Willy Roy
Encyclopedia
Willy Roy is a retired U.S. soccer
forward
and coach
. He played for several teams in the National Professional Soccer League
and the North American Soccer League
in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the United States national team
from 1965 to 1973. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
.
. After attending Reavis High School
in what is now Burbank, Illinois
, he began playing semi-pro soccer in the Chicago area. In 1964, he joined Hansa of the National Soccer League of Chicago
. In 1966, Hansa won the Peter J. Peel Challenge Cup
as the Illinois State Champion. The year prior, the team lost to the New York Ukrainians in the U.S. Open Cup
.
(NPSL). While the USSF and FIFA
refused to recognize the NPSL, it gained a television contract with CBS
, thereby guaranteeing some element of financial stability.
Up to this point, Roy played almost exclusively with local Chicago minor league teams and the U.S. national team. In 1967, he joined the newly established Chicago Spurs
of the NPSL. At the time, the Roy was one of only eight U.S. citizens in the league. One of the other U.S. citizens, Bob Gansler
, was later a teammate with Roy on the national team and became the future coach of the national team. In his first year with the Spurs, Roy scored 17 goals, assisted 5 others, making him the league's second leading scorer. This led to his selection to Rookie of the Year and NPSL All Star team.
Once again, external soccer events impacted Roy's career. The NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association
in December 1967 to form the North American Soccer League
. That year, the Spurs also moved to Kansas City. Roy moved with the team and spent one season there. Roy experienced a sophomore slump in 1968, playing 15 games, scoring 6 goals and assisting on 4 others. However, the team played well, losing to the Atlanta Chiefs
in the playoff semifinals.
Roy left the Kansas City Spurs in 1971 to join the Saint Louis Stars
of the North American Soccer League
(NASL) in 1971. In his three seasons with the Stars, he scored 18 goals and assisted on 16 others. In 1972, the team made it to the NASL championship game, losing to the New York Cosmos
2-1.
After retiring from the national team, Roy continued to play professionally for a few more years. In 1975, he moved to his last team, the expansion Chicago Sting
. He would play a single season with the Sting, statistically the worst of his career. He scored no goals and made 3 assists in 14 games. He retired from playing at the end of the season.
in a 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
match against Mexico
in Mexico City
, a 0-2 loss. He earned his second cap
nine days later in a tie with Honduras
which ended the U.S. attempt to qualify for the 1966 World Cup
.
Roy enjoyed relative success with the national team in 1968. He played eight games, scoring six goals. In those eight games, the national team went 4-3-1. More significantly, four of those games were qualifying matches for the 1970 FIFA World Cup
. In those three games, the U.S. went 3-1 with Roy scoring 3 goals. The next year, he played only a single game with the national team, a 2-0 loss to Haiti
. That game, combined with a second loss to Haiti a month later spelled the end to yet another U.S. attempt to qualify for a World Cup. Roy would not play for the national team again until it began playing qualification games for the 1974 World Cup
.
In 1972, Roy played four games with the national team, all 1974 World Cup qualifying
matches. The U.S. went 0-3-1, failing to reach yet another World Cup. Despite the team's dismal showing, Roy scored in three consecutive games, giving him a record six goals in World Cup qualifying matches. The next player to score in three consecutive matches did not come until Cobi Jones
did it in 2000.
Roy’s record of six goals in world cup qualifying matches lasted until Earnie Stewart scored his seventh qualifying goal in 2001.
Roy played five more games with the national team, all in 1973. That year, he scored once, ending his national team career with 20 games and 10 goals, one of the best scoring rates by any national team member over a sustained career.
had commenced operations in 1978, and it proved its success in its first two years of operation as it gained teams and the NASL lost teams to financial failure. NASL attempted to piggyback on the MISL success in 1981 by playing an indoor season during the winter of 1981–1982 following its 1981 outdoor season.
