Home » FAQ

FAQ

United Soccer Coaches Member Number

How can I find my Membership Number?

Your United Soccer Coaches membership number is an important piece of information. It helps us keep track of your status as a current United Soccer Coaches member, and it’s also used to be eligible for United Soccer Coaches member discounts and in the nomination process for various awards.

While your United Soccer Coaches membership card is the primary location to find your number, there is a handy fall-back if you’ve misplaced your card. Find your most recent copy of Soccer Journal and look at the mailing label. On the line directly above your name, a number is printed. That’s your United Soccer Coaches membership number.

If you can’t locate a recent issue of the Journal, you can always email a request to info@unitedsoccercoaches.org.

Coaches Seeking Employment in the U.S.

I would like to coach in the United States. How can I find a Job?

United Soccer Coaches receives a number of emails from foreign coaches who are interested in exploring a career as a coach in the United States. We recommend that such candidates monitor two different web sites: the United Soccer Coaches Job Listings page and The Market on the NCAA web site.

The United Soccer Coaches Job Listings page features positions at all levels of the game, from youth clubs to high school and college positions. It can be reached by clicking on the link at the top right of every page on unitedsoccercoaches.org.

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is the largest governing association for intercollegiate sports in the United States. One section of its web site, The Market, features job listings for a full range of coaching and administrative positions at member schools. To access The Market, go to www.ncaa.org. The National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) also has a jobs page on it site (www.naia.org). Once there, click on the “Employment” button in the upper right corner of the page and follow the links to The Market.

What type of license do I need to coach in the United States?

It depends on the type of position you are applying for and the requirements of the employer.  Most schools and clubs will be looking for appropriate academic education and some upper-level coaching courses. United Soccer Coaches does offer coaching education courses for all levels of the game.  Refer to our website for additional course information.

About the United Soccer Coaches College National Rankings

How are schools chosen for the national rankings?

United Soccer Coaches separates the country into regions based on the regions set forth by the NCAA or other governing bodies. These regions may consist of one state or several states. The Regional Chair relies on coaches in his or her region to report scores to them. The Chair also can refer to the College Soccer Scoreboard for the latest results from top schools in his or her region. The Regional Chairs then take those results into a regional conference call to determine a top 10 listing. Only coaches can vote on the poll, both regionally and nationally. The national polls are determined through a conference call as well.

How would a team be recognized or nominated for the list?

A team is usually nominated by someone in the region (another coach, the coach himself/herself, the sports information director, etc.)

What are the criteria to be ranked?

No team with less than a .750 winning percentage to be considered for a ranking. In figuring winning percentage, a tie shall count as a half win, half loss.

Is it only members of your association that are ranked?

To be eligible for consideration in the United Soccer Coaches College Rankings, the school must be a member of United Soccer Coaches College Services program. To find out if your school is a current United Soccer Coaches College Services member, click here and follow the links to the current membership list for the appropriate gender and competition level.

How do I find out who the Regional Chair for my area is?

A complete list of the Regional Chairs for the United Soccer Coaches College Rankings is available here.

Some of the schools in the Men's Division I rankings seem to be out of place in a certain region. Why is that?

The NCAA Men’s Division I regions have undergone realignment for the 2007 season based upon changes recommended by the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee. These changes are based upon the shifting landscape of conference alignment, which, in many cases took effect in 2005-06 and will continue beyond this season. Ideally, the Committee would have kept all conference members intact within a single region. However, because of the geographical distances of some conferences, this was not always feasible. For the most part, conferences are assigned intact to a particular region. Out of 23 NCAA pision I conferences, 20 are kept intact within a specified region. Only the Atlantic Coast Conference (included in two separate regions), Big East Conference (two regions) and Conference USA (two regions) were not kept intact. The overriding philosophy the committee utilized was that if a majority of a team’s overall number of games are played within the conference, then all conference members would continue to be assigned geographically, meaning they are playing the majority of their games in that region, which could be a combination of conference and non-conference games. The purpose of realignment is for evaluation only. There is not a minimum or maximum number of teams that will be selected from each region for the pision I Men’s Soccer Championship. Once the conference automatic qualifiers have been determined, the remainder of the 48-team championship field is selected according to established criteria without regard to conference or regional affiliation.

