From an all American soccer player to a professional playing overseas, to now college head coach, he is Joey O'Keefe.
Show Highlights
- He is a former Biola first team all American Conference player of the year and played professionally overseas
- How his time coaching the men’s and women’s soccer programs at Westcliff started with a bang
- What makes Westcliff’s tuition and soccer roster so unique
- Tom Lancaster now runs the women’s soccer program
- How his relationships with the LA Galaxy teams and the LASC second team’s Assistant Coach, Steven Campos, help the teams maintain professional atmospheres
- How shifting from playing against boys to playing against men helps Westcliff student athletes mature
- How he went from having no idea what to with his career to becoming the head men's soccer coach at Westcliff University
- Playing soccer gave him the opportunity to travel to 5 continents
- How much of an impact his previous coaches, like Todd Elkins and Phil Yovino, have had on his coaching style
- Where the US is compared to Europe in the world of soccer
- Helped LA Galaxy do some scouting around the US and the UK
- The passion, love, and joy of watching the World Cup & Euro 2020 for European nations
- How his experience playing with international students at Biola University inspired him to recruit players from around the world for Westcliff’s teams
- How relationships and competition between the American students and international students improved their level of play across the board
- How seeing Concordia University as one of the top ranked schools for getting a master’s over and over again on Google and hearing testimonials from friends who went through the MCAA program influenced his life
- Why the MCAA Informational Night had such an impact on his decision to attend Concordia
- How the different backgrounds of the students in the program and passionate teachers made his time in Concordia’s Master’s in Coaching program an unforgettable experience
Tags: Masters in Coaching, Soccer, Coaching, Alumni, MCAA Podcast