Roy's Sting did not do well in its first season indoors. Things improved during the 1982–1983 indoor season. While the NASL did not hold an indoor season the next winter, the Sting played in the MISL where it finished third in the Eastern Division. Roy and the Sting improved again during the 1983–1984 indoor season, again with the NASL. They finished second in the standings and lost to the New York Cosmos in the playoff semifinals.
. He spent two seasons in this position, before moving up to head coach in 1979. In 1981, Roy coached the Sting to a 23-9 record and a victory in the Soccer Bowl
(the NASL championship game) and earned NASL Coach of the Year honors.
The summer of 1984 saw Roy coach the Sting to its second NASL outdoor title. This would also be the last NASL championship as the league folded that fall. With the demise of the NASL, the Sting became a full time member of the MISL.
Roy coached the Sting for two more seasons. The team lost to the Cleveland Force in the 1985 quarterfinals but missed the playoffs in 1986, finishing with a 23-25 record. Roy ending his tenure with the Sting on December 23, 1986.
During his time with the Sting, Roy did more than win two championships. He had an impact which went beyond the team when he coached the former Dutch National Team
Head Coach Dick Advocaat
and United States women's national soccer team
Greg Ryan
. Ryan later credited Roy with being a strong influence on his development as a player and coach. Ryan said, “The thing that defined Willy was, he was one of the most intense competitors as a player and that carried over to his coaching. He was so intense and so determined that he brought that quality out in his players. If he mentioned people who went on to bigger and better things, it was because they learned to work so hard and give so much.”
In 1985, Roy became the men's soccer coach at Northern Illinois University
. In 1990, the Huskies had the Mid-Continent Conference's best record and Roy was selected as the Mid-Con's Coach of the Year.
On February 18, 2003, the school announced that it was not renewing Roy's contract after the Huskies had three consecutive losing seasons. He finished his career coaching the team with a 142-131-22 record and two conference championships. During his time with the team, it was known for the high academic standards Roy set for his players. Although his last season with the team saw a dismal 4-13-1, the Huskies ranked in the Division-I Academic top 20.
.
He currently owns and runs the Willy Roy Soccer Dome, an indoor soccer arena in Chicago, and the Dolton Bowl, a bowling alley next door. Now in his sixties, he continues to play in an over-30 league at the Soccer Dome.
In 1979, he wrote the book Coaching Winning Soccer.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
and coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. He played for several teams in the National Professional Soccer League
National Professional Soccer League (1967)
The National Professional Soccer League was a North American professional soccer league that existed for only the 1967 season before merging with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. It had ten charter members, nine from the United States and one from Canada...
and the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the United States national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
from 1965 to 1973. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
.
Early years
When Roy was six, his family moved to the United States from Germany, settling in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. After attending Reavis High School
Reavis High School
Reavis High School is a public high school located in Burbank, Illinois. It is named for Dr. William Claude Reavis , a professor at the University of Chicago who played a major role in guaranteeing its completion....
in what is now Burbank, Illinois
Burbank, Illinois
Burbank is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,902 at the 2000 census. It is located at the southwest edge of the city of Chicago; the Chicago city limit – specifically that of the Ashburn neighborhood – is in common with Burbank's eastern city limit...
, he began playing semi-pro soccer in the Chicago area. In 1964, he joined Hansa of the National Soccer League of Chicago
National Soccer League of Chicago
The National Soccer League of Chicago, formed by the merger of the Chicago Soccer League and International Soccer Football League of Chicago in 1928, is a semi-professional U.S...
. In 1966, Hansa won the Peter J. Peel Challenge Cup
Peel Cup
The Peter J. Peel Challenge Cup, better known as the Peel Cup, was an open soccer competition that crowned the Illinois state champion until it was replaced by the Illinois Governor’s Cup in 1970.-Origins:...
as the Illinois State Champion. The year prior, the team lost to the New York Ukrainians in the U.S. Open Cup
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout tournament in American soccer. The tournament is the oldest ongoing American soccer competition and is presently open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League...
.
