View source for Juli Veee

{{Short description|Former soccer player (born 1950)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Juli Veee
| image = Juli Veee 2005 by Patty Mooney.jpg
| upright = 
| caption = Veee in 2005
| full_name = Gyula Visnyei
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|2|22}}
| birth_place = [[Budapest]], Hungary
| height = 6 ft 1 in
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| youthyears1 = {{0}}{{0}}{{0}}{{0}}–1969
| youthclubs1 = [[Vasas SC|Vasas]]
| years1 = 1975
| years2 = 1976
| years3 = 1976
| years4 = 1976–1977
| years5 = 1977–1978
| years6 = 1978–1982
| years7 = 1979–1980
| years8 = 1981–1982
| years9 = 1982–1983
| years10 = 1983–1984
| years11 = 1984–1985
| years12 = 1985–1988
| clubs1 = [[Los Angeles Aztecs]]
| clubs2 = [[San Jose Earthquakes (NASL team)|San Jose Earthquakes]] ''(NASL indoor)''
| clubs3 = [[San Jose Earthquakes (NASL team)|San Jose Earthquakes]]
| clubs4 = [[Lierse S.K. (1906)|Lierse]]
| clubs5 = [[Standard Liège]]
| clubs6 = [[San Diego Sockers (NASL)|San Diego Sockers]]
| clubs7 = [[New York Arrows]] ''(MISL)''
| clubs8 = [[San Diego Sockers (NASL)|San Diego Sockers]] ''(NASL indoor)''
| clubs9 = [[San Diego Sockers (NASL)|San Diego Sockers]] ''(MISL)''
| clubs10 = [[San Diego Sockers (NASL)|San Diego Sockers]] ''(NASL indoor)''
| clubs11 = [[Las Vegas Americans]] ''(MISL)''
| clubs12 = [[San Diego Sockers (NASL)|San Diego Sockers]] ''(MISL)''
| caps1 = 20
| caps2 = 4
| caps3 = 13
| caps4 = 28
| caps5 = 19
| caps6 = 164
| caps7 = 26
| caps8 = 18
| caps9 = 37
| caps10 = 28
| caps11 = 39
| caps12 = 115
| goals1 = 6
| goals2 = 8
| goals3 = 0
| goals4 = 8
| goals5 = 5
| goals6 = 33
| goals7 = 29
| goals8 = 51
| goals9 = 57
| goals10 = 45
| goals11 = 50
| goals12 = 101
| nationalyears1 = 
| nationalteam1 = [[Hungary national under-21 football team|Hungary U-21]]
| nationalcaps1 = 
| nationalgoals1 = 
| nationalyears2 = 1976–1982
| nationalteam2 = [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]]
| nationalcaps2 = 4
| nationalgoals2 = 2
| manageryears1 = 2005–
| managerclubs1 = [[La Costa Canyon High School]]
}}
'''Juli Veee''' (born '''Gyula Visnyei'''; February 22, 1950) is a former professional [[soccer]] player who played as a [[forward (association football)|forward]]. Announced as "Double-deuce, triple-E, the one and only Juli Veee",<ref>[http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/Feb/17/sd-52-juli-veee-sockers Playful Juli Veee is Sockers' greatest]</ref> Veee experienced his greatest success as an [[Indoor soccer|indoor player]] with the [[San Diego Sockers (NASL)|San Diego Sockers]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Union-Tribune |first=Tom Krasovic {{!}} The San Diego |date=2024-06-01 |title=There's nothing quite like watching soccer with San Diego legend Juli Veee |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/06/01/theres-nothing-quite-like-watching-soccer-with-san-diego-legend-juli-veee/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brents |first=Phillip |date=2022-04-14 |title=Sockers of old inspire championship memories, new Socks catching up |url=https://www.thestarnews.com/sockers-of-old-inspire-championship-memories-new-socks-catching-up/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=www.thestarnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Born in Hungary, he earned four [[cap (sports)|caps]], scoring two goals, with the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States national team]].

