Leonard Griffin (born September 11, 1982 in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

) is an

American 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 ...

former

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 ...

player, who currently serves as the head coach for the

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

men's soccer team.

Career

College and Amateur

Griffin attended

Littlerock High School Littlerock High School is a public, co-educational high school built in 1989. It is located in Littlerock, California, United States. The school serves Littlerock and the surrounding communities of Lake Los Angeles, Pearblossom, and Llano. It ...

Littlerock, California Littlerock is a census-designated place in California United States. The population was 1,377 at the 2010 census, down from 1,402 at the 2000 census. The Littlerock, and Sun Village community, which is typically referred to as Littlerock, has a po ...

, and was a four-year letterman in soccer. He was a three-time first team All-League honoree, and as a senior, he was a Los Angeles Daily News first team All-Area honoree, and set the school single-season record for goals (24 goals). Griffin played

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 Kingd ...

at the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

from 2000 to 2003. Griffin distinguished himself at the school, helping the team win a national championship in 2002, and being named an

NCAA All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

in 2003. During his college years he also played with

Orange County Blue Star Orange County Blue Star was an American soccer team based in Irvine, California. Founded in 1997, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Weste ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

, where he played alongside

Jürgen Klinsmann Jürgen Klinsmann (, born 30 July 1964) is a German professional football manager and former player. Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He ...

Professional

Upon graduating from UCLA, Griffin was drafted 11th overall in the

2004 MLS SuperDraft The 2004 MLS SuperDraft, held in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 16, 2004, was the fifth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The draft was most notable at the time for the selection of one of the youngest athletes in Am ...

by the Fire. In his first year Griffin had trouble establishing himself in a single role, but instead played a variety of defensive positions for the Fire when needed, finishing with 330 minutes over 9 games. He saw 3 games for the Fire in 2005, and 6 in 2006. Griffin was waived by the Fire during the 2007 pre-season, and signed by

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system b ...

side

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

, joining former

teammate and fellow defensive standout

Scot Thompson Scot Thompson (born February 11, 1981 in New York, New York) is an American soccer player. On January 20, 2010 he was ranked 21st in the USL First Division Top 25 of the Decade, which announced a list of the best and most influential players of ...

. In September 2007, the Columbus Crew acquired his rights from the Chicago Fire, in exchange for the Crew's natural fourth-round selection in the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft. In April, he was waived by the Crew to make room for the addition of

Gino Padula Gino Mauro Padula (born 11 July 1976) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a left back. Career Born in Lanús, Padula played in Argentina, Spain, England, France and the United States. He started his career in the esteeme ...

. He then rejoined the Timbers for the 2008 season. Griffin was signed by

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 play ...

on January 7, 2009, but suffered an injury in pre-season which prevented him from playing. Upon his recovery, and with the

MLS Reserve Division The MLS Reserve League was a soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer with teams in both the United States and Canada. It was inaugurated on April 9, 2005, with the first official reserve game being a 2–0 victory by Chivas ...

having been scrapped at the end of 2008, Galaxy loaned Griffin to the

Hollywood United Hitmen Hollywood United Hitmen was an American soccer team based in Los Angeles. The team was founded in 2009 and played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and the USL Premier Development League (PDL). The team played its home games in Cougar ...

of the

for part of the 2009 PDL season, to regain his match fitness levels. He scored a goal on his debut for Hollywood, in a May 30 game against the

BYU Cougars The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the West ...

. In late February 2010 his option was picked up by

Austin Aztex The Austin Aztex were a soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2011 as a member of the Premier Development League, the team played the 2015 season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the United States soccer pyr ...

of the

USSF Division 2 The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding Un ...

. Griffin stayed with Austin for the 2010 season. On March 24, 2011, Griffin transferred to

Los Angeles Blues Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the second tier USL Championship. The team plays its home games a ...

of the newly formed

USL Pro 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 ...

league.

Coaching

Griffin began his college coaching career as an assistant women's soccer coach for the

Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes The Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of California State University, San Bernardino. The athletic department was established in 1984 and the school's athletic mascot is the Coyote. The sc ...

during the 2008 through 2010 seasons. He joined the

Saint Mary's Gaels men's soccer The Saint Mary's Gaels men's soccer program represents Saint Mary's College of California in all NCAA Division I men's college soccer competitions. Founded in 1978, the Gaels compete in the West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) ...

program as an assistant men's coach in 2011 and 2012, helping lead the Gaels to a West Coast Conference championship and a quarterfinal appearance in the

2011 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament The 2011 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament was a single-elimination tournament involving 48 teams to determine the champion of the 2011 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The 53rd edition of the tournament began on November 17, 2011 and c ...

. In 2015 he joined his alma mater as an assistant coach for the UCLA Bruins men's soccer team following a two-year stint as an assistant coach for the

California Golden Bears men's soccer : ''For information on all University of California, Berkeley sports, see California Golden Bears'' The California Golden Bears men's soccer team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, Califo ...

program. After two years at UCLA he was hired by the

University of Portland , mottoeng = The truth will set you free , established = 1901 , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Catholic (Congregation of Holy Cross) , endowment = $218 million , president = Robert D. Kelly , students = 3,731 (fall 20 ...

in March 2016 and got a contract as an assistant coach of the Portland Pilots men's soccer team. In April 2019 he was announced as the new head coach for the

San Francisco Dons men's soccer The San Francisco Dons men's soccer team represents the University of San Francisco in all men's Division I NCAA competitions. They compete in the West Coast Conference and have previously won national championships in 1966, 1975, 1976, and 1980. ...

team, replacing

Eddie Soto Eddie Soto (born June 14, 1972) is a former American soccer player who played as a forward. Soto spent five seasons in the USISL and has served as an assistant men’s and women’s collegiate soccer coach for eight seasons. Youth Soto played for ...

who resigned as the prior month. He was also named the Boy's Director of Coaching at the San Francisco Elite Academy. In May 2021 he was announced as the new head coach for the

Grand Canyon Antelopes men's soccer The Grand Canyon Antelopes men's soccer program represents Grand Canyon University in all NCAA Division I men's college soccer competitions. Founded in 1985, the Antelopes have competed in the Western Athletic Conference since 2013. The Lopes are ...

team, replacing

Schellas Hyndman Schellas Hyndman (born November 4, 1951) is a retired soccer coach. He was previously head coach of FC Dallas in Major League Soccer. Despite having a limited career as a professional athlete, Hyndman is one of the most successful college socc ...

who announced his retirement in January 2021. Griffin would only stay at Grand Canyon for a year as he accepted the head coaching position at

in 2022.

Personal

Leonard is the older brother of fellow professional soccer player Maxwell Griffin. His brother-in-law Spencer Thompson was also a professional soccer player who played for the Portland Timbers.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Leonard 1982 births Living people American soccer players Orange County Blue Star players Chicago Fire FC players People from Palmdale, California Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players Columbus Crew players LA Galaxy players Hollywood United Hitmen players Austin Aztex FC players Orange County SC players Association football defenders Sportspeople from Pasadena, California Soccer players from California UCLA Bruins men's soccer players Major League Soccer players USL First Division players USL League Two players USSF Division 2 Professional League players USL Championship players Chicago Fire FC draft picks All-American men's college soccer players San Francisco Dons men's soccer coaches American soccer coaches Grand Canyon Antelopes men's soccer coaches UCLA Bruins men's soccer coaches Portland Pilots men's soccer coaches California Golden Bears men's soccer coaches