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Former US National Team Head Coach Tony DiCicco currently
serves as the Commissioner for the Women's United Soccer Association
- WUSA.
For six years DiCicco was the Head Coach of the United States
Women's Nationals Team, accumulating an amazing record of
103-8-8, making him the all-time leader in wins in USA Soccer
history. He was the head coach of the 1999 World Cup squad
winning the championship over China in front of the largest
crowd in women’s sports history (90,185 at the Rose Bowl).
In 1996, he led the US team to the first-ever gold medal in
Olympic soccer. He also served as the goalkeeper coach for
the 1993 Under-20 Men’s National Team when it finished
in eighth place at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia.
DiCicco earned All-America honors as a goalkeeper at Springfield College,
MA. He then played five years of professional soccer in the
ASL with the Connecticut Wildcats and Rhode Island Oceaneers.
In 1973, DiCicco toured and played for the US National Team.
In 1981, DiCicco founded SoccerPlus Goalkeeper School, which
has grown to run 25 camps nationwide, and started SoccerPlus
FieldPlayer Academy in the summer of 1998. He has served as
the goalkeeper specialist for the NSCAA and has conducted
both US Soccer Federation and NSCAA national licensing camps.
He holds both the USSF “A” license and the NSCAA
Advanced National Diploma and was appointed as a member of
the FIFA Panel of Instructors and Lecturers for Coaching.
Tips to student athletes: Keep the Main Thing…the Main Thing
Choosing a college is a wonderful opportunity for you and
your family to participate in a process that involves research,
discussions and an action plan. This can be alot of fun, enjoy
the process. Want your parents’ involvement and take into
account their views and opinions. Don’t look at schools based
on levels of scholarships. Know what you are looking for in
a collegiate experience (size of school, location, course
of studies, cost, athletic opportunities) first and hopefully
a scholarship offer may help you decide between your top choices.
Think Big, don’t limit yourself…but be realistic: No one ever
accomplished big things by thinking small. So, it’s ok to
have a vision and dream big…but, you must make an honest appraisal
of your abilities. If you are not sure, speak to your coach,
or someone that knows your playing abilities and who will
be honest with you. Usually parents are not the best judges
of their own child’s playing ability. Remember think big,
but have a plan on getting there and put it in writing. Never
limit yourself only to the schools that have contacted you.
Always add some schools to your list of possibilities that
you have an interest in. The College Interview is not a one
way street: When going to visit colleges and college coaches,
make sure you are prepared with your own questions about the
school and it's soccer program. This is your opportunity to
interview the school just as they are interviewing you. The
decision is not final: Once you make your decision on the
college of your choice, hopefully you will discover that it
was the best fit for you. However, if that is not the case,
there are options.
This is not a situation of no turning back. In situations
in which you are not happy at the school you picked then changing
your major, transferring to another school, or taking a year
off of school and then returning back are some options.
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