Sadri Gjonbalaj (1966) is an American retired football player who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League, American Professional 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 Ja ...

, scoring one goal, with the U.S. national team.

Early life

Gjonbalaj was born in Vusanje, a village in SR Montenegro,

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

(modern-day

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

). Him and his family moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York when he was a child.

Career

College

Gjonbalaj attended from the age of 17 at North Carolina State University 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 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 ...

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 played in Albany, New York. Afte ...

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 as the New Jersey Eagles. They folded following the 1990 American Professional Soccer League s ...

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 soccer, indoor home matches at the neigh ...

of the ASL successor league, the American Professional 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 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 ...

. 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 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 ...

. In 1993, he played for the Raleigh Flyers of the

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

. He then moved to the New York Fever 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 p ...

. 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 with ...

of the A-League 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' b ...

. Gjonbalaj also earned five

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 ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

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. ...

. 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, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. 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 situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. 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 (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de 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 b ...

. His last cap came two days later on March 25, 1993.USA – Details of International Matches 1990–1994
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gjonbalaj, Sadri 1966 births Living people People from Plav Municipality Sportspeople from Brooklyn Soccer players from New York City Yugoslav emigrants to the United States Albanians in Montenegro American people of Albanian descent Association football forwards Montenegrin footballers American 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 Flyers 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 footballers