Bulldog Men’s Soccer Head Coach Ralph Perez Headlines Coaching Staff at NASL Combine
The North American Soccer League (NASL) recently announced that University of Redlands men's soccer Head Coach Ralph Perez will lead a group of experienced NCAA Division I collegiate soccer coaches at the annual NASL Player Combine, which is set to take place at UC Irvine from January 24-26, 2014.
Perez and the coaches will cast a watchful eye over approximately 60 elite domestic and international players who are being invited to the combine. Each player's goal will be to earn a place at a preseason training camp of an NASL team and ultimately sign a professional contract. The three days of evaluation include fitness testing, position drills, goalkeeper sessions, small-sided games, and full 11-v-11 matches.
Perez brings a wealth of soccer knowledge to the NASL Combine with more than 30 years of coaching experience, which include the last eight seasons at Redlands. In 1990, he served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men's National Team that qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 40 years. He also led the U.S. squad that placed fourth at the 1989 FIFA Under-20 World Championships. Previously, he worked as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New York-New Jersey Metro Stars from 1996 to 2003, and later served as the Director of Coaching and Youth Development from 2003 to 2005.
In 2012, Perez was honored as the recipient of the Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award. This exceptional award is considered to be the pinnacle of coaching honors in the United States.
During his eight years at the helm of the Maroon and Gray, Perez has accumulated a 123-34-13 overall record, while leading the Bulldogs to five Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championships and four trips to the NCAA Division III Championships. For Perez's complete coaching history and information, please visit his biography page.
In addition to Perez, the 2014 NASL Combine Coaching Staff includes Brian Quinn, Assistant Coach at the University of San Diego; George Kuntz, Head Coach at Cal State Fullerton; Chris Volk, Head Coach at UC Irvine; Terry Davila, Head Coach at Cal State Northridge; BJ Noble, Director of Soccer at Notre Dame De Namur University; Rich Ryerson, Head Coach at UNLV; and Juan Sanchez, Head Coach at Mt. San Antonio College.
This will be the fourth time that the NASL has held its combine, which has previously led to several players earning professional contracts, including Mark Anderson of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers who was a top-three goal-scorer during the 2012 NASL season.
The North American Soccer League is a professional soccer league established in the United States and Canada. The NASL member teams are: Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Indy Eleven, Minnesota United FC, New York Cosmos, Ottawa Fury FC, San Antonio Scorpions FC, and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Virginia Cavalry FC and clubs in Jacksonville and Oklahoma City will commence play in 2015. Coaches from each NASL team will be at the combine to evaluate each of the selected invitees.
For more information about the NASL, please visit www.NASL.com.
