Background
Bandov was born in Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bandov was born in Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He attended Silver Creek High School in San Jose, California, where he played on the school"s boys soccer team After graduating from high school, he briefly attended San Jose State, playing on the school’s football team as a kicker.
Bandov spent ten seasons in the North American Soccer League, two in the Major Indoor Soccer League and one in the United Soccer League. While born in Yugoslavia, he became a United States. citizen in 1976. He earned thirty-three caps, scoring two goals, with the United States. national team between 1976 and 1983.
In 1972, he led the team to California"s Central Coast Section high school championship game, which the team lost to Archbishop Mitty High School.
His longest was a 52-yard field goal in a game against California Bandov began his professional United States. soccer career with the San Jose Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League on May 5, 1974.
He played two seasons with the Earthquakes as a forward/midfield winger before moving to the Seattle Sounders after the 1975 season. He spent most of 1976 on the Sounders reserve team, only making the first team after midfield winger Jimmy Robertson suffered a broken leg from a brutal tackle from Julio Navarro in a July 24, 1976 game against the Philadelphia Atoms.
Bandov played 5 games with the Sounders at the start of the 1977 season before moving to the Tampa Bay Rowdies for the remainder of the season.
Though he saw limited playing time in just under two seasons in Tampa Bay, he was a reserve in the Rowdies" 3–1 loss to the Cosmos in Soccer Bowl "78. In 1979 Bandov moved to the New York Cosmos. He played with them through the end of the 1982 season, including the two NASL championship teams of 1980 and 1982 as well as the 1981 NASL championship loss to the Chicago Sting.
In 1983, the United States. Soccer Federation, in coordination with the NASL, entered the United States. national team, known as Team America, into the NASL as a league franchise.
The team drew on United States. citizens playing in the NASL, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Soccer League. In April 1983, Team America announced it had signed Bandov from the Cosmos on a game by game basis.
He played 21 games with the team during its single season in existence. When Team America finished the 1983 season with a 10-20 record, the worst in the NASL, USSF withdrew the team from the league.
Bandov returned to the Cosmos, but was released on November 16, 1983 when Bandov refused to agree to a 20% pay cut.
In 1984, Bandov moved to the Fort Lauderdale Sun of the United Soccer League. He continued to play for the Suns in 1985. He coaches for the Football Club Westchester U-17 boys and at various soccer camps and clinics.
Bandov began his national team career with a bang, scoring the tying goal.
He went on to start every national team game in 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979. In 1980, his appearances began to taper off, but he still played the only United States. games in 1982 and 1983.
In 1988, he was hired as an assistant soccer coach with Manhattan College.