Justin started playing soccer when he was four years old in the AYSO program. He played AYSO until he was eight years old and his talent was spotted one winter while playing on his local indoor team.  It was then that Justin and his family made the demanding commitment and joined the Vardar III soccer club. 

With Vardar, Justin led his team to four straight State Cup Championships. During his final year with Vardar, his team went on to win the Midwest Regional crown and finished 3rd in the nation. 

During his time with Vardar, Justin was also named a High School All-American.  He set the Holly High School record for "goals in a career" with 39 in just two seasons.  During his freshman year, he played for Vardar. In his senior year,Justin was named to the US U-17 National Team and lived in Bradenton, Florida at the IMG Academy.  This National Team was full of talent and finished 4th in the U-17 FIFA World Championships in New Zealand.  Some of Justin's teammates included:  Landon Donovan (L.A. Galaxy), DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Edinhoven), Bobby Convey (Reading), Kyle Beckerman (Colorado Rapids), Alex Yi (Dallas Burn), and Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege).

After graduating high school, Justin accepted a full scholarship to the University of Notre Dame where he had a very successful career (see below).  He graduated from Notre Dame in 2004 and was drafted by the Kansas City Wizards. He played for two seasons with Kansas City and was a part of a US Open Cup Championship and a trip to MLS Cup 05, eventually losing to DC United.