About the United Soccer Coaches High School National Rankings

How are the schools chosen for ranking and who (coaches, media, etc.) votes for the rankings?

The United Soccer Coaches separate the country into regions. These regions may consist of one state or several states, depending upon the number of schools playing in each state. The Regional Chair makes contacts in each section (North, South, East and West) of all the states in his or her region. From those contacts, teams are nominated to appear in the regional and national rankings. All members of the committee and regional contacts are high school coaches or involved with the schools (i.e., athletic directors at the high schools).

How would a team be recognized or nominated for the list?

A team is usually nominated by someone in the region (another coach, the coach him/herself, etc.).

What are the criteria for being ranked?
  1. No team with less than a .750 winning percentage will be considered for a ranking. In figuring winning percentage, a tie shall count as a half win, half loss.
  2. Institutions which are not a member of a governing high school athletics and activities association or are not a member in “good standing” due to violations, suspensions or other disciplinary action are not eligible for the NSCAA High School rankings.
  3. Institutions which allow the participation of postgraduate students (fifth-year players) on the varsity program against any outside competition are not eligible.
  4. Any contest played during the regular state-sanctioned playing dates against insterscholastic or touring competition will count against that school’s won-lost-tied record.
  5. When compiling his or her ballot, each committee member must honor the regional ranking order of the other committee members. Example: A rater may rank a number two team from one region over a number one team from another region, but may not rank a number two team over a number one team from the same region.
  6. In addition to the above listed criteria, the committee should consider the following factors in compiling their national ranking:
    1. Overall win-loss percentage;
    2. Strength of schedule;
    3. Traditional strength of league, state and/or region;
    4. Inter-regional results;
    5. Other pertinent information such as top player, state playoff results, etc.
How do I find out who the Regional Chair for my area is?

A complete list of the Regional Chairs for the Fall, Winter and Spring rankings is available here.

Is it only members of your association that are ranked?

To appear in the rankings, neither the coach nor the school need to be members of the United Soccer Coaches. There are three ranking seasons (fall, winter and spring) and as long as a school participates and following the United Soccer Coaches High School Ranking Guidelines and Procedures, it is eligible for the rankings.

How would a team be recognized or nominated for the list?

A team is usually nominated by someone in the region (another coach, the coach him/herself, etc.).

Would a team that places second in the state tournament qualify for ranking?

At various times, a second and even third place team from some states appear in the National ranking. But, one thing to consider is that the fall ranking committee has either six or eight (depending on gender) regions, with some of those regions have six or more states. Using only the state champion from that region from each state, you would have a regional top six. Therefore, a second place team would likely not make the National ranking but could be listed regionally.

Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities with the United Soccer Coaches

I have a product/service that I would like to make United Soccer Coaches members aware of. What opportunities does the association offer to help me market my product?

The United Soccer Coaches offer several ways to reach its membership, including advertising on our website and in Soccer Journal, the Official Magazine of the United SOccer Coaches. To explore marketing opportunities with the association, please visit the Advertising Opportunities page.

College Soccer

I want to play college soccer. Can United Soccer Coaches help?

Although the United Soccer Coaches’ roots are as a college coaches organization and we have an extensive awards and rankings program, we are not involved in connecting potential players with schools. There are several services and other resources that can assist players interested in exploring a college career.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) offers links to the web sites of all member institutions that sponsor soccer as a varsity sport. Go to www.ncaa.org for a one-stop location that covers a broad range of information for prospective student-athletes.

The National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is another governing body for intercollegiate sports in the United States. Its web site is www.naia.org. Other national collegiate organizations include the National Junior College Athletic Association (www.njcaa.org) and the National Christian College Athletic Association (www.thenccaa.org). Each of these associations works with the United Soccer Coaches to recognize All-America teams in soccer.

Foreign Players

I want to play soccer in the United States. Can United Soccer Coaches help?

