Grella: Michael (Mike)

2009-Current (Player Details)

Striker

Born: Glen Cove, New York, USA: 23-01-1987

Debut v Huddersfield Town (a) (Substitute): 14-02-2009

5’11” 12st 2lb (2009)

Grella was born in in Glen Cove, New York and had a highly successful youth career. He was a 2003 and 2004 Parade Magazine High School All American soccer player and the 2004 NSCAA National High School Player of the Year for the Glen Cove Big Red. He led his club team, the Albertson Red Storm, to both the 2003 and 2004 USYSA National Championships and the Red Storm Academy to the 2004 Super Y-League Championship. Grella played college soccer for Duke University where he was a 2008 first team All American. During the 2006-07 collegiate off-season, he played for the Long Island Rough Riders in the Fourth Division USL Premier Development League. In 2008, he played for the Cary Rail Hawks Under-twenty-three team. In February 2009, he was drafted to Toronto FC. However, Grella decided against signing for the Canadian club, and instead tried his luck at playing in Europe. He went on trial with Leeds in January 2009, and scored a hat-trick for the club's Reserves in a 4-0 win over Barnsley on the 12th January 2009. Reserve-Team Manager Neil Thompson told the club website: "That's all you can do as a striker. He was tidy around the ball and his finishing was good. He's still a young lad. He's showed a good attitude in training, but strikers are there to score goals and he did that." He also scored a goal in a behind closed doors Friendly game, with news of a permanent deal pending. He signed a full-time contract for Leeds United on transfer deadline day, 2nd February 2009, until the end of the 2009–10 season. He made his Leeds debut on 14th February 2009, after coming on as a seventy-fourth minute substitute for Lee Trundle in a 1–0 defeat at Huddersfield Town and also came on as a fifty-ninth minute replacement for the same player in the next game at Hereford United. He had made eleven substitute appearances in the League and one in the play-offs by the end of the 2008-09 campaign. He made his run-on debut at Darlington on 10th August 2009 in the League Cup. Grella was given a new three year contract on 13th August 2009. He made his League run-on debut on 5th September 2009 at home to Stockport County and celebrated it with his first Leeds goal after nine minutes. He also scored in the 2-0 F.A.Cup win at Oldham Athletic on 24th November 2009 and twice in the 5-1 F.A. Cup win at home to Kettering Town on 8th December 2009. He also netted in the 3-2 Johnstone's Paint Trophy win at Carlisle United on 9th February 2010, however he was used primarily as a late impact player from the bench. He has represented the United States at both Under-Eighteen and Under-Twenty levels. He holds both U.S.A. and Italian passports.