soccer, this time with the Willamette Valley Firebirds
of the fourth division USL Premier Development League
. The Firebirds went to the PDL semifinals that season.
Leonetti left soccer in 2000 to work for Fluid Logic, but he decided to return to the field in 2001 with the Portland Timbers
. During a pre-season game against the University of Portland
, he blew out his Achilles tendon
. While he again tried out for the team in 2002, he was cut and retired from playing professionally.
on September 3, 1992 when he came on for Peter Vermes
in the 61st minutes.http://www.rsssf.com/tablesu/usa-intres-det90.html He was also selected later in 1992 by then coach Bora Milutinovic for a match against AS Monaco and as a member of the squad for the Intercontinental Championship for the King Fahd Cup in Saudi Arabia. Leonetti did not see field time in matches against Saudi Arabia and the Ivory Coast. He earned his last cap for the national team in a 4-1 loss to Peru
on October 16, 1996. Leonetti also represented the United States on the U-23 National Team as they prepared for the upcoming Barcelona Olympics in 1992. He earned four international caps, while appearing in a total of 11 matches. He tallied two international goals in his four caps, getting on the score sheet against Canada in a friendly and Yugoslavia at the Toulon Festival "Espoirs".
(Portland, Oregon) girl’s soccer team from 1997-2006. He currently coaches at his former youth club, FC Portland Academy.
F.C. Portland
Portland Timbers, previously known as F.C. Portland, came into existence in 1985 as an independent U.S. soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. In 1989, the team adopted the name Portland Timbers. Portland was composed of both professional and amateur players. The amateur players largely came...
and ended in 1999 with the Willamette Valley Firebirds
Willamette Valley Firebirds
Willamette Valley Firebirds were an American soccer team that played in Corvallis, Oregon.They began as the Palo Alto Firebirds based in Palo Alto, California. They moved to San Jose, California in 1994 and became the Silicon Valley Firebirds. They were renamed the Portland Firebirds after they...
. He also earned two caps with 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 1992 and 1996.
High school and college
Leonetti attended Gladstone High School where he was the 1987 Oregon State High School player of the Year as a senior. He scored a total of 123 goals during his prep career. After high school, he attended the University of PortlandUniversity of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
where he played from 1988-1991 under coach Clive Charles
Clive Charles
Clive Charles was a football player, coach and television announcer. Charles began his career with West Ham United and finished it in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He later coached at the high school, collegiate and international levels in the United States.-Player:Charles was born in London,...
. In 1988, his freshman year, he was part of the Portland team which went to the NCAA Final Four only to lose to champion Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic teams for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University . Athletic teams sponsored by IU Bloomington include cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, volleyball, soccer, football and basketball...
. During his four seasons with the Pilots, Leonetti scored thirty-seven goals, and is fourth on the school’s all time scoring list. He tops the school’s season and career assists records with 14 and 36, respectively. He was a third team All American in 1989. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology.http://www.up.edu/news/shownews.asp?id=2371 He was inducted into the University of Portland Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.http://www.portlandpilots.com/assets/sports/baseball/Athletic%20Hall%20of%20Fame.pdf
WSA/APSL
In 1988, while still in college, Leonetti spent the 1988 Western Soccer Alliance season with F.C. PortlandF.C. Portland
Portland Timbers, previously known as F.C. Portland, came into existence in 1985 as an independent U.S. soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. In 1989, the team adopted the name Portland Timbers. Portland was composed of both professional and amateur players. The amateur players largely came...
, a local semi-pro team. Following his graduation from the University of Portland in 1992, Leonetti signed with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
San Francisco Bay Blackhawks was a professional soccer team which came into existence in 1989 as a team in the Western Soccer League . The Blackhawks spent time in the American Professional Soccer League and the United States Interregional Soccer League...
of the American Professional Soccer League
American Professional Soccer League
The American Professional Soccer League is a former professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. It was the first outdoor soccer league to feature teams from throughout the United States since the demise of the original North American Soccer League...
(APSL) which had been formed by the merger of the WSA and American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
in 1990. http://a-leaguearchive.tripod.com/1992/stats92.htm While he played in only eight games, scoring two goals, during league play, he added another three goals in CONCACAF Champions' Cup play as the Blackhawks went to the semifinals, only to fall to eventual champions Club América
Club América
Club América is a Mexican Professional football club based in Mexico City. It competes in the Primera División, the top professional league in the country. The team's nickname is Las Águilas ....
