Patrick Edward Joseph Ianni (born June 15, 1985) is an American retired professional

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 ...

player who played as a defender. He spent nine seasons in

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional 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 sanctioned by the United ...

for the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

, and Chicago Fire.

College and amateur career

Ianni played high school soccer for four years at Lodi High School, where he was a two time

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

All-American and a 2002-03 McDonald's All-American. Ianni played

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

for three seasons. Following his sophomore season, he was named 2004 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year along with

C. J. Klaas C.J. Klaas (born August 23, 1983, in Rockford, Illinois) is an American soccer player who played for U.S. at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship and spent two seasons with the Seattle Sounders in the USL First Division. Youth Klaas was born a ...

. He was a semifinalist for the

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and th ...

Award after his junior season. Ianni was a 1st-team All-

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

for 2004 and 2005 and was

NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

2nd-team All-American in 2005. He also played in the

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 ...

with the

Southern California Seahorses Southern California Eagles are an American soccer team based in La Mirada, California. Founded in 2001 as the Southern California Seahorses, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They also field a team ...

Professional career

Houston Dynamo

On January 20, 2006, Ianni was selected with the 8th overall pick by the

in the

2006 MLS SuperDraft The 2006 MLS SuperDraft, held in Philadelphia on January 20, 2006, was the seventh incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft. The first selection originally belonged to Chivas USA, but they traded it to the MetroSt ...

. He made his Dynamo and

debut on June 17, 2006, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win over

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...

. Ianni made 4 total appearances, 2 in the MLS regular season and 2 in the

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...

. The Dynamo would win

MLS Cup 2006 MLS Cup 2006 was the 11th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), and took place on November 12, 2006. It was contested between the New England Revolution and the Houston Dynamo to decide the champion of th ...

, but Ianni did not appear in the playoffs. Patrick Ianni in 2008

In May 2007, Ianni was loaned to the

California Victory The California Victory was a USL First Division professional soccer team based in San Francisco, California. It was an expansion team for the 2007 season, but ceased operation in September of that year after parent club Deportivo Alavés withdre ...

of 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 ...

, but he was recalled to Houston after making 2 appearances for the Victory. He made his first appearance of the season for the Dynamo on June 7, coming off the bench in a 2–1 victory against the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

. On June 24, Ianni made his first career MLS start and scored his first career goal in the 81st minute, giving Houston a 1–0 win over 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 ...

. Ianni made his debut in a continental competition on July 25, getting the start in a 1–0 victory over

Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...

in the

North American SuperLiga The SuperLiga was an annual association football competition in North America between four clubs from the Major League Soccer (United States and Canada) and four clubs from the Primera División (Mexico), the top professional league in each count ...

. On August 14, Ianni picked up his first career red card in the SuperLiga semifinals against

Pachuca Pachuca (; ), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the east-central Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca Municipality, Pach ...

, a match Houston would lose 4–3 on penalties. Ianni ended the season with 1 goal from 16 regular season appearances, helping the Dynamo finish 2nd in the Western Conference. Houston would go on to win

MLS Cup 2007 MLS Cup 2007 was the 12th edition of the MLS Cup, the post-season championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. It was played on November 18, 2007, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., between the ...

, but Ianni did not appear in the playoffs. During the 2008 season, Ianni made 17 appearances in the MLS regular season and had 1 assist, helping Houston finish top of the Western Conference. He did not play in Houston's two playoff games. In continental play, Ianni made 2 appearances in the

2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup The 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 43rd edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean), the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. It was the final edition unde ...

, helping the Dynamo reach the semifinal, where they lost to

Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. Their colours are burgundy and white. It ...

3–0 on aggregate, and five appearances in

2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League The 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League was the 44th edition of the premier association football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. This was the first iteratio ...

group stage, helping Houston finish 2nd in their group. He also made 3 appearances in the

2008 North American SuperLiga The 2008 North American SuperLiga was the second edition of the SuperLiga competition. The top four Major League Soccer and Liga MX teams by point totals at the end of the season earned qualification. All games of the tournament were broadcast liv ...

, helping the Dynamo reach the final, where they lost 6–5 to the New England Revolution in a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

Seattle Sounders FC

On January 26, 2009, Houston traded Ianni to the

in exchange for a conditional pick in the

2010 MLS SuperDraft The 2010 MLS SuperDraft was the eleventh annual MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It was held on January 14, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of America, NSCAA Conv ...

. He made his Sounders debut on May 16, 2009, a 1–1 draw with

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...

. On July 11 Ianni scored his first goal for the Sounders off a

bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick or scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...

to give Seattle a 2–1 win against his former club

. The goal was named the MLS Goal of the Week and was nominated for the 2009 MLS Goal of the Year. He ended the regular season with 1 goal and 2 assists in 17 appearances, helping the Sounders finish 3rd in the Western Conference and qualify for the playoffs. Ianni made 1 appearance in the playoffs as Seattle lost to Houston 1–0 on aggregate in the first round. He also made 5 appearances in the

, including a start in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

, a 2–1 victory over

D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

During the 2010 season, Ianni made 25 MLS regular season appearances, a career high, as the Sounders finished 4th in the Western Conference and qualified for the playoffs. He appeared in both legs of their matchup with the

Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

, but Seattle lost 3–1 on aggregate. Ianni made 3 appearances during the Sounders run in the 2010 Open Cup. He started the

as Seattle beat 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 ...

