- USSF A License, USSF Youth license and NSCAA Premier license.
- Masters in Education and in Athletic Administration
- Teacher & HS boys' soccer coach at Bloomington Jefferson since 1996
- Former Professional Men's Asst Coach, Minnesota Thunder
- Former Semi-Professional Women's Coach, Minnesota Lightning
- Former Region II ODP Staff Coach
- Has coached:
- 34 Current Division I Players
- 349 Players Who Played Collegiate Soccer
- 11 Youth National Team players
- 17 Minnesota Ms. or Mr. Soccer Award Recipients
- 18 Gatorade Players of the Year
- 16 NSCAA or USC HS All Americans
- Former Athletic Director, Jefferson High School
- 3 time ECNL Champions League Playoffs
- ECNL Midwest Division Champions
- Played D1 college soccer at UW-Green Bay and DIII at St Mary's
- Played high school soccer at Park Cottage Grove
- Caption of both college and high school teams.
- Has coached youth soccer in Minnesota since 2006
- 11 years of Boys High School coaching, JV boys and Varsity Assistant
- 4 years collegiate soccer player
- USSF Grassroots E/F.
- USSF D License in process.
- Former professional Goalkeeper for MN Strikers.
- Former GK Coach for MN Thunder professional team.
- Played for Team USA at the World University Games in Japan
- 4 year starter & captain at St John’s University
- McDonald’s NSCAA All-American
- Holds NSCAA & MIAC goalkeeping records
- 15 yr Boys HS Varsity Coach
- USSF B License
- NSCAA GK (Levels I, II & III)
6/24/2020:
MTA continues to raise the bar in Minnesota in terms of player development, team performance, college recruitment and national exposure. 11 years ago we embarked on a new journey to ensure stronger competition and a more direct path to collegiate soccer for our players, and MTA was one of the founding members of the Girls ECNL. That success story has proven itself every year since. We joined the Boys ECNL for the current season, which was canceled by Covid-19, but made us the only club in the state to offer such a national platform for players to excel.
Now, we are joining TCSL in once again re-defining the local landscape in Minnesota by joining the NEW National Premier League with our Girls Elite Teams (13U-19U). This is the obvious next step for us to align with our goal of continuing to be the leader in high level soccer not only in Minnesota but nationally.
2020-2021 Leagues Updates – MTA is ‘All In’ with US Club Soccer
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Girls and Boys ECNL – will continue to compete in the ECNL Midwest Conference regionally, and in ECNL Showcase events and Playoffs nationally. This will allow for earlier tryouts, more focus on ECNL level competition, and allow time to compete at Puma Cup U17 Elite at Gothia Cup in Sweden(Girls), additional College Showcases and other high level events.
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*NEW* Girls NPL (formerly Girls Elite) – will compete in the new TCSL Minnesota NPL. The NPL is a national competition platform created to elevate and change the soccer landscape through development, meaningful competition and identification platforms culminating in the NPL finals. This new league will have 14-20 games November through June and emphasizes calendar decongestion, appropriate training-to-match ratios, and club-driven scheduling. TCSL will provide a college recruiting platform, ID camp and Showcase events for 15U+ age groups. This will replace the NPL Winter League.
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Boys Elite – will continue to play TCSL. In time, the Boys’ Elite Program will join NPL.
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Juniors Boys & Girls – will continue to compete in TCSL’s National or Regional levels.
MTA – Raising the Bar
As part of our comprehensive player development approach, MTA continues to offer services and benefits that cannot be found anywhere else in Minnesota.
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College Exposure and Recruiting to DI, DII and DIII Programs – MTA has trained more collegiate and professional athletes than all other soccer clubs in MN combined! Other clubs may say this, but MTA can prove it – check out our website
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Proven MTA Development Path – MTA has developed a path to success. From our ThunderBolts programming to NPL and ECNL, from expert, high level coaches to Elite Club Benefits we provide a holistic approach to development, identification & competition that completes the player.
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Top Players Play Here – The athletes awarded Mr and/or Ms Minnesota have been MTA players for the last 19 years. Athletes come to MTA from all over the state to play on teams where all players are dedicated to soccer, and are working together to get to the next level.
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Elite Club Benefits
- State of the art turf and dome facilities – designed and developed to ensure proper ball performance, optimal safety and energy return for players
- Innovative technologies to enhance player performance (Veo Camera system, Normatec athlete recovery pants)
- Strategic Partnerships – to enhance the player experiences and performance, continue to educate our coaches
- *NEW* Comprehensive Club Management System – from player evaluations to registrations, MTA is committed to the highest level of communication and excellence.
