Andrew Gregor (born November 22, 1975) is a retired American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

who played professionally in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

, the

USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...

, the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

and Major Indoor Soccer League. He is now the director of scouting for

club Minnesota United. He began his professional career in the

with the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...

, but due to restricted appearances at the highest level of American soccer he became a mainstay in the

, playing in the league for an entire decade. Gregor is noted for being one of the few players to have played for all three clubs from the Pacific Northwest region. Most of his achievements in the league derived from the Northwest clubs. His major achievements included winning the

USL USL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Underground Sound of Lisbon, a Portuguese dance music project * Urban Strawberry Lunch, a band from Liverpool Companies * United Spirits Limited, India * Former United States Lines shipping company C ...

Championship, Commissioner's Cup, and receiving All-League honors on four separate occasions in his career. In February, 2010 he was ranked 12th in the

Top 25 of the Decade, which announced a list of the best and most influential players of the previous decade.

Career

Youth and College

Gregor grew up in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, playing for the West Villa F.C. in 1988 and moving to F.C. Portland youth club beginning in 1991. In 1994, Gregor and his F.C. Portland club won the USYSA U-18 national championship with Gregor taking MVP honors. In addition to playing with F.C. Portland, Gregor played for Sunset High School boys team, being a two-time, all-state selection. In 1993, he was selected as the Oregon 4A Co-Player of the Year. Gregor attended the

University of Portland The University of Portland (UP) is a private Catholic university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1901 and is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross, which also founded UP's sister school, the University of Notre Da ...

where he was a four-year starter on the men's soccer team. During his four years, he started 69 of 70 games for the Pilots.

Professional

The

(MLS) selected Gregor in the second round (21st overall) in the

1998 MLS College Draft The 1998 Major League Soccer College Draft was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 31 and February 1, 1998. The College Draft was followed by the 1998 MLS Supplemental Draft. Format On Saturday, January 31, 1998, Major League Soccer hel ...

. He played ten games, but was released at the end of the season. Gregor then signed with the Seattle Sounders of the

USL A-League The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second Di ...

. Gregor returned to MLS when the

Kansas City Wizards Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The administrative offices are located in downtown K ...

picked him in the second round (24th overall) of the

2001 MLS SuperDraft The 2001 Major League Soccer MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft was held on February 5, 2001, at the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida. Player selection ;Key Round 1 Round 1 trades Round 2 Round 2 trades Round 3 Round 3 t ...

. He played thirteen games in 2001, mostly as a substitute. As a result, the Wizards sent him on loan to the

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1998 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American ...

and Seattle Sounders. The Wizards released Gregor and he signed with the Sounders for the 2002 season. Gregor had an excellent season, scoring nine goals and earning first team All Star recognition. On November 14, 2002, the

Cleveland Crunch The Cleveland Crunch is an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1989 as an expansion team in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), the Crunch played a total of 16 seasons in three separate leagues unde ...

signed Gregor to a two-year contract., but he played only thirteen games and was released at the end of the season. Gregor returned to the Sounders for the 2003 season, where he posted a career high seven assists, along with seven goals, once again earning first team All Star recognition. In 2004, the

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...

signed Gregor as a free agent. He played one game and was released by the team. He then signed with the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

in June and played thirteen games with them. In Portland he managed to claim the club's first piece of silverware by leading the Timbers to a regular season championship. On March 1, 2005, Gregor returned to the Seattle Sounders where he won his first USL Championship, which marked the third USL championship in the franchise's history. The following season, he recorded five goals and five assists which earned him a first team All Star selection. In 2007, he expressed an interest in returning to Portland to complete his sociology degree at the University of Portland. As a result, the Sounders released him and he signed with the

. In 2007, he played twenty-four games with the Timbers, earning first team All Star recognition for the fourth time in his career. In 2008, he began the season as the captain of the Timbers, but on 9 July was traded to the

Rochester Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup sinc ...

in a complicated three team deal which sent Chase Harrison of the Rhinos and Jamil Walker of the

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 2006, the team previously was named the Carolina Railhawks. On December 6, 2016, the RailH ...

to the Timbers in the exchange for Gregor. During his tenure in Rochester he managed to lead the Rhinos into the playoffs by finishing fourth in the standings. In the club's playoff run the Rhinos defeated the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...

in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. There the Rhinos were defeated by the

Puerto Rico Islanders The Puerto Rico Islanders were a professional association football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. They played in several different leagues from 2004 to 2012, when they suspended operations. In their last two seasons they played in the Nort ...

on a 3-2 aggregate on goals. The following season Gregor led the Rhinos to a sixth-place finish in the standings enough to clinch a playoff spot. In the postseason the Rhinos were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Islanders once again on a 5-3 aggregate on goals. On January 19, 2010, after 12 years of professional soccer, Gregor announced his retirement from the game.

International

Gregor played for several years on the U.S. youth teams. In 1992 and 1993, he was with the U-18 national team before moving to the U-20 national team. In 1997, he was the captain of the U.S. team which took third place at the

World University Games The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The former name is a portmanteau of the words "Universi ...

Coaching

Gregor was named head coach of

Portland Timbers 2 Portland Timbers 2 is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. The team, often referred to as "T2", serves as the reserve squad for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team was a member of the USL Champ ...

on January 6, 2016. He was an assistant coach to

Jay Vidovich Jay Vidovich is the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men's soccer team. He is the former coach of the Portland Timbers 2 of USL Pro and formerly served as Wake Forest University's head soccer coach from 1994 to 2014, posting a 225–87 ...

for Timbers 2 in 2015. In May 2023, Gregor was named director of scouting for

club Minnesota United.

Futsal

Gregor has also appeared with the U.S.

Futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

team. In 2003, he was part of the U.S. team in an exhibition tournament in Anaheim, California. In 2006, Gregor played several games with the U.S.

team as it prepared for the 2007 Pan American Games. In June 2007, Gregor was part of the U.S. team in a tour of Spain.

Honors

Seattle Sounders

Championship (1):

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

Pacific Division Champions (3): 2000, 2002, 2003 *

Cascadia Cup The Cascadia Cup is the name of the trophy created in 2004 by supporters of the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, and Vancouver Whitecaps, which is awarded each season to the best soccer team in the Pacific Northwest. The cup is named for t ...

(1): 2006

References

External links

Rochester Rhinos bio

2006 Seattle Sounders Media Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregor, Andrew 1975 births Living people Soccer players from Portland, Oregon Columbus Crew players Sporting Kansas City players Cleveland Crunch (2001–2002 MISL) players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players Portland Pilots men's soccer players Rochester New York FC players Seattle Sounders (1994–2008) players Orange County Blue Star players Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players Major League Soccer players USL First Division players USL League Two players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players American men's futsal players University of Portland alumni A-League (1995–2004) players MLS Pro-40 players Columbus Crew draft picks Sporting Kansas City draft picks Sunset High School (Beaverton, Oregon) alumni Portland Timbers non-playing staff Portland Timbers 2 coaches Men's association football midfielders American men's soccer players American soccer coaches USL League Two coaches Minnesota United FC non-playing staff Pacific Boxers coaches College men's soccer coaches in the United States USL Championship coaches 20th-century American sportsmen