Bill Andracki
Encyclopedia
Bill Andracki is a retired American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 soccer goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...

 who had an extensive professional career playing both indoor and outdoor soccer.

Youth

In 1988 and 1989, Andracki attended Mercer County Community College
Mercer County Community College
Mercer County Community College is an accredited, co-educational, two-year, public, community college located in Mercer County, New Jersey. The school's current president is Dr. Patricia C. Donohue...

, playing on the men's soccer team. He was a 1988 NJCAA First Team All American and was a member of the 1989 Junior College National Championship. He is a member of the Mercer County Community College Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. In 1990, he transferred to Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...

 where he was a two year starter on the men's soccer team. In 1990, Rutgers finished runners up to the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...

 in the NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship. In 1991, Andracki was a Third Team All American.

Professional

In 1992, Andracki turned professional with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the American Professional Soccer League
American Professional Soccer League
The American Professional Soccer League is a former professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. It was the first outdoor soccer league to feature teams from throughout the United States since the demise of the original North American Soccer League...

. He was selected as the 1992 First Team Goalkeeper  In addition to his outdoor career, Andracki spent several seasons playing indoor soccer. In September 1992, the Milwaukee Wave
Milwaukee Wave
The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Founded in 1984 they are the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in North Americaand a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League....

 selected Andracki in the first round (ninth overall) of the National Professional Soccer League draft. A month later, the Wave traded Andracki, Tim Bartro and Mark Kerlin
Mark Kerlin
Mark Kerlin is a retired U.S. soccer forward who spent most of his career in indoor leagues. He also played one season in the Western Soccer League and two in the American Professional Soccer League....

 to the Cleveland Crunch
Cleveland Crunch
The Cleveland Crunch was formed in 1989 as an expansion team in the Major Soccer League to replace the Cleveland Force, which had folded on July 22, 1988. Akron businessmen George S. Hoffman and Stuart Lichter formed an ownership group, named Al Miller general manager and former Force star Kai...

 in exchange for David Vaudreuil
David Vaudreuil
David Vaudreuil is a retired U.S. soccer player whose career spanned fifteen teams in over six leagues including seven seasons in Major League Soccer...

. Andracki spent thee seasons with the Crunch, winning the 1994 NPSL championship with them. When the Rowdies folded following the 1993 season, Andracki moved to the Atlanta Magic
Atlanta Magic
The Atlanta Magic were a soccer club that competed in the USISL from 1991 to 1996. The club originally started in 1991/92 in the indoor USISL league. They played in the 1992 USISL outdoor season as the Atlanta Datagraphic Magic, and the 1993 USISL outdoor season as the Atlanta Lasers...

 of the USISL mid way through the 1994 season. In 1995, he moved to the Atlanta Ruckus of the A-League
A-League (1995–2004)
The A-League was a professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. The A-League emerged out of the restructured American Professional Soccer League in 1995 and operated until 2004, after which it was re-branded the USL First Division...

. In June 1995, the Tampa Bay Terror
Tampa Bay Terror
The Tampa Bay Terror were an indoor soccer team based in Tampa Bay, Florida that competed in the defunct National Professional Soccer League . The team existed for two seasons before folding: 1995-1996 and 1996-1997. The team's home games were held at the Bayfront Center. The two season that the...

 selected Andracki in the NPSL Expansion Draft. He spent most of the season with the Terror, then was traded to the Chicago Power
Chicago Power
The Chicago Power were an indoor soccer club based in Chicago, Illinois that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association and National Professional Soccer League.After the 1995/96 season, the team became the Edmonton Drillers.-Year-by-year:...

 in exchange for Stewart Dobson in March 1996. He played no games for the Power. In the spring of 1996, Andracki signed with the Rochester Rhinos of the A-League. He would remain with the Rhinos until 2000. In 1996, the Rhinos went to the A-League finals where Andracki played most of the first half before suffering facial injuries when he hit the goalpost with his face saving a shot. Despite the injuries, Andracki returned on October 30, 1996 as the Rhinos fell to D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...

 in the 1996 U.S. Open Cup
1996 U.S. Open Cup
- First Round :* El Paso Patriots 3-0 RWB Adria * Carolina Dynamo 5-0 Mo's Sport Shop * Fort Myers Manatees 6-0 St...

 championship game. In the fall of 1996, he signed with the Philadelphia KiXX
Philadelphia KiXX
The Philadelphia KiXX were a professional indoor soccer team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Founded in 1995 as an NPSL expansion franchise, they played in the Major Indoor Soccer League.The team colors were red, black, white, and blue...

 of the NPSL. In 1997, he moved to the Buffalo Blizzard
Buffalo Blizzard
The Buffalo Blizzard was an indoor soccer team based in Buffalo, New York. The team was a member of the now defunct NPSL from 1992 to 2001. From 1992-1996, the team played at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, and they moved to HSBC Arena in 1996 where they played until 2001.The team was originally...

. He spent two seasons with the Blizzard. In May 1998, the Rhinos loaned Andracki to the MetroStars
Metrostars
Metrostar may refer to:*New York Red Bulls, formerly called the "MetroStars", a soccer team from New York*Manila Metro Rail Transit System, popularly called "The Metrostar Express", a part of the metropolitan rail system in Manila...

 of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

 when Tim Howard
Tim Howard
Timothy Matthew Howard is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Everton and the United States national team....

 left briefly to play for the United States U-20 men's national soccer team
United States U-20 men's national soccer team
The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is the national under-20 soccer team of the United States of America and is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years.The...

. In September, the Rhinos again loaned out Andracki, this time to the Miami Fusion
Miami Fusion
Miami Fusion F.C. was a professional soccer club located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1998 to 2001. The club played in Lockhart Stadium, which was a former high school stadium converted into a soccer-specific stadium...

 where he played in 1-0 loss to the Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...

 on September 10, 1998. In 2001, Andracki moved to the Atlanta Silverbacks
Atlanta Silverbacks
Atlanta Silverbacks is an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, having previously sat out the 2009 and 2010 seasons while the ownership...

 on loan but was back with Rochester later in the season.

External links

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