United States National Team alum, Olympian, National Soccer Hall of Famer, and National Soccer Coaches Association of America Hall of Famer Harry Keough passed away on Tuesday morning. Keough was 84, a member of the 1950 USA World Cup team that beat England. He was also the architect of the St. Louis University soccer dynasty, leading them to five NCAA championships starting in 1967.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America is holding two upcoming coaching courses in Fond du Lac.

The Youth Level II Diploma course, a class intended for those new to coaching young players, is scheduled for April 22. The High School Coaches Diploma course, which is focused on issues and responsibilities unique to prep soccer, is set for July 27 to 29.

Ian Barker has been a star in soccer coaching education here in the United States, and yesterday was offered the ultimate opportunity in that arena when he was selected as the Director of Coaching Education for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
"Ian is the perfect choice to lead the NSCAA's coaching education program to new heights," said Cummings.

A name familiar to the Minnesotan soccer community has been appointed to the top coaching position with the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America). Ian Barker, former MYSA Director of Coaching and currently Region II US ODP Assistant Head Coach and Macalaster College Men's head coach has been named Director of Coaching for the [.

Ian Barker, who spent nine seasons as an assistant in the University of Wisconsin men's program, resigned as the coach at Macalester (Minn.) on Tuesday to become the director of coaching education for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Barker was on assistant on coach Jim Launder's staff at UW from 1989 to '97, helping the Badgers earn four NCAA tournament berths – including the 1995 national championship.

The Milwaukee Marquette boys soccer team took on all comers last fall and was nearly perfect, finishing 24-0-1 against a schedule that included top teams from California, Washington, D.C., Missouri, Indiana and Illinois in addition to Wisconsin competition.

The Hilltoppers didn't win a mythical national title – they ended up third in the ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50 and fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll – but their performance led a major honor for their coach.

du Nord spent two great days last week in Kansas City attending the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention and the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
It was filled with fun, frolicking, food, fantasy, fast cars, fast women (not nearly enough), french fries, famous players, a funky monkey, fruit plates, flaun, freaky beards, finely tuned speeches, frumpiness, factotums, flora & fauna, fajitas, fabulous lawns, firm handshakes, fake smiles, fake boobs, fantasmagorical nightlife, flibbertigibbets, florescent lighting, ferrets, fission, fusion, fashion, fabulous frickin barbeque, fat fucks, fine fine music, and more futbol fanaticos then you could ever hope to find in one place!

Where's Waldo? The question should instead be, Where isn't he?

Former US international and current Fox Soccer broadcaster Eric Wynalda may be called many things, but one of them is definitely not "shrinking violet." Wynalda, at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

Fort Lewis College head men's soccer coach Oige Kennedy was named the 2011 NSCAA/MONDO National Coach of the Year for NCAA Division II, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America announced last week at its annual convention and awards banquet.

"Recognition by your peers is always special," said FLC Director of Athletics Gary Hunter.

David Nikolic, a Milwaukee native who spent 18 years in the UW-Milwaukee program, was named the Great Lakes Region women's assistant coach of the year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Nickolic and head coach Michael Moynihan left the Panthers last month to take the same positions at Northwestern.

Duke standout Andrew Wenger and Stanford senior Teresa Noyola were named winners of the Hermann Trophy on Saturday in recognition of being the top players in Division I NCAA soccer.

Wenger, who signed a Generation Adidas contract after a stellar junior year at Duke, led the ACC with 17 goals and eight assists.

Dr. Thomas Fleck, an icon in youth soccer coaching education, passed away on Saturday, December 24, at the age of 74.
A 40-year member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Fleck served as president of the NSCAA for two years (1984-85), Fleck was instrumental in the establishment of the NSCAA Academies, the association's soccer coaching education division.

Seniors Logan Andryk and Patrick Hodan, who helped lead Milwaukee Marquette to its second consecutive WIAA Division 1 state title, were among 33 players named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Boys High School Scholar All-America team.

Andryk, a midfielder, had six goals and nine assists as the Hilltoppers (24-0-1) finished the season ranked third in the country by ESPNHS and fourth by the NSCAA.

Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) earned one of the most prestigious awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

The Creighton senior forward, a consensus All-American who was the leading scorer for the NCAA College Cup semifinalist Blue Jays, was named the NSCAA men's Collegiate Scholar Athlete of the Year.

UW-Whitewater senior forward Kevin Kron was honored as the Offensive Player of the Year and UW-Oshkosh senior defender Will Chaney (Cedarburg) took the defensive award on the NCAA Division III men's All-Wisconsin State team, selected by the state's National Soccer Coaches Association of America members.

Senior forward Kevin Kron, the leading scorer for the UW-Whitewater men's soccer team, and Carleton (Minn.) senior midfielder Ryan Cammarota (Neenah) were first-team selections on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America NCAA Division III All-North Region team.

Kron had 10 goals and three assists in 19 matches for the Warhawks, who won their third Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in as many years, and was the WIAC Offensive Player of the Year.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Two Virginia women's soccer players were named All-Americans as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) announced its 2011 awards on Friday. Freshman midfielder Morgan Brian (St. Simons Island, Ga.) was named a first-team All-American and junior forward Caroline Miller (Rockville, Md.

Reisterstown, Md. – The Washington Area Girls Soccer League is proud to announce that its annual showcase event, the WAGS Rael Vodicka Memorial Tournament, will join the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's showcase series starting in 2012.
A 36‐year‐old event which takes place in the Washington, D.

Creighton senior forward Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) collected another All-American honor, while Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace added his first.

Finlay was a first-team choice and Mallace made the second team of the College Soccer News team.

On Friday, Finlay was named to the top team of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America NCAA Division I men's All-America team and was announced as one of three finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, awarded to the country's top player.

Milwaukee Marquette senior forward Patrick Hodan and former Sugar River midfielder Hannah Kernen, the Wisconsin prep boys and girls players of the year for 2011, were named high school All-Americans by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Hodan, a Notre Dame recruit, and Kernen, who recently completed her freshman season at UW-Green Bay, also led the state contingent on the All-Region V team.

Eclipse Select Communications
CHICAGO -- Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and Lee University sophomore midfielder Leah Fortune (West Chicago, Ill./Wheaton Academy) was named to the NAIA Women's All-America First Team, which was announced last week by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) had an incredible college soccer career, one that rates among the best in history for a former Wisconsin prep player.

The Creighton senior forward was named to the first team of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I All-America team, putting him in some pretty elite company.

The midfielders who made the the offenses go for the Marquette and University of Wisconsin men's soccer teams this fall were honored with spots on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Great Lakes Region team.

Golden Eagles senior Calum Mallace was a first-team selection on the regional team, while Badgers junior Tomislav Zadro made the second team.

UW-Milwaukee and Marquette each won conference titles, each advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament and each had four players named to National Soccer Coaches Association of America women's all-region teams.

The Panthers' trio of senior forward Sarah Hagen (Appleton North), senior midfielder Keara Thompson and junior goalkeeper Jamie Forbes were all first-team selections on the All-Great Lakes Region team, while junior midfielder Helen Steinhauser made the second team.

John Rennie, the noted men's coach at Duke University, and M. "Chick" Jacobus, the highly successful boys coach at Kingswood School of West Hartford, Conn., will comprise the 2012 induction class to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's Hall of Fame.
The two will be inducted into the NSCAA's Hall of Fame as part of the Association's annual Awards Banquet, to be held Friday, January 13, at 7 p.

One boy and two Minnesota girls made this years NSCAA All-American Teams. Eastview High Schools Matthew Gweh was the only Minnesotan to be named to this years National Soccer Coaches Association of America's (NSCAA) 2011 Boys High School All-America Team. The junior forward finished the season the top goal scorer in the MSHSL with 28 [.

Milwaukee Marquette, which went 24-0-1 en route to winning its second straight WIAA Division 1 state championship, finished the season in the top five in both national prep boys soccer rankings.

The Hilltoppers remained third in the ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50 rankings and fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll on Tuesday as both outlets released their final rankings of the fall season.

