Bill Lanza

Bill Lanza (Player) - Inducted 2019

Bill Lanza began playing soccer as a youth player for Prince William Soccer Inc. He was very fortunate to have three great youth coaches that inspired a love for the game.  Bill Lanza Sr., Earl McEachron, and Ken Krieger were his travel team coaches through his youth playing days. The travel teams competed at the state and regional levels. In High School Bill was a Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year, Parade All-America, a USSF All-America and Washington Post All-Met.  Billy was a member of the Virginia ODP, Region I ODP, and was selected for the United States U-18, U-20, and US-23 National Teams. Bill was a member the US U-20 National Team that competed in the U20 World Cup in Melbourne, Australia in 1993. During his tenure with the ODP programs Bill had the opportunity to be coached again by many great coaches including Manny Schellscheidt, Bob Bradley, Gordon Bradley, Bobby Howe, Tony Di Ciccio and Glenn Myernick. He attended the University of Notre Dame to play for Coach Mike Berticelli on a full athletic scholarship. He had the opportunity to play a fifth season with the University of Virginia and Coach George Gelnovatch as a postgraduate student, since he had red shirted a year. After Bill stopped playing competitively he continued to coach the youth of Virginia.  His goal as a coach has always been to inspire players, as his youth coaches had done for him. He began coaching youth teams with Prince William Soccer and Stafford Soccer. He is former Technical Director of Coaching at Fauquier County Soccer Club and Northern Virginia Soccer Club. He currently resides in Fredericksburg coaching at Commonwealth Futbol Club and continues to coach both boys and girls and serves as a soccer role model for the soccer youth of Virginia.