(Billed by MTA in Registration)
- Applicable league fees
- Referee Fees
- Outdoor Training/Game Fields & Equipment
- Indoor Training/Game Domes/Facility Rental/Equipment
- Goalkeeper Training
- Coach Fees/Coach Education
- Club Operations/ Administration/Insurance
(Billed by Team Manager)
- Tournaments & Game Travel/Player & Coach Expenses (Estimate includes: player flight &/or bus and hotel)
- Scrimmages
- Add’l Team Fees/Activities
- Some Team Fees may be collected by the MTA Office
- Uniforms
- TCSL Winter League Fee (to be billed separately)
- National Championships/Playoffs (to be billed separately)
- ECNL or other Showcase events
Webinar FAQs
We expect to form two teams at each age group, U13 and up.
- Girls: 1 ECNL team & 1 NPL team.
- Boys: 1 ECNL team & 1 Elite team (TCSL).
An ECNL team will be formed for both Boys & Girls at birthyears 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003/2002.
ECNL: Players will be emailed within 24 hours after the second ECNL tryout.
NPL/Elite: Players will be notified as soon as possible, the week of July 27.
This is different every month. We will be able to provide a good idea of much of the travel at tryouts. Depending on the age group, teams will have 1-3 National Events and several Away fixture weekends. Some teams also have additional College showcases (both local and away).
ECNL Girls teams U15-U18/U19 will be traveling to Omaha NE in November, Saint Louis MO in December, Detroit MI in February, and Rockford IL in May for their Midwest Division games. The U13/U14 schedule is pending but will have similar trips.
For ECNL Boys, there will be 4 travel weekends for league play, along with two showcase travel dates and possible ECNL playoffs in June.
Refer to the team expectations that will be posted on our website soon, as well as the Season plan handouts at tryouts.
With Covid-19, the anwer to this question is a work in progress. Families are always welcome to travel with the team. In past seasons, teams traveled with chaperones, and players stayed in rooms with other players. However, we will have to adjust with the pandemic and it may become necessary to have players staying with parents instead of in all players rooms for the safety of everyone. We’re getting used to adjusting on the fly and making more last minute decisions!
Girls: The majority of our ECNL rosters will be formed after ECNL ID tryouts on July 8 & 9.
Boys: The majority of our ECNL rosters will be formed after ECNL ID tryouts on July 15 & 16.
The July 26 & 27 tryouts are for players that were unable to attend the earlier ECNL ID tryouts or are interested in playing NPL (Girls) or Elite (Boys). All NPL teams and Elite teams will be formed at these tryouts and any remaining ECNL roster spots will be filled. Remember – your registration fee covers you for either or both tryouts. You do not need to register twice.
Season plans handouts will be available at tryouts. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, there will not be any parent meetings at the fields this year at tryouts. Plans were discussed on the webinar and will be available at tryout time. Teams will play 10-14 Midwest ECNL games.
All teams are provided 3 training sessions in the dome with 75-90 min on field. There is often extra fitness time added, and many teams have additional events outside of their scheduled training sessions.
The first round of Clubs that were accepted into the new Minnesota NPL league were announced June 23 and are posted on TCSL’s social media and website. The last spots will be announced in weeks leading up to tryouts. For the 2020-21 season, only our Girls’ Elite teams will play in NPL.
https://www.tcslsoccer.com/minnesota-npl/?tab=accepted-clubs
2020-2021 Girls Team Expectations
*** This is a work in progress and will be updated over the coming weeks as details are finalized **
| BIRTH YEAR | TEAM | COACH | LEAGUES | TENT. WINTER TRAINING |
MTA PLAYER FEES | EST. TEAM FEES | TEAM EXPECTATIONS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | U9 Nike | Kenzie Graybill | TCSL Natl -Fall, Summer + 4 Winter Fests | TBD | $1900 | $200-$500 | 1-2 Fall/3-4 Summer Tournaments |
| 2012 | U9 Swoosh | TBA | TCSL Natl/ Regl -Fall, Summer + 4 Winter Fests | TBD | $1900 | $200-$500 | 1-2 Fall/3-4 Summer Tournaments |