The United Soccer Coaches receive  a number of emails each week from players outside the United States who would like to play in America. Some are asking for assistance in finding a team, while others mistakenly send inquiries thinking the United Soccer Coaches is an active club.

The United Soccer Coaches does not field a team and cannot offer referrals to clubs within the United States. We recommend that you utilize Internet search engines such as Google to identify clubs and contact them directly.

United Soccer Coaches Coaching Eduction Program

What is the difference between United Soccer Coaches' coaching education program and the one offered by US Soccer?

United Soccer Coaches is a non-profit association of soccer coaches at every level of the game. It conducts educational offerings through our coaching academy program.  Our courses are called “diploma programs” and are intended to be information oriented. The US Soccer is the governing body for soccer in the United States. It is affiliated with FIFA and offers coaching certification courses that lead to coaching licenses. View the United Soccer Coaches Course offerings here.

What course do I qualify for?

It depends on such things as your coaching and playing background and previous coaching education or certification courses completed. Our Development courses (4v4, 7v7 & 9v9, 11v11) do not have prerequisites. The upper-level courses require a combination of experience and previous education. See the United Soccer Coaches Residential Academy section on our website for additional information.

I have played professionally, can I take the Advanced National Diploma course?

Acceptance into the course requires a United Soccer Coaches National Diploma, the US Soccer “C” license or an English UEFA “C” license. A minimum of 10 years of coaching experience at an appropriate level also is suggested. There are no exceptions made for playing or coaching experience at any level.

I played overseas (licenses overseas) what do I qualify for?

Playing experience overseas does not get you into a course any higher than the National Diploma. The UEFA “C” License allows you to skip the National Diploma and start with the Advanced National Diploma, while the UEFA “A’”allows you to apply for the Premier Diploma.

Where are the courses nearest me?

All of our Development, Goalkeeping and Youth level courses are scheduled on an on-demand basis throughout the country. Please check our website for a listing of all courses currently scheduled.

How much does it cost to attend a United Soccer Coaches course?

The Residential Course fee structure is published in the Coaching Education section of this website.

What are the differences between resident and commuter?

Resident fees include six nights lodging and meals.  Commuter fees do not include lodging but do include meals at the academy site.

Can I take the Advanced National Diploma without taking the National?

Only if you have earned either the US Soccer “C” License or the UEFA “C” License.

I couldn’t find the application on the website – where is it?

Click on the Course Listings button on the homepage. Then click on the course you wish to attend and there will be a link for the Application Form under the specific course listing.

What will be covered during these courses?

It depends on which course you are taking.  Please refer to the course synopsis posted on our website for more specific information about each course.

Can I fax in my academy application?

Yes, you can fax your application to our office as long as your application is complete and the minimum $200 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is included. If you don’t feel comfortable faxing in your credit card information you can call our office after you have faxed your form or you can mail your application in with a check.

What’s the difference between the National and the Advanced National Diploma?

The courses are intended to be progressive. The National course covers technical and tactical knowledge using the 6 vs. 6 model of teaching. The Advanced National course has a focus on working with the advanced player within a team concept and technical and tactical knowledge using the 8 vs. 8 model for teaching.

What is the nearest airport to the course I've registered for?

There is a specific course information sheet posted online for each of our academy courses.  This sheet outlines the nearest airports to each site and an approximate distance to the site.

What are the dates and locations for up coming courses?

Please refer to UnitedSoccerCoaches.org for up-to-date listings of all courses.

Do the course fees include my annual dues?

If you are not and have not been a member of United Soccer Coaches prior to taking a Development course, you are given a six month introductory membership once you take your first course.  A one year membership is also given to anyone who registers for a Residential course as a non-member.

What is the deadline for registering for a Residential course?

We accept applications until the course is full.  There is a $200 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit required with each course application.  If space is still available and you register less than 30 days prior to the start of the course, full payment is required with your application.

Refund Policy

Visit our Refund Policy page for information on requesting a refund for your membership dues, Coaching Academy fees or Convention fees.