Professional career
1966 saw a series of events which had a major impact on Roy's future career. Three separate groups decided to form a professional league in the U.S. Through various negotiations, two of the groups merged to form the National Professional Soccer LeagueNational Professional Soccer League (1967)
The National Professional Soccer League was a North American professional soccer league that existed for only the 1967 season before merging with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. It had ten charter members, nine from the United States and one from Canada...
(NPSL). While the USSF and FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
refused to recognize the NPSL, it gained a television contract with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, thereby guaranteeing some element of financial stability.
Up to this point, Roy played almost exclusively with local Chicago minor league teams and the U.S. national team. In 1967, he joined the newly established Chicago Spurs
Chicago Spurs
Chicago Spurs were an American professional soccer team based out of Chicago, Illinois that was a charter member of the non-FIFA sanctioned National Professional Soccer League in 1967. The owners of the franchise were Al Kaczmarek, William Cutler and Michael Butler...
of the NPSL. At the time, the Roy was one of only eight U.S. citizens in the league. One of the other U.S. citizens, Bob Gansler
Bob Gansler
Bob Gansler is a Hungarian-born American soccer player and coach of German descent. He coached the US National Team at the 1990 World Cup, the team's first appearance at the tournament since 1950....
, was later a teammate with Roy on the national team and became the future coach of the national team. In his first year with the Spurs, Roy scored 17 goals, assisted 5 others, making him the league's second leading scorer. This led to his selection to Rookie of the Year and NPSL All Star team.
Once again, external soccer events impacted Roy's career. The NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
in December 1967 to form the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
. That year, the Spurs also moved to Kansas City. Roy moved with the team and spent one season there. Roy experienced a sophomore slump in 1968, playing 15 games, scoring 6 goals and assisting on 4 others. However, the team played well, losing to the Atlanta Chiefs
Atlanta Chiefs
The Atlanta Chiefs were a soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia that played in the NPSL and NASL from 1967 to 1972. Their home fields were Atlanta Stadium and Tara Stadium . The club was the brainchild of Dick Cecil, then Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise who were the Chiefs'...
in the playoff semifinals.
Roy left the Kansas City Spurs in 1971 to join the Saint Louis Stars
St. Louis Stars (soccer)
The St. Louis Stars were a soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri that played in the original NASL from 1967 to 1977.-History:The St. Louis Stars, founded in 1967 as a team in the NPSL were the first ever professional soccer team in St. Louis. The team was headed by Bob Hermann who later went on...
of the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
(NASL) in 1971. In his three seasons with the Stars, he scored 18 goals and assisted on 16 others. In 1972, the team made it to the NASL championship game, losing to the New York Cosmos
New York Cosmos
The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...
2-1.
After retiring from the national team, Roy continued to play professionally for a few more years. In 1975, he moved to his last team, the expansion Chicago Sting
Chicago Sting
The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988...
. He would play a single season with the Sting, statistically the worst of his career. He scored no goals and made 3 assists in 14 games. He retired from playing at the end of the season.
U.S. national team
In 1965, Roy made his debut with the United States national teamUnited States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in a 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 74 teams entered the 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. , as the hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition....
match against Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, a 0-2 loss. He earned his second cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
nine days later in a tie with Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
which ended the U.S. attempt to qualify for the 1966 World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
.
Roy enjoyed relative success with the national team in 1968. He played eight games, scoring six goals. In those eight games, the national team went 4-3-1. More significantly, four of those games were qualifying matches for the 1970 FIFA World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
. In those three games, the U.S. went 3-1 with Roy scoring 3 goals. The next year, he played only a single game with the national team, a 2-0 loss to Haiti
Haiti national football team
The Haiti national football team represents Haiti in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Haïtienne de Football, the governing body for football in Haiti. Haiti's home ground is Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince and their head coach is Edson Tavares...
. That game, combined with a second loss to Haiti a month later spelled the end to yet another U.S. attempt to qualify for a World Cup. Roy would not play for the national team again until it began playing qualification games for the 1974 World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
.
