Yuriy Lavrynenko is a retired Ukrainian

association football 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 ...

midfielder who played professionally in the

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 ...

and

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

Player

Youth

Lavrynenko began playing in the

Dynamo Kyiv Football Club Dynamo Kyiv (, ) is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club based in Kyiv. Founded in 1927 as a Kyivan football team of republican branch of the bigger Soviet Union, Soviet Dynamo Sports Club, Dynamo Sports Soc ...

youth system when he was seven. In 1991, Lavrynenko's youth team played in a tournament in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. Several players were invited to move to Rochester. In 1992, Lavrynenko took the offer and moved to Chili, New York. During his four years attending

Gates-Chili High School Gates Chili High School is a secondary school in the Gates Chili Central School District in Gates, New York. It opened in September 1958. The current principal of the school is Kenneth L. Hammel. Gates Chili High School has a science wing, with a ...

, he was an All State soccer player on a team which was the 1995 New York high school co-champion. Lavrynenko attended

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

, playing on the men's soccer team from 1996 to 1999. In both 1998 and 1999, Lavrynenko scored the game-winning goal as the Hoosiers took back to back NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championships. He was a 1999 NCAA All American.

Professional

In February 2000, the Chicago Fire selected Lavrynenko in the third round (thirty-second overall) of the

2000 MLS SuperDraft The 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 6, 2000 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and consisted of six rounds. One of the most successful draft picks was goalkeeper Nick Rimando, a third round pick, who went on to hold the record ...

. During the 2000 season, he played three games with the Fire, going on loan to

MLS Project 40 Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

, the Indiana Blast 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 play ...

, all playing in the USL A-League. When the Fire released him during the 2001 pre-season, the Rampage signed him to a three-year contract. The Rampage released him at the end of the season and in 2002, he joined the

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 June 25, 2004, the Rhinos released Lavrynenko. The Montreal Impact signed him two weeks later. He finished the season in Montreal, then retired.

Coach

In July 2009, Rochester Institute of Technology hired Lavrynenko as an assistant coach.

References

External links

RIT profile
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavrinenko, Yuri Living people 1977 births Footballers from Kyiv Chicago Fire FC players Indiana Hoosiers men's soccer players Indiana Blast players Major League Soccer players Milwaukee Rampage players Montreal Impact (1992–2011) players Rochester New York FC players Ukrainian footballers Ukrainian expatriate footballers A-League (1995–2004) players MLS Pro-40 players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate soccer players in Canada Chicago Fire FC draft picks Men's association football midfielders College men's soccer coaches in the United States People from Chili, New York Soccer players from New York (state) Sportspeople from Rochester, New York Ukrainian football managers NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament Most Outstanding Player winners