Dutchman completes U.S. Soccer's slate of coaches on boys side

By Mike Woitalla

U.S. Soccer has appointed Dave van den Bergh, who came to the USA from his native Netherlands in 2006 to play in MLS, head coach of the U.S. U-15boys national team.

The hiring completes the slate of U.S. national team program head coaches on the boys side.

U.S. youth national team coaches(men)
U-23: Andi Herzog (appointed: 2015)
U-20: Tab Ramos (2011)
U-19: Brad Friedel (2016)
U-18: OmidNamazi (2016)
U-17: John Hackworth (December, 2015)
U-16: Shaun Tsakiris (2016)
U-15: Dave van den Bergh (2016)
U-14: Brian Johnson (2014)

Van den Bergh, who played more than a 100 MLS games for Kansas City, the New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas, settled in Texas after finishing hisplaying career in 2009. He served as an assistant to Thomas Rongen, also a Dutchman who settled in USA after playing pro ball, on the U.S. U-20 national team. In 2013, Van den Berghwas appointed a U.S. Soccer Technical Advisor for the Texas region.

Dave van den Bergh (Courtesy U.S. Soccer)

Before joining MLS, Van den Bergh started his pro career at Ajax Amsterdam after graduating from its youthprogram before spending three seasons with Spain’s Rayo Vallecano and six seasons with Dutch club Utrecht. He played in two games for the Dutch national team in 2004 while at Utrecht.

Vanden Bergh will remain a Technical Advisor for Texas. U.S. Soccer Technical Advisors scout for the U.S. youth national team program and evaluate U.S. Soccer Development Academy clubs.

U.S. Soccer Technical Advisors
NORTHEAST Scott Donnelly
NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY/PENNSYLVANIA Cris da Silva
ATLANTIC Clint Peay
SOUTHEAST Marcelo Neveleff
MID-AMERICA Brian Johnson
FRONTIER Arron Lujan
TEXAS Dave Van den Bergh
SOUTHWEST Todd Saldana
NORTHWEST Ian Mork

U.S. U-19 men lose to short-handed Canary Islands

The U.S. U-19 men’s national team (1998s) lost, 1-0, to theCanary Islands, which played the second half a man down, to cap a three-loss appearance at the Copa del Atlantico under new coach Brad Friedel.

The USA, which had fallen 1-0 to Spain and 5-0 to France at the Canary Islands-hosted tournament,failed to exploit a red card to defender Abraham in first-half stoppage time.

The Canary Islands lost to France (2-0) and Spain (3-1). France, with ZinedineZidane’s son Luca in goal, lifted the Copa del Atlantico title on goal difference after tying Spain, 0-0.

(Courtesy U.S. Soccer)

Feb. 5 in Las Palmas, Spain
Canary Islands 1 USA 0. Goals: Ramirez 70.
Canary Islands – C. Rodriguez;Melian, Valenzuela (Derek, 46), Quintana, Abraham; Lionel (Vitolo, 77), Adib (Alagy, 46), Alonso (Josemi, 77), Torres (Ramirez, 24); Nestor (Yeremi, 60), Giovanni (Adrian, 53).
USA– Hale; Cannon, Montalvo (Loera, 78), Dieterich (Trusty, 45), Nelson; McKinnie, Calvillo (Lowe, 72); Lekressner, Pomykal, Mihailovic (Munjoma, 72); Saramago (Zubak, 56).
RedCard: Canary Islands – Abraham (47+).

Around theNet: 13 of the 2015 U-17s are in the pros

SOCCER AMERICADAILY: Paul Kennedy reports that Joshua Perez signing with Italy’s Fiorentina makes him the 13th member of the 21-man team that representedthe USA at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup to turn pro. Perez is one of four players in Europe, while two players each are at clubs in MLS, the NASL, USL and Mexico and one is a free agent. (HajiWright, who had been with the NASL’s New York Cosmos, is expected to sign with Schalke 04 when he turns 18 in March.)

2015 U.S. Under-17 World CupTeam
GOALKEEPERS: Eric Lopez (LA Galaxy II/USL), William Pulisic (Duke Univ.), Kevin Silva (UCLA).
DEFENDERS: Tyler Adams(New York Red Bulls/MLS), Hugo Arellano (UCLA) Danny Barbir (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Tanner Dieterich (Clemson Univ.), John Nelson (Internationals SC — high school),Matthew Olosunde (Duke Univ.), Auston Trusty (Univ. of North Carolina), Alexis Velela (New York Cosmos/NASL).
MIDFIELDERS: Eric Calvillo (New YorkCosmos/NASL), Luca de la Torre (Fulham/ENG), Thomas McCabe (Notre Dame Univ.) Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER)
Alejandro Zendejas (FCDallas/MLS).
FORWARDS: Pierre da Silva (Orlando City B/USL), Joe Gallardo (Monterrey/MEX), Josh Perez(Fiorentina/ITA), Brandon Vazquez (Tijuana/MEX), Haji Wright (Free Agent).

SI.COM: Liviu Bird reports on Double PASS, the Belgiancompany hired by U.S. Soccer to assess American youth academies. So far, Double PASS has visited the New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, VancouverWhitecaps, New England Revolution, Columbus Crew, Portland Timbers, Sporting Kansas City, D.C. United and Chicago Fire in MLS, as well as Colorado Rush, Players Development Academy (New Jersey), St.Louis Scott Gallagher, Dallas Texans SC, Capital Area (North Carolina) Railhawks, De Anza (California) Force, Real So Cal and Kendall SC (Florida) among non-MLS academies. Bird interviewed Double PASSCEO Hugo Schoukens, U.S. Soccer director of sport development Ryan Mooney, and Nico Romeijn, the Dutchman U.S. Soccer hired as director of coachingeducation last year. Double PASS and its plan to change U.S. Soccer.

SOCCERWIRE.COM: Beau Dure, in a reporton the pros and cons on U.S. Soccer’s mandating a switch to birth-year registration, quotes Julie Foudy, Ryan Mooney, U.S. Soccer’s Director of SportDevelopment, and former U.S. Soccer Director of Coaching Dave Chesler. The challenge, writes, Dure, is figuring out how to accommodate our embrace of team culture while making sureindividuals learn the skills they need. Why do kids play? Birth-year mandateheats up argument.

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Former Fullerton RangersYouth Soccer Club treasurer Laura A. Zellerbach pleaded guilty to embezzling and laundering more than $174,000 from the club. She was sentenced to five years’ probation, one year injail and was ordered to pay $227,000 in restitution. Soccer mom pleads guilty toembezzling $174,000 from the club.