The 2020 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Baltimore kicked off with a bang thanks to the NWSL Draft. The players were surrounded by loved ones and fans that were showing their excitement for these athletes to be drafted. It was amazing to see these 36 young women’s dreams of becoming a professional soccer player come true. After the draft, the convention continued to be an amazing event full of great lectures, training sessions, speakers, and coaches that truly make it a
Walsh University’s Andy Hoggarth shares his thoughts on the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Convention The City of Brotherly Love lived up to its reputation as once again the brotherhood of coaches from every level and every walk of life came together to learn, connect, and reconnect with the many different personalities in attendance at the United Soccer Coaches Convention. Those who are a part of the soccer world, but have not attended this event, are missing out on a massive opportunity
Photo Credit: Messiah College Athletics Daniel Visser is a name that you should get accustomed to hearing about. He is truly one of the country’s top up-and-coming young coaches. This isn’t just our opinion, but rather that of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), the world’s largest soccer coaches’ organization. Visser was part of the 30 Under 30 program announced by the NSCAA earlier this month. “Of course, I’m honored to have been chosen,” Visser commented. “But honestly, I’ve
In early July the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) announced 15 men and 15 women that would be involved with this year’s NSCAA 30 Under 30 program. Even though it didn’t make headlines, this was a really big moment in a busy summer of soccer. The NSCAA 30 Under 30 program is designed to give participants exposure to the Association’s membership and the opportunity to take advantage of educational offerings, such as diplomas and the NSCAA Convention. Launched in
Photo Credit: Brent Durken/ISNSoccer.com The 2015 NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia set the standard for all conventions moving forward. Appearances by the biggest names in the soccer world, including Pelé, Sir Alex Ferguson, Landon Donovan, and Raúl brought the event to an entirely different level. From Aaron McGuiness “Athletic Development – Performance and Prevention to Create a Better Soccer Playing Athlete” This was a presentation by Bill Knowles that gave the attendees an insight into what the Philadelphia Union are doing to
Billed as the “Soccer Party of the Year,” the 2014 National Soccer Coaches Association of America certainly lived up to its name. It provided many interesting learning avenues and as always a plethora of coaches who had not seen each other since the previous convention in Indianapolis or longer. Starting with the MLS SuperDraft on Wednesday, the convention got off to an exciting start with many young future professionals waiting to see where their careers would take them. A multitude of coaches and general managers could
The 2013 NSCAA Convention was a world-class event, bringing the biggest and best soccer minds to Indianapolis. It was an event full of firsts, but a signal of the end for others. The NWSL Draft put the new league on a strong footing, bringing young American collegiate stars into the fold. While the NWSL is just starting, the days of a MLS SuperDraft and MLS Combine may be coming to an end. The large number of talented Homegrown Players signed this year shows that the SuperDraft is becoming irrelevant, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
2012 MLS SuperDraft exposes the stretched coverage of college soccer It’s no wonder the national media was hard on Luke Holmes surrounding the 2012 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. They look at his stats from Notre Dame College and wonder how bad the competition must be … lets be serious he scored 24 goals as a junior and an NAIA best 29 as a sophomore. When you compare those stats to “only scoring” five goals in 16 games for the University of
This year’s NSCAA Convention in Kansas City was one of the most eventful in recent memory. The MLS SuperDraft featured one of the best draft classes in MLS history, while the WPS Draft took place in a cloud of uncertainty. The good news is that MLS is growing by leaps and bounds and WPS gets another season and another opportunity to be the best women’s league in the world. The Olympics should provide both leagues with
