MSC Director of Coaching TR Stoneback and Technical Director Troy Letherman, pictured above with Alf Galustian and Charlie Cooke of Coerver Coaching, and Coerver Senior Staff Coach Katie Miyake, traveled to St. Louis, MO, in January to take part in the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of American Convention.

Each year the convention draws thousands of soccer coaches from across the United States and beyond, offering numerous professional-advancement seminars and field demonstrations, as well as several opportunities for interaction with many of the top coaches in the country. In addition , virtually every manufacturer in the soccer industry descends upon the convention to showcase their newest products.

Beyond the NSCAA activities, the MSC coaches attended the annual Coerver® Coaching meetings and field-training session. Alfred Galustian, International Director of Coerver® Coaching, and Charlie Cooke, Director of Coerver® Coaching USA, led off the day with presentations over breakfast. Galustian has worked with professional clubs in over 29 countries, including leading youth-development programs among such notable clubs as Arsenal FC, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and AC Milan. He’s also been directly involved in the technical direction of several national federations, most notably the French and Japanese Football Federations. Cooke, of course, is a former Scotland international who enjoyed a long career at the highest level, including being an integral part of the cup-winning Chelsea sides of the early 1970s.

All told, the Coerver® meetings included several presentations on improving the product for the next generation of young American players, as well as field-training sessions where various coaches shared new and improved ideas on instilling the curriculum.

Other NSCAA presentations attended by MSC directors included "The Influence of Technical Work on Tactical Development" (Jorge Barcellos, Head Coach, Brazil Women’s National Team); "Technical, Tactical and Psychological Training in Small Spaces" (Enrique Hrabina, Assistant Director of Coaching, Argentine Coaches Association); "Second Attacker: The Player Who Really Makes Your Offense Tick" (Sam Snow, US Youth Soccer Director of Coaching); "Coaching Matches and the Interaction of Coach and Player" (Hans Schrijver, Holland U21 Head Coach).