Place of birth Kiev, Ukraine 2000 Chicago Fire Years Team Height 1.83 m | 1996–1999 Indiana Hoosiers Role Football player 1985–1992 Dynamo Kiev Name Yuri Lavrinenko | |
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Date of birth (1977-06-12) June 12, 1977 (age 38) | ||
Yuri Lavrinenko is a retired Ukrainian association football midfielder who played professionally in the USL First Division and Major League Soccer.
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Youth
Lavrinenko began playing in the Dynamo Kiev youth system when he was seven. In 1991, Lavrinenko's youth team played in a tournament in Rochester, New York. Several players were invited to move to Rochester. In 1992, Lavrinenko took the offer and moved to Chili, New York. During his four years attending Gates-Chili High School, he was an All State soccer player on a team which was the 1995 New York high school co-champion. Lavrinenko attended Indiana University, playing on the men's soccer team from 1996 to 1999. In both 1998 and 1999, Lavrinenko 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 Lavrinenko in the third round (thirty-second overall) of the 2000 MLS SuperDraft. During the 2000 season, he played three games with the Fire, going on loan to MLS Project 40, the Indiana Blast and the Milwaukee Rampage, 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. On June 25, 2004, the Rhinos released Lavrinenko. 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 Lavrinenko as an assistant coach.