2–1 to win back to back Open Cup titles. He also made 2 appearances in the

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, ...

. After being on the bench for the first two games, Ianni made his first appearance of the 2011 on March 25, getting the start in a 1–1 draw with Houston. He scored his first goal of the season on May 28 in a 2–1 win for Seattle against

. Ianni ended the regular season with 1 goal from 16 appearances, helping the Sounders finish 2nd in the conference and qualify for the playoffs. However, Ianni did not feature in either of Seattle's two playoff games. He made 1 appearance in the 2011 Open Cup, a 3–1 win over the Galaxy in the quarterfinals, as the Sounders won their third straight Open Cup title. Ianni also played 5 times in the Champions League, once in the

preliminary round A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

and 4 times in the

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

, helping Seattle finish 2nd in their group. On June 20, 2012, Ianni scored to help Seattle to a 1–1 draw with

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...

. His acrobatic volley was named the MLS Goal of the Week and later was voted the

MLS Goal of the Year The MLS Goal of the Year Award (currently commercially termed "AT&T MLS Goal of the Year") is handed out annually since its inception in 1996 to a player in Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association footbal ...

. Ianni made 16 appearances and scored 1 goal in the MLS regular season, helping the Sounders finish 3rd in the Western Conference. He did not appear in any of Seattle's 4 playoff games. Ianni made 3 appearances in the 2012 Open Cup, helping the Sounders become the third team to reach four consecutive Open Cup finals and the first since 1937. In the

, Ianni got the start and played 118 minutes before being sent off for his second yellow card. Sporting Kansas City would go on to win the match 3–2 on penalties. He also made 2 appearances in the 2012–13 CCL group stage, helping Seattle finish top of their group. In January 2013, Ianni broke his foot during preseason fitness testing. He made his first appearance of the season on July 28, getting the start in a 1–1 draw with

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...

. Ianni made 9 appearances during the regular season as the Sounders finished 4th in the conference and qualified for the playoffs. Ianni did not make an appearance for Seattle in the playoffs.

Chicago Fire

On January 15, 2014, Ianni was traded to the Chicago Fire along with teammate

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado Jhon Kennedy Hurtado Valencia (born May 16, 1984) is a Colombian footballer who last played for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer. Career Professional Hurtado began his career in the youth ranks of Deportivo Cali. In 2004, he began his profess ...

and the 13th overall pick in the

2014 MLS SuperDraft The 2014 MLS SuperDraft was the fifteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The first two rounds of the four round draft took place on January 16, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Rounds three ...

in exchange for

Jalil Anibaba Jalil Anibaba (; born October 19, 1988) is an American former professional soccer player who last played in Major League Soccer for Columbus Crew. He is currently a club ambassador for Nashville SC. Career College and amateur Anibaba was born ...

, the 8th overall selection in the 2014 SuperDraft, and a conditional third-round pick in the

2015 MLS SuperDraft The 2015 MLS SuperDraft was the sixteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2015 convention was held Janua ...

. He made his Fire debut on March 16, coming off the bench in a 1–1 draw 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 ...

. Ianni made 12 league appearances and 2 in the

Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...

as Chicago finished 9th in the Eastern Conference, missing out on the playoffs. On November 18, 2014, Chicago declined his contract option for the 2015 season. Ianni announced his retirement from professional soccer on January 12, 2015.

Orange County FC

He came out of retirement in 2018 to play for semi-professional NPSL side

Orange County FC Orange County FC is an American soccer club based in Lake Forest, California, that currently plays in the United Premier Soccer League. They previously played in the National Premier Soccer League and SoCal Premier League. The club's colors are ...

International career

Ianni was a member of the U.S. U-20 national team at the

2005 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 15th edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in the Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. Venues Qualification The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA Worl ...

in the Netherlands, and the U.S. U-23 national team at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

in Beijing.

Personal life

Ianni was born and raised in

Lodi, California Lodi ( ) is a city in San Joaquin County, California, United States, in the center portion of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 66,348 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History When a gro ...

. He attended Lodi High School and

, where he majored in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

. Ianni is the brother of retired soccer player

Tayt Ianni Tayt Ianni (born December 6, 1971, in Lodi, California) is a former U.S. soccer defender. Career College Ianni grew up in Lodi, California, and attended Lodi High School where he was a two time Parade Magazine high school All-American soccer p ...

, who won an

NCAA Championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

, played for the San Jose Clash in

, and earned a cap for the U.S. national team.

Career statistics

Club

Honors

Houston Dynamo *

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 ...

MLS Cup (2):

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Seattle Sounders FC *

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...

(3):

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Individual *

MLS Goal of the Year Award The MLS Goal of the Year Award (currently commercially termed "AT&T MLS Goal of the Year") is handed out annually since its inception in 1996 to a player in Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association footbal ...

(1):

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ianni, Patrick 1985 births Living people American men's soccer players Soccer players from California Parade High School All-Americans (boys' soccer) UCLA Bruins men's soccer players Southern California Seahorses players Houston Dynamo FC players California Victory players Seattle Sounders FC players Chicago Fire FC players Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic soccer players for the United States Sportspeople from Lodi, California Houston Dynamo FC draft picks USL League Two players Major League Soccer players USL First Division players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players Men's association football defenders National Premier Soccer League players Lodi High School (California) alumni 21st-century American sportsmen