Gregg Willin is a retired American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

defender who played professionally in the second and third American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. Willin grew up in

Evergreen Park, Illinois Evergreen Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. In 2020, the population was 19,943. History As early as 1828, a German farming family had settled in the area of what is now Evergreen Park. In the succeeding decades, other Ge ...

, a suburb of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. In the spring of 1982, he turned professional out of high school with the

Georgia Generals Georgia Generals were a professional soccer team in the United States. They played for one season (1982) in the ASL. They were formed when the Cleveland Cobras franchise moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Their owner was Walt Russell. They played their ...

of the second American Soccer League. On September 15, 1982, Willin moved indoors with the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

of the Major Indoor Soccer League, going to the playoff semifinals in 1983 and 1984. In 1984, Willin spent the summer season with the

Jacksonville Tea Men The Jacksonville Tea Men were a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, ...

of the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

. The Wings released Willin 1985. He had an unsuccessful trial with the

Los Angeles Lazers The Los Angeles Lazers were an indoor soccer team that played in the 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, Kings and Strings of Tea ...

in the fall of 1985. However, on February 8, 1986, the Lazers signed Willins to a ten-day contract after injuries decimated the team. The Lazers then extended the contract to the end of the season. On October 22, 1986, Willin signed with the expansion

Memphis Storm The Memphis Storm was an American soccer team based in Memphis, Tennessee which existed from 1986 to 1994. They underwent several names changes including the Rogues, the Survivors, the United Express and finally the Jackals. They played in the Am ...

of the

American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. He spent two seasons with the Storm before moving to the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, m ...

for the 1988-1989 AISA season. He then spent the summer playing outdoors for the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

of the third American Soccer League.1989 Tampa Bay Rowdies
/ref> On September 16, 1989, the

Atlanta Attack Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

selected Willin in the AISA Expansion Draft. Willin signed with the Wichita Wings of the MISL instead. In 1990, he moved to the

Cleveland Crunch The Cleveland Crunch are an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio competing in as a charter member of the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The rebranded Crunch returned to indoor play as a member of the MASL 2 in ...

for two seasons. In 1991, the Crunch lost in the championship series to the

San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996), a soccer team in the North American Soccer League *San Diego Sockers (2001–2004), a soccer team in the World Indoor Soccer League and second Major Indoor Soccer League *San Diego S ...

References

External links

MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willin, Greg Living people 1976 births National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players American men's soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players American Soccer League (1988–89) players Cleveland Crunch (original MISL) players Georgia Generals players Jacksonville Tea Men players Los Angeles Lazers players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Memphis Storm players Milwaukee Wave players Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players United Soccer League (1984–85) players Wichita Wings (MISL) players Men's association football defenders