The annual NSCAA convention just got a lot more fun with the announcement that two MISL teams, The Comets and Wings, will play a match during the weekend long soccer convention taking place this year in Kansas City, MS.
The MISL put out the following press release regarding the NSCAA match:
The MISL's Missouri Comets will play their annual "Retro Game" honoring the area's rich indoor soccer history against the Wichita Wings at Sprint Center on January 14, 2012, during the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Annual Convention in Kansas City.

The annual NSCAA convention just got a lot more fun with the announcement that two MISL teams, The Comets and Wings, will play a match during the weekend long soccer convention taking place this year in Kansas City, MS.
The MISL put out the following press release regarding the NSCAA match:
The MISL's Missouri Comets will play their annual "Retro Game" honoring the area's rich indoor soccer history against the Wichita Wings at Sprint Center on January 14, 2012, during the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Annual Convention in Kansas City.

Milwaukee Marquette didn't lose last week, but the Hilltoppers fell in both major national prep boys soccer rankings.

Marquette traveled to California to play two nationally ranked sides, and rallied from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to tie Carmichael Jesuit 3-3 on Saturday. That came a day after the Hilltoppers came from behind to beat Granite Bay 2-1.

The wins keep coming and Milwaukee Marquette keeps moving up the national prep boys soccer rankings.

The Hilltoppers (16-0-0) inched up one spot to No. 2 in the ESPN RISE Fab 50 and rose two places to No. 4 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America rankings this week.

The University of Wisconsin men's soccer team was 4 minutes and 15 seconds away from seeing out a result that would have added credibility to its solid start to the season.

And had the Badgers been able to hold on for a draw against UC Irvine, the ninth-ranked team in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, UW coach John Trask wouldn't have left the McClimon Complex late Friday night still stewing over his team's untimely errors.

Wisconsin teams are making their marks on the NCAA Division I women's soccer scene early this season.

Marquette and UW-Milwaukee are ranked in all the national polls this week, while the University of Wisconsin is either ranked or receiving votes.

The Golden Eagles (5-1-0) dropped one spot to No.

After winning its first four matches of the season, the UW-Milwaukee women's soccer team is nationally ranked for the first time since 2008.

The Panthers jumped into several polls this week, checking in at No. 22 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll and the Our Game Magazine rankings and No.

Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) heads into his senior season with great expectations.

The Creighton forward was named to the College Soccer News Preseason All-America team for the second straight year.

Finlay was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and a semifinalist for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy last season, when he ranked seventh in the nation in goals (15) and points (34).

Taylor Arens (2015) and Caleb Collier (2013), Missouri S&T Miners

On the way to St Louis today (I'm officially a former resident of Springfield) I stopped by my alma mater in Rolla to catch the early evening practice for the Miner's. The squad, led by GLVC Coach of the Year Joe Ahearn, visits Springfield on Thursday evening for an exhibition match against the Missouri State Bears.

Colorado School of Mines and Regis University were each ranked in the top 25 men's NCAA Division II preseason poll.

The Orediggers and Rangers (No. 18) were the only RMAC men's teams included in the preseason ranks.

Mines men's soccer team ranked ninth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II Pre-Season Poll.

Big East Conference women's soccer coaches picked West Virginia to finish ahead of Marquette in the American Division this season.

But the voters on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll like the Golden Eagles just a little bit more than the Mountaineers.

Marquette, coming off a 16-5-3 season in which they won all 11 of their conference regular-season matches, is 12th in the NSCAA preseason poll, one spot ahead of West Virginia.

STARTERS
Egypt wants Bob Bradley to be their new head coach.
dN
Reports say Jesse Marsch is going to be the new head coach of the Montreal Impact. Don't know yet when he would take over, now, or after current season.
dN
Kitsap Pumas beat Laredo Heat 1-0 to win the 2011 USL PDL championship.

As new head coach Jurgen Klinsmann mentioned in his opening press conference, he is planning on bringing in a variety of different coaches for the next few months before settling on his future staff. Here's a brief intro to the first crew:
Martin Vasquez - Vasquez re-unites with Klinsmann after serving as an assistant coach at Bayern Munich.