17 Facts About Andy Iro

Andy Iro was born on 26 November 1984 and is an English former professional footballer who played primarily as a defender.

Andy Iro was drafted by Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew with the sixth overall pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.

Andy Iro spent four seasons in MLS, joining Toronto FC for part of his last season, before playing in England with Stevenage FC and Barnet FC from 2012 to 2013.

Andy Iro was born on 26 November 1984 in Liverpool, England.

Andy Iro attended St Edwards, where he competed on the school's soccer, rugby, and track teams.

At the age of 17, Andy Iro founded and operated a local grocery with a $1,000 initial loan from his mother, Rose.

Andy Iro ran the store until he was 19 years old, doing brisk business until an attempted robbery resulted in Iro getting shot in the thigh.

Andy Iro had a relative run the business while he bounced between jobs and unemployment, eventually connecting with the University of California, Santa Barbara for an athletic scholarship.

Andy Iro was a student-athlete for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team and started as a freshman as the team went to the championship match of the 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.

Andy Iro was a four-time All-Big West Conference First Team selection and was named as back-to-back-to-back Big West Defensive Player of the Year.

Andy Iro made his professional debut on 28 March 2008, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute in the Crew's first game of the 2008 Major League Soccer season against Toronto FC.

Andy Iro made his debut on 20 July 2011 against FC Dallas.

The move meant Andy Iro would be playing under Gary Smith, a former Major League Soccer manager for Colorado Rapids, who he had known during his time playing in the United States.

In November 2012, having failed to make a first-team appearance for Stevenage, Andy Iro joined Football League Two side Barnet FC on loan until January 2013.

Andy Iro made 9 league appearances for Barnet, scoring once, before returning to Stevenage.

Andy Iro returned to Stevenage in February 2013 but did not appear in any first-team games for the club.

Andy Iro trained youth soccer players in the local area and ran Next Step Academy, which placed a focus on academics.