. He played with the national team in September 1992, but then tore his anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
(ACL) which kept him from playing for nearly a year.
In 1993, Leonetti joined the local Portland Pride
Portland Pride
The Portland Pride are a defunct indoor soccer team that played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League from 1993 to 1997.-History:In 1993, a new league, the Continental Indoor Soccer League began its first season. Traditionally, indoor soccer has been a winter sport, but the CISL decided to...
of the Continental Indoor Soccer League
Continental Indoor Soccer League
The Continental Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997.-History:When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to...
, a summer indoor league. He played in Portland through the 1995 season. In February 1996, the Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
drafted Leonetti in the 10th round (94 overall) of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft
1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft
The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer's initial 1996 season, distributed players who had already graduated from college to the league's ten inaugural teams. The draft occurred on February 6 and 7, 1996...
. The Galaxy cut him in pre-season and Leonetti moved north to sign with the Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders (USL)
Seattle Sounders was an American professional soccer team founded in 1994 as a member of the American Professional Soccer League. In 1997, the team became a member of the USL First Division, the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid, until 2008, after which the majority of the team's...
of the A-League (renamed APSL). That season, the team won the league title and Leonetti was named the playoff MVP. In 1997, Leonetti decided to try out for MLS again. He attended the MLS combine, but tore the ACL in his left knee, putting him out of action for several months. That summer, he re-joined the Portland Pride
Portland Pride
The Portland Pride are a defunct indoor soccer team that played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League from 1993 to 1997.-History:In 1993, a new league, the Continental Indoor Soccer League began its first season. Traditionally, indoor soccer has been a winter sport, but the CISL decided to...
for the team’s last season.
The Pride and its league, the CISL, folded at the end of the 1997 season. However, the team’s ownership decided to re-create the team as the Portland Pythons
Portland Pythons
Portland Pythons are a defunct indoor soccer team that played in the Premier Soccer Alliance in 1998 which changed its name to the World Indoor Soccer League in 1999. The team folded at the end of the 1999 season.-History:...
and entered it into the indoor Premier Soccer Alliance in 1998. Leonetti remained with the Pythons through the end of the season. In 1999, he played his final year of soccer, this time with the Willamette Valley Firebirds
Willamette Valley Firebirds
Willamette Valley Firebirds were an American soccer team that played in Corvallis, Oregon.They began as the Palo Alto Firebirds based in Palo Alto, California. They moved to San Jose, California in 1994 and became the Silicon Valley Firebirds. They were renamed the Portland Firebirds after they...
of the fourth division USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
. The Firebirds went to the PDL semifinals that season.
Leonetti left soccer in 2000 to work for Fluid Logic, but he decided to return to the field in 2001 with the Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers (USL)
Portland Timbers was an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 2001, the team played in various leagues at the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, including the USL First Division and the USSF Division 2 Professional League, until the end of...
. During a pre-season game against the University of Portland
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
, he blew out his Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
. While he again tried out for the team in 2002, he was cut and retired from playing professionally.
National team
Leonetti gained his first of two caps in a 2-0 win over CanadaCanada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
on September 3, 1992 when he came on for Peter Vermes
Peter Vermes
Peter Joseph Vermes is an American former professional soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer....
in the 61st minutes.http://www.rsssf.com/tablesu/usa-intres-det90.html He was also selected later in 1992 by then coach Bora Milutinovic for a match against AS Monaco and as a member of the squad for the Intercontinental Championship for the King Fahd Cup in Saudi Arabia. Leonetti did not see field time in matches against Saudi Arabia and the Ivory Coast. He earned his last cap for the national team in a 4-1 loss to Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
on October 16, 1996. Leonetti also represented the United States on the U-23 National Team as they prepared for the upcoming Barcelona Olympics in 1992. He earned four international caps, while appearing in a total of 11 matches. He tallied two international goals in his four caps, getting on the score sheet against Canada in a friendly and Yugoslavia at the Toulon Festival "Espoirs".
Coaching
Leonetti coached the West Linn High SchoolWest Linn High School
West Linn High School is a public high school in West Linn, Oregon, United States. It is one of two high schools in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District, the other being Wilsonville High School.-Academics:...
(Portland, Oregon) girl’s soccer team from 1997-2006. He currently coaches at his former youth club, FC Portland Academy.