Len Bilous

Len Bilous (born 11 June 1948) is a retired American soccer player and coach. He played in the American Soccer League and coached for three seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League where he was the 1979–80 MISL Coach of the Year.

Len Bilous
Personal information
Date of birth (1948-06-11) 11 June 1948
Place of birth Germany
Youth career
1967–1969 Temple Owls
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Philadelphia Spartans
1972 Delaware Wings
Managerial career
1975–1978 Quinnipiac University
1978–1979 Cincinnati Kids
1979–1980 Pittsburgh Spirit
1980–1981 Philadelphia Fever
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Born in Germany and raised in Venezuela, Bilous attended Temple University, where he played on the men's soccer team from 1967 to 1969.[1] After graduating from Temple, he played for the Delaware Wings in the American Soccer League. In 1972, he joined the Philadelphia Spartans.[2] Bilous got his coaching start coaching the Princeton University Men's Freshman team in 1973 and the following year was hired to coach the NCAA Division I Quinnipiac University soccer team.[3] In 1978, he was named the head coach of the newly established Cincinnati Kids of the Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1979 He became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Spirit and turned the team around after they had started 5-10.[4] He was named the MISL Coach of the Year along with Pat McBride. Although Bilous took the Spirit into the playoffs, the team faced financial difficulties and spent the 1980–81 season on hiatus.[5] In September 1980, Bilous moved to the Philadelphia Fever though was let go with five games remaining in the 1980–81 season.[6] After his MISL coaching career came to a close, Len founded the innovative Vision Training Soccer coaching methodology teaching players to scan the field and use visual communication to enable the best decisions and accelerate play.

In 2020 Len Bilous and TJ Kostecky, his business partner in Vision Training Soccer, were inducted into the Ukraine Sports Hall of Fame.

Yearly Awards

MISL Coach of the Year

  • 2020 Ukraine Sports Hall of Fame

References

  1. Len Bilous collegiate career Archived 16 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. The Year in American Soccer - 1972
  3. Quinnipiac Alumni
  4. 1979-1980 MISL
  5. Pittsburgh Spirit
  6. OUT OF PLAYOFFS, FEVER ROLLS, 11-7 Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) - Monday, 9 March 1981
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