Greg Vanney

High school and college

Vanney played soccer for Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona, and led the team to three consecutive state championship titles in 1990, 1991, and 1992. Vanney holds the school record for most assists by one player in a season with 13 for the 1990–1991 season, and also holds the school record for most goals by one player in a single season with 33 goals for the 1991–1992 season. He was also named the 5A player of the year for the 1991–1992 season, Gatorade Player of the Year, NSCAA and Parade All-America in 1992. Greg Vanney played college soccer for Florida International University in 1992, and for UCLA from 1993 to 1995. In 1995, Vanney was named All-America honorable mention and finished his senior season with 8 goals and 10 assists.

Professional

Vanney was drafted 17th overall in the 1996 MLS College Draft by the Los Angeles Galaxy. The team sent him on loan to the Sacramento Scorpions of USISL for three games at the beginning of the season where he netted three goals in three games including two game winners. Vanney played for the Galaxy for six years, from 1996 to 2001, and was consistently one of the best defenders in MLS, leading the Galaxy to three MLS Cup Finals and two CONCACAF Champion's Cup Finals. He was named to the MLS Best XI in both 2000 and 2001, and an MLS All-Star in 2001. After the 2001 MLS season, Vanney transferred to the French First Division club SC Bastia. In the first six months with Bastia,…

Early career

Vanney has more than 15 years experience in youth soccer: coaching, directing and consulting. He holds a USSF "A" Coaching License and has been actively involved with the U.S. Soccer Development Academy as a scout and other programming. Vanney co-founded Arizona Futbol Club, a youth soccer club, in 1997 using a business plan Vanney started as a class assignment while attending UCLA. The club was later merged into Sereno Soccer Club. Vanney was a member of the U.S. Soccer Education Staff that traveled to Spain in March 2010. Vanney was an Academy Director for Real Salt Lake from 2008 to 2011. Vanney and his staff, with the support of Grande Sports World and Real Salt Lake, established the first MLS Residential Academy in the United States in fewer than 8 months. The U-18 and U-16 boys teams began play in Fall 2010. Greg Vanney moved back to Arizona in 2008. For some time, he held two titles: (1.) Director of Soccer Operations at Grande Sports World in Casa Grande, Arizona and (2.) Director of the Real Salt Lake-Arizona Youth Academy. As Director of Soccer Operations, Vanney oversaw program and event development at the Grande Sports World facility featuring 8 professional quality fields; state-of-the-art 58,000 sq ft (5,400 m2) performance center with 4 stadium quality locker rooms; 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) weight room, physical therapy and 16 classrooms. In the first year, Vanney has help attract four professional teams (Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders…

Vanney is the uncle of LA Galaxy defender Eriq Zavaleta.