THESLOF'S NEW CAREER DEVELOPING COACHING IS EX-UCLA STAR'S PASSION NOW.Byline: Scott French Staff Writer LA MIRADA - Nick Theslof left UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX for Major League Soccer seven years ago with great aspirations. An Achilles' injury shortly after he was drafted by his hometown Columbus Crew put an end to that, and now he's helping top young players find their way to MLS - and beyond. Theslof, 29, is player-coach of Costa Mesa-based Orange County Blue Star Orange County Blue Star are an American soccer team, originally founded in 1997. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, and plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference against , which heads to Iowa next weekend to face Des Moines Menace Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team, founded in 1994. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, and plays in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference with Boulder, Kansas in the Premier Development League semifinals. The team features top college and youth players from Southern California, including four from UCLA (goalkeeper Nick Pena, defenders Jordan Harvey and Brandon Owens, midfielder Ryan Valdez) and another from Cal State Northridge (midfielder Taylor Canel, a UCLA transfer from Crespi High of Encino). It's a family affair for Theslof, who began the club five years ago. His father, Gene, is his assistant and younger brother, Tyler, is a star forward. Former UCLA star Brian Irvin, who played professionally indoors and is an assistant coach at Loyola Marymount, is the general manager and part-time player, and the roster features former MLS star Braeden Cloutier and Cal defender Tyson Wahl, one of the nation's top college players. Retired superstar Juergen Klinsmann, now Germany's national team coach, played for Blue Star last season. ``There's an oasis of talent in Southern California ... and guys who really care about (playing soccer) need to play, need to push each other, need to be competitive,'' said Theslof, who guided Blue Star to victories last weekend at La Mirada High School over Fresno Fuego and Salem, Ore.-based Cascade Surge to reach the PDL See page description language. 1. PDL - Page Description Language. 2. PDL - Program Design Language. 3. PDL - Push Down List. 4. PDL - Dave Lebling, one of the co-authors of Zork. final four for the second time in three years. ``I try to make that environment for these guys, convince them it's what they need to do. ... It's about working, working, working and never stopping - if they want to get there.'' ``There'' is MLS, the national team, foreign leagues, one of United Soccer Leagues' two pro divisions - PDL is the USL's amateur league - or a first-rate college program, and nearly two dozen Blue Star players have moved on to bigger things in five seasons. Alumni includes current MLS players This is a list of current Major League Soccer players (as of 9 July, 2007). There is also a list of current MLS coaches, and a list of current American soccer players by US state. To appear on this list, a player must be currently signed to an MLS team. Zach Wells, Ty Maurin and Ryan Futagaki. This year's team is Theslof's best. Led by youth national team veterans Harvey and Wahl, the acrobatic Pena, Seton Hall midfielder Sasha Kljelstan (who scored two goals in Sunday's 3-0 Western Conference final triumph over Cascade) and Cal State Dominguez Hills striker Kei Kamara, Blue Star is 17-1-0 and has outscored foes 51-9. If it beats Des Moines on Saturday, the El Paso Patriots El Paso Patriots are an American soccer team, founded in 1989. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, and plays in the Mid-South Division of the Southern Conference against teams or Richmond Kickers Future Richmond Kickers Future are an American soccer team, founded in 2002 as part of the development system of the Richmond Kickers USL Second Division franchise. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer await in the Aug. 13 championship game, which Fox Soccer Channel Fox Soccer Channel is a United States digital cable network, owned by News Corporation, that specializes in soccer. The channel took its current name on February 7, 2005; before then, the network was known as Fox Sports World, Launched Nov. 1, 1997. will televise. After his injury, Theslof coached at NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III power Ohio Wesleyan, and he worked last season with Dutch giant PSV Eindhoven's second team, an assignment he might return to after the PDL season. ``I wanted to be a player when I was playing,'' said Theslof, an All-Pacific-10 Conference forward at UCLA who plays in midfield, generally as a second-half substitute, for Blue Star. ``After I did my Achilles', I found out I loved coaching. If you can't play, the second-best thing is coaching.'' Scott French, (818) 713-3617 scott.french(at)dailynews.com |
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