Lesh Shkreli (born ) is a retired Montenegrin-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 ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

who played in Yugoslavia, Greece and the United States. He led 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 ...

in scoring in 1984-1985, earning MVP honors. Shkreli is

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

ethnic origin, more precisely of the Shkreli subgroup of

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

who are a minority in coastal

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

Playing career

Shkreli began his career in the

Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...

youth system. At some point in his career he played in the Greek First Division. In 1980, Shkreli signed with the

Detroit Express The Detroit Express was a soccer team based in suburban Detroit that played in the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. Its home field was the Pontiac Silverdome. The Express were co-owned by Jimmy Hill, Roger Fa ...

in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

(NASL). The Express was sold at the end of the 1980-1981 indoor season and moved to

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

where it became 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. Arm ...

. Shkreli did not make the move. In 1982, Shkreli played for the

Oklahoma City Slickers The Oklahoma City Slickers was the name given to two different American soccer clubs based in Oklahoma City. The first team competed in the second American Soccer League in 1982 and 1983, and as the Oklahoma City Stampede in the United Soccer Le ...

in the American Soccer League. In the summer of 1984, he played for the

Houston Dynamos Houston Dynamos was a U.S. soccer team that existed in various forms from 1983 to 1991. In 1991, the team's owners changed the name to Houston International, but the team lasted only through the 1992 season before folding. The Dynamos were foun ...

in 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 ...

. In 1984, he signed with the

Columbus Capitals The Columbus Capitals were an indoor soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association. The club played its home games at the Columbus Convention Center from 1984–1986, then known as the Battelle Hall. ...

of the

(AISA). He led the league in scoring with fifty-nine goals in forty games, earning first team All Star and league MVP recognition. The Capitals folded at the end of the 1985-1986 season and the

Toledo Pride The Toledo Pride were an American indoor soccer team based in Toledo, Ohio. They played only one season ( 1986–1987) in the American Indoor Soccer Association. They qualified for the playoffs but lost in the first round. The Pride's average home ...

picked up Shkreli in the dispersal draft. He played only seventeen games with the Pride before his contract was purchased by 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 p ...

on January 15, 1987. Shkreli moved to the

Dayton Dynamo The Dayton Dynamo was a professional indoor soccer team from Dayton, Ohio. The team played in the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA). Founded by former University of Dayton and Central State University coach Jerry Butcher, the Dynamo jo ...

for the 1988-1989 season. On September 19, 1989, the Dynamo traded him to the

Chicago Power The Chicago Power were an indoor soccer club 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, moved ...

in exchange for Victor Quni. Shkreli declined to sign with the Power and retired.''SPORTS'' Chicago Tribune - Thursday, October 12, 1989

Coaching career

Shkreli was actively involved in coaching even as a player. In 1986, he served as an interim head coach for the

for three games. In 1998, he became the assistant coach at

Ohio Dominican University Ohio Dominican University is a Private university, private Dominican Order, Dominican liberal arts university in Columbus, Ohio. The university has approximately 1,700 students and offers undergraduate degrees in 40 majors as well as nine graduat ...

. In 2003, Shkreli became the first head coach of the

Columbus Shooting Stars Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

of the fourth division

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

. Blast FC, a premier soccer club, was started in 1986 by Lesh Shkreli. It has been in existence for over 20 years and is presently the longest running soccer club in central Ohio. Lesh Shkreli is the full-time Director of Coaching at Blast F.C. He has led teams to the National League as well as the US Youth Soccer National Championships. Numerous teams of his compete at the Midwest Regional League (MRL) level.

References

External links

NASL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shkreli, Lesh 1957 births American soccer coaches American people of Albanian descent National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) coaches American Soccer League (1933–1983) players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Canton Invaders players Columbus Capitals players Dayton Dynamo players Detroit Express players Houston Dynamos players Living people Albanians in Montenegro North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players New York Eagles players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Oklahoma City Slickers (ASL) players Pennsylvania Stoners players Yugoslav footballers Yugoslav expatriate footballers Toledo Pride players United Soccer League (1984–85) players Yugoslav emigrants to the United States People from Ulcinj Men's association football forwards