==Early life==
Veee grew up impoverished in Budapest, Hungary. The [[communist]] government controlled nearly every aspect of a [[People's Republic of Hungary|Hungarian]]'s life and when Veee turned fifteen he was given a choice, pursue a career in [[table tennis]] or soccer.  He chose soccer.  Chafing under the restrictions of his homeland under a [[totalitarian]] regime, Veee defected when he was eighteen years old while on a tour of Western Europe with the Hungarian U-21 national team.  He began his professional career in France before moving to the United States.

==Club career==

===NASL===
In 1975, Veee moved to the U.S. where he signed with the [[Los Angeles Aztecs]] of the [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|North American Soccer League]].  That season, he played in nineteen games, scoring six goals.  He was traded to the [[San Jose Earthquakes (NASL team)|San Jose Earthquakes]] for the 1976 season.

At the completion of the 1976 NASL season, Veee moved to Belgium where he signed with First Division club Lierse. He spent one season with Lierse before moving to Standard Liège for the 1977–78 season. Veee returned to the NASL to play for the San Diego Sockers from 1978 to 1982. Veee was a fan favorite for the Sockers.

===NASL indoor===
Veee played for San Jose during the [[1976 NASL Indoor tournament|1976 indoor tournament]] and led the competition with eight goals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/V/Veee.Julie.htm|title=Players. Juli Veee|website=nasljerseys.com|access-date=9 April 2023}}</ref> A few years later the NASL started an indoor league, in which the Sockers participated in 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84. San Diego won the championship in the [[1981–82 NASL Indoor season|1981–82]] and [[1983–84 NASL Indoor season|1983–84]] seasons. Juli Veee was their star. He went on to play with the Sockers in the MISL. Overall, the Sockers won 10 indoor soccer championships (two in the NASL, and eight more in the MISL). Veee finished his career with the Sockers with 254 goals and 214 assists.

Veee was described in a 1984 [[Sports Illustrated]] article as a player "who would find it tough to hold a place on a European third-division side, [and who] recognizes that the simplistic indoor version suits his talents better than the grown-ups' game." In the same article Veee was quoted as stating, "tell the rest of the world to go on playing in the mud and rain...we'll get rich while staying clean. The future of American soccer is indoors."<ref>Gammon, Clive  [https://www.si.com/vault/1984/05/07/626590/the-nasl-its-alive-but-on-death-row "The NASL: It's Alive But On Death Row"], "Sports Illustrated", May 7, 1984. Retrieved on March 16, 2015.</ref>

===MISL===
Veee began his career in the [[Major Soccer League|Major Indoor Soccer League]] (MISL) with the [[New York Arrows]].  His greatest achievement in soccer probably came as he led the [[San Diego Sockers (NASL)|San Diego Sockers]] to five championships.  He was MVP three times.  He was the 1982–83 championship series MVP.  At the end of the 1984 season, the Sockers traded Veee to the [[Las Vegas Americans]] for whom he played a single season.  In 1985, he returned to the Sockers and finished his career with them in 1988.

==International career==
Veee earned four [[cap (sports)|caps]] with the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States national team]] after he became a U.S. citizen.  His first game with the national team came in an October 15, 1976 loss to [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]].  He scored his first national team goal five days later in a victory over [[Canada men's national soccer team|Canada]].  He played one more game in 1976, then did not earn another cap until his last one.  That came in the only game the U.S. played in 1982, a 2–1 victory over [[Trinidad and Tobago national football team|Trinidad]] on March 21, 1982.  Veee also scored his second national team goal in that game.

Veee was also a member of the United States team which qualified for the [[1980 Summer Olympics]].  While Veee scored a goal in the U.S. tie with [[Suriname national football team|Suriname]] which led to the U.S. qualifying for the games, [[Jimmy Carter|President Carter]] canceled the U.S. participation in those games as punishment for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Because [[FIFA]] does not recognize Olympic and Olympic qualifying matches as full internationals, these games are not included in Veee's national team statistics.

