Willy Roy was born on February 8,1943 and is a retired American soccer forward and coach.
23 Facts About Willy Roy
1.
2.
Willy Roy 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.
3.
Willy Roy is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
4.
When Roy was six, his family moved to the United States from Germany, settling in Chicago.
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Up to this point, Willy Roy played almost exclusively with local Chicago minor league teams and the US national team.
6.
Willy Roy moved with the team and spent one season there.
7.
Willy Roy experienced a sophomore slump in 1968, playing 15 games, scoring 6 goals and assisting on 4 others.
8.
Willy Roy moved on to the Saint Louis Stars in 1971.
9.
Willy Roy scored no goals and made 3 assists in 14 games.
10.
Willy Roy retired from playing at the end of the season.
11.
Willy Roy earned his second cap nine days later in a tie with Honduras which ended the US attempt to qualify for the 1966 World Cup.
12.
Willy Roy enjoyed relative success with the national team in 1968.
13.
In 1972, Willy Roy played four games with the national team, all 1974 World Cup qualifying matches.
14.
Willy Roy played five more games with the national team, all in 1973.
15.
In 1976, upon retiring from playing, Willy Roy became an assistant coach for Chicago Sting.
16.
Willy Roy spent two seasons in this position, before moving up to head coach in 1979.
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Willy Roy guided them to a division title, the league's best regular-season record, and into the finals, where they lost to the Edmonton Drillers, two games to none.
18.
Ryan later credited Willy Roy with being a strong influence on his development as a player and coach.
19.
Willy Roy was so intense and so determined that he brought that quality out in his players.
20.
Willy Roy was named the men's soccer head coach at Northern Illinois University on August 12,1987.
21.
In 1990, the Huskies had the Mid-Continent Conference's best record and Willy Roy was selected as the Mid-Con's Coach of the Year.
22.
In 1989, Willy Roy was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
23.
Willy Roy currently owns and helps his family run the Willy Roy Soccer Dome, an indoor soccer arena in Chicago, Now in his eighties, he continues to support the many players and leagues at the Soccer Dome.