Matt Luzunaris (born March 6, 1989) 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 ...
retired
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. During the 2000s and 2010s he played for clubs in Austria and the United States.
Career
Youth and college
Luzunaris was born on 6 March 1989 in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...
.
[ He attended West Boca Raton High School and played youth club soccer for BRJSC - Boca Raton Juniors SC, St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri, and in the Olympic Development Program. Luzunaris had a brief stint training with ]Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
in England, before attending and playing one year of 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 University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...
. Luzunaris was a member of the Boca Juniors team that won the FYSA State Cup in 2003.
Europe
Luzunaris turned professional after his freshman college year, and began his professional career by signing with SC Schwanenstadt
SC Schwanenstadt was an Austrian football club from Schwanenstadt, Upper Austria.
The club was founded on 16 March 1946, it achieved promotion to the Landeliga (IV) in 2000 and to the Regionalliga Mitte one year later, where in 2005 they won t ...
in February 2008. After Schwanenstadt reorganized he re-signed with the club under the Magna Wiener Neustadt moniker. In early 2009 he was loaned to Brazilian club Botofogo, but was unable to play for the club due to visa restrictions in Brazil; he returned to Wiener Neustadt in June. He was then signed in July by SK Rapid Wien to a three-year contract, where he played for the second team.
United States
On March 25, 2011, Luzunaris was signed by the San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
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 Canada ...
, and he made his debut for the team on April 9 in a 1–1 tie with Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...
. In July 2011, the Earthquakes loaned Luzunaris to Orlando City for an unspecified length but with the right to recall. Luzunaris scored goals in his first two games playing for City against Rochester
Luzunaris and San Jose parted ways after the 2011 season and signed with Orlando City on December 5, 2011.
Luzunaris appeared in 18 matches for the Lions scoring 9 goals and becoming the team's second leading goal scorer and USL PRO's 3rd leading goal scorer in the league. He also made USL PRO's team of the year.
Luzunaris announced his retirement on January 13, 2015.
Personal life
Luzunaris was engaged to Austen Everett (1986–2012), herself a college soccer player for Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
. She died after a lengthy battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredness. ...
on August 14, 2012. Luzunaris and Everett founded a foundation, the Austen Everett Foundation, to connect children challenged by life-threatening illnesses and professional, intercollegiate teams and athletes.
References
External links
Player Bio
at University of Central Florida Knights official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luzunaris, Matt
1989 births
Living people
American men's soccer players
American expatriate men's soccer players
UCF Knights men's soccer players
SV Wienerberg players
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas players
SC Schwanenstadt players
SK Rapid Wien players
San Jose Earthquakes players
Orlando City SC (2010–2014) players
North Carolina FC players
Rochester New York FC players
Soccer players from Florida
Expatriate men's footballers in Austria
Major League Soccer players
USL Championship players
North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players
People from Margate, Florida
Men's association football forwards