Yura Movsisyan was born 2 August 1987 in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, to an Armenian family of parents Sergey Movsisyan and Aida Sahakyan and brothers Movses and Hovhannes. His family left for the United States between late 1991 and early 1992 due to the Pogrom of Armenians in Baku, settling in the Los Angeles area, where there is a large Armenian community. Movsisyan attended Pasadena High School, and played a year of college soccer at Pasadena City College before being discovered by MLS scouts prior to the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. He stated that his football idol was Thierry Henry.