| 2011 | U10 Nike | Nels Dokken | TCSL Natl – Fall, Summer + 4 Winter Fests | TBD | $1900 | $300-$600 | 1-2 Fall/3-4 Summer Tournaments |
| 2011 | U10 Swoosh | TBA | TCSL Natl/ Regl – Fall, Summer + 4 Winter Fests | TBD | $1900 | $300-$600 | 1-2 Fall/3-4 Summer Tournaments |
| 2010 | U11 Nike | Tommy Sivongsay | TCSL National -Fall & Summer (Winter League add’l fee) | TBD | $2200 | $500-$1200 | 1-2 Fall/3-4 Summer Tournaments |
| 2010 | U11 Swoosh | TBA | TCSL Nat/Reg -Fall & Summer (Winter League add’l fee) | TBD | $2200 | $500-$1200 | 1-2 Fall/3-4 Summer Tournaments |
| 2009 | U12 Pre-ECNL | Mark Abboud | U13 TCSL National – Fall & Summer | TBD | $2800 | $500-$1200 | 1-2 Fall/3-4 Summer Tournaments |
| 2009 | U12 Swoosh | TBA | TCSL Natl/ Regl – Fall & Summer | TBD | $2200 | $500-$1200 | 1-2 Fall/3-4 Summer Tournaments |
| 2008 | U13 ECNL | Tommy Sivongsay | ECNL Midwest Conference |
M-T-Th | $3250 | $1800-$2500 | ECNL Away Games 1 ECNL National Event + Add’l Showcases |
| 2008 | U13 NPL | Steph Jacobson | TCSL Minnesota NPL |
TBD | $2950 | $1000-$2000 | 1-2 Fall/3-4 Summer Tournaments US Club Regionals |
| 2007 | U14 ECNL | David Alberti | ECNL Midwest Conference |
Tu-W-Th | $3250 | $1800-$2500 | ECNL Away Games 1 ECNL National Event + Add’l Showcases |
| 2007 | U14 NPL | Meghan Schoeberl | TCSL Minnesota NPL |
TBD | $2950 | $1000-$2000 | 1-2 Fall/3-4 Summer Tournaments |
| 2006 | U15 ECNL | Meghan Schoeberl | ECNL Midwest Conference |
Tu-W-Th | $3100 | $3000-$4000 | ECNL Away Games 2 ECNL Natl Events + Add’l Showcases |
| 2006 | U15 NPL | Joe Hartwell | TCSL Minnesota NPL |
TBD | $2800 | $1500-$2000 | 3-5 Showcases &/or Tournaments |
| 2005 | U16 ECNL | Danny Storlien | ECNL Midwest Conference |
Tu-W-Th | $3100 | $4000-$5500 | ECNL Away Games 3 ECNL Natl Events + Add’l Showcases |
| 2005 | U16 NPL | Steph Jacobson | TCSL Minnesota NPL |
TBD | $2800 | $1500-$2000 | 3-5 Showcases &/or Tournaments |
| 2004 | U17 ECNL | David Alberti | ECNL Midwest Conference |
Tu-W-Th | $3100 | $4000-$5500 | ECNL Away Games 3 ECNL Natl Events + Add’l Showcases |
| 2004 | U17 NPL | Tobbe Thorsell | TCSL Minnesota NPL |
TBD | $2800 | $1500-$2000 | 3-5 Showcases &/or Tournaments |
| 2003/2002 | U18/U19 ECNL | Mark Yueill | ECNL Midwest Conference |
Tu-W-Th | $3100 | $3000-$4000 | ECNL Away Games 1-2 ECNL Natl Events + Add’l Showcases |
| 2003/2002 | U18/U19 NPL | Joe Hartwell | TCSL Minnesota NPL |
TBD | $2800 | $1500-$2000 | 3-5 Showcases &/or Tournaments |
| 2001 & older | WPSL | Danny Storlien | WPSL | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
MTA has been accepted into TCSL’s new Minnesota NPL for the inaugural 2020-21 season. The league will run Fall-Winter-Summer for U13/U14 and Winter-Summer for U15+. It provides post-season play-off competition for top teams across the country, with the possibility of advancing to NPL Nationals in Colorado.
Minnesota Thunder Academy is proud to be the only Minnesota club selected to compete in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).
In 2009, the Minnesota Thunder Academy girls program was announced as an inaugural member club of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), the highest level of female youth soccer in the United States. The ECNL was founded by forward-thinking Directors of Coaching across the country who saw a need for change in and special commitment to improving the daily environment for American elite female youth soccer players. These directors came together and collaborated to build what would become the top female youth development platform in the world. The ECNL continues to be the most progressive and innovative development platform in the country.
In 2019, the Minnesota Thunder Academy boys program was added to the ECNL.
Twin Cities Soccer Leagues (TCSL) aims to provide the highest quality soccer league experience in Minnesota.
TCSL has competitive levels ranging from the Minnesota NPL, through U11-U19 National, Regional, State & City, down to U9 & U10 (Red, White, Blue).
MTA Girls Continue to lead the State!
6 ECNL TEAMS
- 1 team placed 3rd in ECNL Nationals 2017-18
- 3 teams advanced to the ECNL National Playoffs 2017-18
- 6 ECNL All Conference Players 2017-18
10 MYSA Premier Teams
- 3 State Cup Winners
- 2 President’s Cup Winners
- 1 National President’s Cup Runner-Up
- 5 League Winners
6 Teams expected to play in National Premier League/NPL*
4 TCSL National Teams
