Lazo Alavanja (born January 18, 1977, in Schererville, Indiana) is an American soccer midfielder who last played for the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division and the Chicago Storm of the Xtreme Soccer League. He played professionally both in traditional and indoor soccer, often concurrently.

Lazo Alavanja
Personal information
Date of birth (1977-01-18) January 18, 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth Schererville, Indiana, United States
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1998 Indiana Hoosiers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2000 Dallas Burn 25 (2)
1999Texas Toros (loan) 1 (0)
1999MLS Pro 40 (loan) 20 (3)
2001 Miami Fusion 16 (0)
2002 D.C. United 17 (0)
2003 Indiana Blast 5 (0)
2003 Cincinnati Riverhawks 2 (0)
2004–2006 Chicago Storm (indoor) 65 (24)
2005–2008 Charleston Battery 113 (12)
2007–2008 New Jersey Ironmen (indoor) 26 (16)
2008–2009 Chicago Storm (indoor) 7 (1)
Total 297 (58)
Managerial career
2008 UIC Flames (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 January 2009

Youth

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Alavanja attended Indiana University, playing on the men's soccer team from 1995 to 1998. He was a 1996 and 1997 second team All American and a 1998 first team All American.[1][2][3] In 1997, he played on the U.S. soccer team at the 1997 World University Games.

Professional

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In February 1999, the Dallas Burn selected Alavanja with the fourth pick in the 1999 MLS College Draft. He spent most of the 1999 season on loan with the Project 40 team. On May 10, 2001, the Burn sent Alavanja to the Miami Fusion in exchange for Miami's 2002 and 2003 second round SuperDraft picks. On January 11, 2002, D.C. United took him as the third pick in the 2002 MLS Dispersal Draft. He played the 2002 season with United. On May 9, 2003, the Indiana Blast of the USL A-League signed Alavanja.[4] The Blast released him on June 9, 2003.[5] In July 2003, he joined the Cincinnati Riverhawks.[6] On October 14, 2004, the expansion Chicago Storm of the Major Indoor Soccer League signed Alavanja.[7] He spent two seasons with the Storm, being named to the 2004-2005 MISL All Rookie Team. He did not play indoors during the 2006–2007 season and on June 5, 2007, the Storm traded his rights to the New Jersey Ironmen in exchange for a second round pick in the 2007 expansion draft. He played twenty-eight games with the Ironmen during the 2007-2008 indoor season.[8] In addition to playing the winter indoor seasons, Alavanja signed with the Charleston Battery of the outdoor USL First Division in 2005. In the fall of 2008, he returned to the Chicago Storm, now playing in the Xtreme Soccer League.

Coach

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Alavanja also works as an assistant coach with the University of Illinois Chicago men's soccer team[9] and besides as head coach of the Sycamore, Illinois based Chicago Soccer Academy.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "All-America Awards". www.nscaa.com. Archived from the original on 2006-11-15. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  2. ^ 1997 All Americans Archived 2006-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "All-America Awards". www.nscaa.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  4. ^ "USL Fans". www.uslfans.com.
  5. ^ "USL Fans". www.uslfans.com.
  6. ^ "Little Leaches Literature".
  7. ^ "Storm Announces Signings of GK Jeff Richey and D Lazo Alavanja".[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ MAJOR INDOOR SOCCER LEAGUE DAILY REPORT Archived 2008-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "The Official Website of UIC Flames Athletics". uicflames.cstv.com.
  10. ^ "Chicago Soccer Academy: Coaches > Lazo Alavanja". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
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