John Wolyniec (born January 24, 1977) is an American professional soccer coach and former player. During his playing days, Wolyniec played for Major League Soccer club

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

three separate times: In 1999 as the MetroStars, from 2003 to 2005 as the MetroStars, and from 2006 until he retired in 2010. He also played for MLS clubs Chicago Fire,

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

, and

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pla ...

. He also played for

USL A-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

clubs

Rochester Raging Rhinos Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Rhinos, are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, they changed their name to Rochester Rhinos to ...

and the

Milwaukee Rampage The Milwaukee Rampage are a former defunct professional American soccer team, that was located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which played in the A-League. History Founded in 1993 by Milwaukee area businessmen Dan Doucette and Jim Hock, the Rampage p ...

, winning titles with them in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Wolyniec also represented the United States national team in 2004, earning two caps. After retiring as a player, Wolyniec was appointed head coach of

New York Red Bulls II New York Red Bulls II is an American professional soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid. History Red Bull New Yor ...

, the reserve side for the

. In his second season as head coach, Wolyniec guided Red Bulls II to both the regular season and championship titles.

Youth and amateur

Wolyniec is native of Staten Island,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and attended

Monsignor Farrell High School Monsignor Farrell High School is an American Catholic high school for boys, located in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, New York. Opened in 1961, the school is named in honor of Monsignor Joseph Farrell, a Catholic priest, as well as a re ...

before playing four years of

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United K ...

at Fordham University, where he led the nation in goals in 1998.

Playing career

Professional

Wolyniec was drafted by the MetroStars as the seventh–pick overall in the 1999 MLS College Draft. However, despite being a high pick, he was cut before playing any games. Wolyniec then signed with the

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American association football, soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays i ...

of the A-League and led the team in goals. In the midst of the worst season in league history, the MetroStars called him up for a late-season stretch and he promptly scored in his first game with the team. In 2000, the Chicago Fire re-drafted Wolyniec with the 44th overall pick of the 2000 MLS SuperDraft. That season, the Fire sent him on loan with the MLS Project-40 and the

where he scored three goals in four games. Back with the Fire, he scored just one goal all year, and, after scoring one early in 2001, was traded to the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compe ...

for Eric Wynalda. Wolyniec was cut after he playing one game. He spent the next two years in the A-League, with the

in 2001 and with the

in 2002. He was named league MVP during his time with the Rampage. In 2003, then MetroStars head coach

Bob Bradley Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of Toronto FC. A native of New Jersey and graduate of Princeton University, Bradley coached in the American college game and Maj ...

re-acquired Wolyniec in the

MLS Supplemental Draft The MLS Supplemental Draft had a number of incarnations in US soccer: From 1996 to 1999, all players playing in the United States playing professionally in the United Soccer Leagues were eligible for the MLS Supplemental Draft, where they could be ...

. Wolyniec came into his own during his second stint with the team, scoring a number of key goals, including two overtime game-winners and a late winner in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals against

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

. He finished the year with five MLS goals (seven in all competitions). On May 26, 2004 Wolyniec scored two goals and assisted on another in a 3-1 victory over Boavista F.C. of the

Portuguese Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...

. Even as the team signed a trio of foreign strikers in 2004, he kept his starting place, scored ten goals to tie for the team lead, and began to mature into a team leader. But after scoring two goals in eight games in 2005, he was traded to the

in exchange for prolific scorer

Ante Razov Ante Razov (born March 2, 1974) is an American soccer coach and former player who is an assistant coach for Los Angeles FC. One of the leading goal scorers in the history of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the all-time leading goal scorer for t ...

. After scoring three goals for the Crew, Wolyniec was dealt in May 2006 to

in a four-player deal. In August, he was traded again, joining

for his third stint with the club formerly known as MetroStars. The 2007 and 2008 seasons saw Wolyniec primarily as a reserve player for New York, managing to score 3 goals in 21 appearances in 2007 and being held scoreless in 19 regular season appearances in 2008. With the Red Bulls barely qualifying for the 2008 MLS Playoffs, Coach

Juan Carlos Osorio Juan Carlos Osorio Arbeláez (; born 8 June 1961) is a Colombian professional football manager and former footballer who played as a midfielder. Osorio began his playing career with Deportivo Pereira in 1982, and went on to play for Brazilian c ...

surprisingly inserted Wolyniec into the starting lineup for the club's first leg match against the defending champion

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

, Wolyniec would assist on Juan Pablo Angel's goal in a match that ended 1-1. With New York needing a victory to advance out of the first round for the second time in team history, Osorio repeated the same lineup that drew 1-1. Wolyniec was again a key figure scoring the third goal in a 3-0 rout of Houston in Robertson Stadium. Wolyniec continued his fine play in the Western Conference Final, helping set up the Red Bulls' lone goal in the 1-0 victory over

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...

, and thus advancing to the club's first ever MLS Cup Final. In the

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...

Final, Wolyniec scored the Red Bulls lone goal in a 3-1 loss to the

. During the 2009 season Wolyniec was the only New York player to score in all competitions that the club participated in (League, US Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions League). On May 12, 2010 Wolyniec had his first multi-goal game for the

scoring two goals in a 3-0 victory over

in a

2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualification The 2010 U.S. Open Cup tournament proper features teams from the top five levels of the American Soccer Pyramid. These five levels, namely Major League Soccer, the United Soccer Leagues ( First Division, Second Division, and Premier Development Lea ...

match. On May 26, 2010 Wolyniec recorded another two goals in a 3-0 victory over

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

leading the club to the Round of 16 of the

2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 97th edition of the USSF's annual national soccer championship, running from June through early October. The tournament proper featured teams from the top five levels of the American Soccer Pyramid. The ...

. Wolyniec was waived by New York on July 30, 2010 to make room on the roster for new signing

Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best player ...

. On September 9, 2010, Wolyniec announced his retirement from professional soccer in order to take a position in the Red Bull Academy. Wolyniec ended his Red Bulls career beloved by supporters and ranks among the all-time club leaders in games played. On February 15, 2013 was promoted to Reserve Team Coach/Player Development Coordinator by the club.

International

Wolyniec earned a call-up to the U.S. national team in 2004, getting his first cap against

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

on January 18, 2004. He earned a total of two caps.

Coaching career

New York Red Bulls II

Wolyniec was appointed as the inaugural head coach of

on March 2, 2015. His first match as head coach was against his former club as a player,

Rochester Rhinos Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Rhinos, are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, they changed their name to Rochester Rhinos to ...

, on March 28. The match ended as a 0–0 draw. In 2016, in his second season as head coach, Wolyniec lead New York Red Bulls II to both the regular season and championship titles. Wolyniec stepped down as Red Bulls II coach on December 10, 2021.

Statistics

Honors

Player

Chicago Fire * U.S. Open Cup:

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

Rochester Raging Rhinos *

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

Milwaukee Rampage *

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Head coach

New York Red Bulls II *

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

* Individual * 2016 USL Coach of the Year

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolyniec, John 1977 births Living people People from Staten Island Fordham University alumni Fordham Rams men's soccer players New York Red Bulls draft picks Chicago Fire FC draft picks New York Red Bulls players Long Island Rough Riders players Chicago Fire FC players MLS Pro-40 players Milwaukee Rampage players Rochester New York FC players New England Revolution players Columbus Crew players LA Galaxy players Association football forwards Major League Soccer players A-League (1995–2004) players American soccer players American soccer coaches New York Red Bulls non-playing staff New York Red Bulls II coaches Monsignor Farrell High School alumni United States men's international soccer players