==Post-playing career==
After retiring in 1988, he became an artist and book collector,<ref name="artist">{{cite web |author1=Gary Hyvonen |title=Veee melds athletic past with artistic bent |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-veee-melds-athletic-past-with-artistic-bent-2004may21-story.html |website=San Diego Union Tribune |date=May 21, 2004 |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227180612/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-veee-melds-athletic-past-with-artistic-bent-2004may21-story.html |archive-date=27 December 2023}}</ref> although these did not provide enough income at the time for him to make a living. A local youth coach who knew Veee asked him to help out with the coach's team. In need of income, he agreed and quickly discovered that he loved second career as a coach. His coaching jobs began with club teams, including three years with the SDSC Surf club and two years with the Pegasus club {{citation needed|date=December 2023}}.

Veee would eventually become Director of Coaching for the Encinitas Soccer League. In 2005, became the head coach of the [[La Costa Canyon High School]] girls' soccer team. He decided to become a high school coach due to dissatisfaction with regression his club players experienced during the high school season.  Veee concluded that the low quality of high school soccer hurt his club and decided the best way to raise that quality was through his personal attention.<ref name="lcc">{{cite web |author1=Scott Bair |title=Sockers legend Veee to coach LCC|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-sockers-legend-veee-to-coach-lcc-2005oct20-story.html |website=San Diego Union-Tribune|date=October 20, 2005 |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227174345/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-sockers-legend-veee-to-coach-lcc-2005oct20-story.html |archive-date=27 December 2023}}</ref>

In 1994, he was commissioned to be the artist for the 1994 World Cup hosted by multiple cities across the United States. An exhibition including Veee's work titled "Soccerfest, A Magical World" was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center July 8–17, 1994.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

As an artist, Veee has produced hundreds of works, including a commissioned portrait of former California Governor and San Diego Mayor [[Pete Wilson]].<ref name="playful">{{cite web |author1=Tod Leonard |title=Playful Juli Veee is Sockers' greatest |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/the-52/sdut-sd-52-juli-veee-sockers-2014feb17-htmlstory.html |website=San Diego Union Tribune |date=September 5, 2016 |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524144912/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/the-52/sdut-sd-52-juli-veee-sockers-2014feb17-htmlstory.html |archive-date=24 May 2023}}</ref>

In 1997, the San Diego Breitbard Hall of Fame inducted Veee, the first soccer player so honored.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sandiegohistory.org/collections/sports/champs.htm|title=San Diego Hall of Champions|accessdate=9 April 2023|archive-date=April 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416182450/http://www.sandiegohistory.org/collections/sports/champs.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was also selected as an inaugural member of the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/other/popovics-success-earns-indoor-soccer-hall-of-fame-nod/article_db621736-01ae-11e1-b3ec-001a4bcf6878.html|title=Popovic's success earns Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame nod|author=Staff REPORT|website=STLtoday.com|date=October 28, 2011 |accessdate=9 April 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150711032207/http://www.sdvag.net/V_W/JuliV.htm Artist profile]
* [http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/02/07/sports/highschool/2606190831.txt Article about Veee's coaching]
* [http://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/V/Veee.Julie.htm NASL and MISL stats]

{{1980–81 NASL Indoor All-Stars}}
{{1981 NASL All-Stars}}
{{1981–82 NASL Indoor All-Stars}}
{{1982 NASL All-Stars}}
{{1983–84 NASL Indoor All-Stars}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Veee, Juli}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Lierse S.K. players]]
[[Category:Standard Liège players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium]]
[[Category:Belgian Pro League players]]
[[Category:Hungarian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Hungarian expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Hungarian men's footballers]]
[[Category:United States men's international soccer players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Aztecs players]]
[[Category:San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players]]
[[Category:San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) players]]
[[Category:Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players]]
[[Category:New York Arrows players]]
[[Category:Las Vegas Americans players]]
[[Category:San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) indoor players]]
[[Category:American soccer coaches]]
[[Category:Footballers from Budapest]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century Hungarian sportsmen]]