Matarazzo came up through youth and reserve coaching at Nurnberg, Marsch came from RBNY, and Bradley came from the NT - so I doubt that the college degree carried much weight in the decisions of the top level Euro clubs that hired them, in comparison to that coaching experience. But it does seem like three Ivy grads coaching at the top Euro level is more than a coincidence. It's possible that the general skills and aptitudes associated with their education (including those that got them into those colleges in the first place) might have helped set them apart from other aspiring coaches during their career.
Outlook matters too, outward toward the wider soccer world where we are still a relatively minor player. Arena wouldn't have taken a chance in Europe if he ever had the option. Also, David Wagner has coached in Bundesliga and Premier League. He's American for FIFA purposes, if not American grown.
I'd suspect that intelligence, attention to detail, work ethic and an appreciation for learning are pretty valuable for a coach at this level. Those are some common skillsets of people who get into top colleges.
Just a reminder that while they're not graduates, the NCAA still plays a role in our soccer infrastructure. Particularly adding to the depth within the program. Syracuse ➡️ USMNTMiles Robinson has come a long way 👏 pic.twitter.com/PuhhVreg1p— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) August 2, 2021 Players on our Gold Cup champions that played in the NCAAs: Matt Turner (Fairfield) Sean Johnson (UCF) Brad Guzan (South Carolina) Reggie Cannon (UCLA) Donovan Pines (Maryland) Miles Robinson (Syracuse) Henry Kessler (Virginia) Cristian Roldan (Washington) Jackson Yueill (UCLA) Eryk Williamson (Maryland) Gyasi Zardes (Cal St. Bakersfield) Daryl Dike (Virginia) Jonathan Lewis (Akron)
Zardes is a graduate: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/u-s-players-who-are-college-graduates.609784/page-7#post-35494228
Matt Turner must be too........................clearly. Didn't he leave one semester early and then finish up online? Something like that. Happy birthday @headdturnerr haha #NERevs #GG pic.twitter.com/8wiTZVWrVi— Andrew Farrell (@_88AF) June 24, 2021
It appears that he did: "I had been offered a job, and it was for much more money than the Revolution was talking about. I had a talk with Dawn DeBiase, director of the Master of Social Work program, and she said it was a no-brainer. A chance like this might not come again. She was the one who helped make it happen that I could graduate online," which he did in 2017. https://www.fairfield.edu/magazine/2021/spring/a-real-keeper.html
Add Altidore to the list: a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. 1457106096858992645 is not a valid tweet id
I know I've seen Southern New Hampshire ads with Omar Gonzalez. Do we know whether he has also successfully graduated?
Christian Ramirez graduated from Concordia University Irvine: Ramirez has had quite a journey to get to this point. After high school, he played collegiate soccer first at UC Santa Barbara, then at Concordia University in Irving, California. After graduating, he started his professional career with the Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer Leauge, where he scored 12 goals in 26 appearances. https://thebayoucitian.com/dynamo-f...ants-to-continue-his-scoring-ways-in-houston/
Congratulations to @DarylDike on getting his Bachelor's Degree in Finance and graduating Summa Cum Laude! 🎓 pic.twitter.com/9UXz4ubjY4— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) June 12, 2022
Good question. Looks like our numbers are declining though, as our previous World Cup roster (2014) had five college grads.
We had a bunch of college grads in the 1998 Cup. The French media did a feature on them. We didn't do that well.
H/T to @Guinho for spotting this piece with the John O'Brien mention: Post-retirement, he completed a doctorate in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology and now works with athletes across the world. https://www.insider.com/where-are-they-now-usmnt-2002-world-cup-squad-2022-10