Sadri Gjonbalaj (born 1966) is an American retired
football player
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played professionally in the
Major Indoor Soccer League,
American Soccer League,
American Professional Soccer League
The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. ...
and
National Professional Soccer League. He also earned five
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
, scoring one goal, with the
U.S. national team.
Early life
Gjonbalaj was born in
Vusanje
Vusanje ( cnr-Cyrl, Вусање; ) is a village in Gusinje Municipality, Montenegro. According to the 2003 census, the town had 648 inhabitants.
Geography
Vusanje is located within the Plav municipality, below the town of Gusinje. It is located ...
, a village in
SR Montenegro
The Socialist Republic of Montenegro ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Crna Gora, Социјалистичка Република Црна Гора), commonly referred to as Socialist Montenegro or simply Montenegro, was ...
,
SFR Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
(modern-day
Montenegro
, image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg
, coa_size = 80
, national_motto =
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map = Europe-Mont ...
). Him and his family moved to
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
when he was a child.
Career
College
Gjonbalaj attended from the age of 17 at
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...
where he played on the Wolfpack's soccer team from 1983 to 1986.
Professional
In June 1987, the
Los Angeles Lazers
The Los Angeles Lazers were an indoor soccer team that played in the Major Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1982 to 1989.
History
Jerry Buss, the owner of California Sports, the parent company of the Los Angeles Lakers, Los ...
of the
Major Indoor Soccer League selected Gjonbalaj in the first round (2nd overall) of the 1987 MISL Draft. In May 1988, the Lazers loaned Gjonbalaj to the
Albany Capitals
The Albany Capitals joined the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988. The team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soccer League.
The club was based in Albany, New York, a ...
of the
American Soccer League. In 1989, he was with the
New Jersey Eagles
The New Jersey Eagles were an American soccer team founded in 1987 as the Cosmopolitan Eagles. In 1988, they entered the third American Soccer League (1988–1989), American Soccer League as the New Jersey Eagles. They folded following the 1990 ...
of the ASL. Then in 1990, he moved to the
Washington Diplomats
The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. A ...
of the ASL successor league, the
American Professional Soccer League
The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. ...
. In the fall of 1990, he signed with the
New York Kick
The New York Kick was a professional indoor soccer team based in Albany, New York playing at the Knickerbocker Arena and competed in the National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001).
The team was previously known as the Indiana Kick in 1989� ...
of the
National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). In January 1991, the Kick sold Gjonbalaj's contract to the
Chicago Power
The Chicago Power were an indoor soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association and National Professional Soccer League.
After the 1995–96 season, the team was sold to Peter Pocklington, m ...
. He played nine games and scored two goals as the Power won the NPSL championship. In December 1991, he signed with the
Milwaukee Wave
The Milwaukee Wave are an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional indoor footbal ...
. In 1993, he played for the
Raleigh Flyers of the
USISL
The United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) was a semi-professional men's outdoor soccer league that played six seasons from 1989 to 1994. It was the first outdoor league to be operated by the organization known today as the United ...
. He then moved to the
New York Fever
New or NEW may refer to:
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* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
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* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...
for the 1994 season. In December 1994, he returned to the NPSL when he signed with the
Canton Invaders
The Canton Invaders was an indoor soccer club based in Canton, Ohio that competed in the National Professional Soccer League. After the 1995–96 season, the team relocated and became the Columbus Invaders.
History
The Canton Invaders were a pr ...
. In 1995, he was with the
New York Centaurs
The New York Centaurs were an A-League professional soccer club, based in New York City. The team played only one season in 1995. The New York Fever of the USISL Pro League, debuted in 1994, playing two seasons in the league before merging wit ...
of the
A-League
A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
where he scored four goals in twenty games.
National team
In 1984 and 1985, Gjonbalaj played for the
United States U-20 men's national soccer team
The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years.
The United States' be ...
. Gjonbalaj also earned five
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
with the
U.S. national team. His first appearance came in a February 5, 1986 scoreless tie with
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
when he came on for
Brent Goulet
Brent Goulet (born June 19, 1964) is a retired American soccer forward who later coached SV Elversberg from 2004 to 2008. He began his career in the United States before moving to England and Germany, and also earned eight caps with the U.S. na ...
. His next cap did not come until a June 12, 1987 loss to
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
. He had to wait three more years for his third cap which came in a September 14, 1991 win over
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
. Gjonbalaj scored the U.S. goal in the 1–0 victory. It was another two years before Gjonbalaj appeared for the U.S. again, this time on March 23, 1993, in a tie with
El Salvador
El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
. His last cap came two days later on March 25, 1993.
USA – Details of International Matches 1990–1994
/ref>
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gjonbalaj, Sadri
1966 births
Living people
People from Plav Municipality
Soccer players from Brooklyn
Yugoslav emigrants to the United States
American people of Albanian descent
Montenegrin people of Albanian descent
Men's association football forwards
Montenegrin men's footballers
American men's soccer players
United States men's under-20 international soccer players
United States men's international soccer players
NC State Wolfpack men's soccer players
Los Angeles Lazers players
Albany Capitals players
New Jersey Eagles players
Washington Diplomats (1988–1990) players
New York Kick players
Chicago Power players
Milwaukee Wave players
Raleigh Express players
Canton Invaders players
New York Centaurs players
American Soccer League (1988–89) players
American Professional Soccer League players
Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players
National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players
USISL players
Montenegrin expatriate men's footballers
20th-century American sportsmen