Gregory Janicki (born July 9, 1984) is an 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 ...

player who last played for

Detroit City FC Detroit City FC (DCFC) is an American professional soccer club based in Detroit, Michigan, that competes in the USL Championship. The club played in the National Premier Soccer League from 2012 to 2019 and the National Independent Soccer A ...

in the NPSL.

Career

Youth and college

Born in

Rochester, Michigan Rochester is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 census. It is a northern suburb in Metro Detroit located 20 miles north of the city of Detroit. Rochester was the first European settlem ...

, Janicki attended

Anchor Bay High School Anchor Bay High School is a four-year secondary school located in Fair Haven, Michigan ( St. Clair County), and it is part of the Anchor Bay School District. History The former high school in Chesterfield Township was converted to a middle ...

, where he recorded a school soccer record of 74 goals and 32 assists in three seasons. As a senior, he placed third in the voting for Michigan's Mr. Soccer Award. Janicki 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 Ki ...

for

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It ...

, playing 61 matches over four seasons. During his senior year, Janicki played in eighteen games, tallying two goals and an assist, and was named as a second-team member of the NSCAA/adidas All-Great Lakes Region team, and to the All-Big Ten First Team. During his college years, Janicki also played 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 syst ...

for both

Michigan Bucks Flint City Bucks is an American association football, soccer team based in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club was founded in 1995 as the Mi ...

and

West Michigan Edge West Michigan Edge was an American soccer team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when the franc ...

Professional

Janicki signed his first professional contract in 2008, playing in the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer (t ...

for

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

. Janicki appeared in 14 games for the Hounds, registering one assist. Following the conclusion of the 2008 USL-2 season, Janicki was loaned to D.C. United of

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 Cana ...

for the remainder of the year and signed to a developmental contract with D.C. United. He made his debut for the team on October 1, 2008, in a

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

match of the CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09 game against Mexican side

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...

. He appeared in three league games and five Champions League matches in 2008, after which he was signed to a senior contract. Janicki was waived by D.C. United at the end of the 2009 MLS season. On December 23, 2009, Janicki signed a one-year contract with

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...

of the

USSF Division 2 Professional League 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 ...

. On December 10, 2010, it was announced that Janicki would remain with

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...

as the club made the jump to MLS. He stayed with Vancouver for the 2011 MLS season but the club declined his contract option for 2012. Janicki entered the

2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft The two-stage 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 5, 2011 (Stage 1) and December 12, 2011 (Stage 2). All 19 Major League Soccer clubs participated. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Drafts were conducted in the same order as the traditional Waive ...

and became a free agent after he was not selected. On December 14, 2011, it was announced that Janicki signed with the expansion

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stad ...

of 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 ba ...

for the 2012 season. On January 9, 2015, Janicki signed with NASL club

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018. The franchise plays it ...

. On December 9, 2016, Janicki announced his retirement from soccer.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Janicki, Greg 1984 births Living people American soccer players People from Rochester, Michigan Michigan State Spartans men's soccer players Flint City Bucks players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players West Michigan Edge players D.C. United players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players San Antonio Scorpions players Indy Eleven players Soccer players from Michigan USL League Two players USL Second Division players Major League Soccer players USSF Division 2 Professional League players North American Soccer League players Expatriate soccer players in Canada Association football defenders Sportspeople from Oakland County, Michigan People from St. Clair County, Michigan