In 1972, Roy played four games with the national team, all 1974 World Cup qualifying
1974 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 99 teams entered the 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. , as the hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition....
matches. The U.S. went 0-3-1, failing to reach yet another World Cup. Despite the team's dismal showing, Roy scored in three consecutive games, giving him a record six goals in World Cup qualifying matches. The next player to score in three consecutive matches did not come until Cobi Jones
Cobi Jones
Cobi N'Gai Jones is a retired American soccer player who formerly served as assistant coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer , with whom he had been involved as a player and coach since the team's inaugural season in 1996...
did it in 2000.
Roy’s record of six goals in world cup qualifying matches lasted until Earnie Stewart scored his seventh qualifying goal in 2001.
Roy played five more games with the national team, all in 1973. That year, he scored once, ending his national team career with 20 games and 10 goals, one of the best scoring rates by any national team member over a sustained career.
Indoor soccer playing career
The Major Indoor Soccer LeagueMajor Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
had commenced operations in 1978, and it proved its success in its first two years of operation as it gained teams and the NASL lost teams to financial failure. NASL attempted to piggyback on the MISL success in 1981 by playing an indoor season during the winter of 1981–1982 following its 1981 outdoor season.
Roy's Sting did not do well in its first season indoors. Things improved during the 1982–1983 indoor season. While the NASL did not hold an indoor season the next winter, the Sting played in the MISL where it finished third in the Eastern Division. Roy and the Sting improved again during the 1983–1984 indoor season, again with the NASL. They finished second in the standings and lost to the New York Cosmos in the playoff semifinals.
Coaching career
In 1976, upon retiring from playing, Roy became an assistant coach for Chicago StingChicago Sting
The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988...
. He spent two seasons in this position, before moving up to head coach in 1979. In 1981, Roy coached the Sting to a 23-9 record and a victory in the Soccer Bowl
Soccer Bowl
The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl....
(the NASL championship game) and earned NASL Coach of the Year honors.
The summer of 1984 saw Roy coach the Sting to its second NASL outdoor title. This would also be the last NASL championship as the league folded that fall. With the demise of the NASL, the Sting became a full time member of the MISL.
Roy coached the Sting for two more seasons. The team lost to the Cleveland Force in the 1985 quarterfinals but missed the playoffs in 1986, finishing with a 23-25 record. Roy ending his tenure with the Sting on December 23, 1986.
During his time with the Sting, Roy did more than win two championships. He had an impact which went beyond the team when he coached the former Dutch National Team
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
Head Coach Dick Advocaat
Dick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...
and United States women's national soccer team
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
Greg Ryan
Greg Ryan
Greg Ryan is a retired German-American soccer defender who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He was the head coach of the United States women's national soccer team from 2005 to 2007...
. Ryan later credited Roy with being a strong influence on his development as a player and coach. Ryan said, “The thing that defined Willy was, he was one of the most intense competitors as a player and that carried over to his coaching. He was so intense and so determined that he brought that quality out in his players. If he mentioned people who went on to bigger and better things, it was because they learned to work so hard and give so much.”
In 1985, Roy became the men's soccer coach at Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
. In 1990, the Huskies had the Mid-Continent Conference's best record and Roy was selected as the Mid-Con's Coach of the Year.
On February 18, 2003, the school announced that it was not renewing Roy's contract after the Huskies had three consecutive losing seasons. He finished his career coaching the team with a 142-131-22 record and two conference championships. During his time with the team, it was known for the high academic standards Roy set for his players. Although his last season with the team saw a dismal 4-13-1, the Huskies ranked in the Division-I Academic top 20.
Later years
In 1989, Roy was elected to the National Soccer Hall of FameNational Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
.
He currently owns and runs the Willy Roy Soccer Dome, an indoor soccer arena in Chicago, and the Dolton Bowl, a bowling alley next door. Now in his sixties, he continues to play in an over-30 league at the Soccer Dome.
In 1979, he wrote the book Coaching Winning Soccer.