Up Close with Tony DiCicco

(Shawn Kelly/ SoccerPlus Camps)

The mission of the U.S. Soccer Foundation is to “enhance, assist and grow the sport of soccer in the United States” with a major focus on developing players, referees and coaches. This month's In Touch Spotlight subject - Tony DiCicco - certainly knows a lot about developing players and coaches, and holds both a U.S. Soccer “A” license and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Advanced National Diploma.

Perhaps DiCicco's most high-profile role is that of head coach for the U.S. Women's National Team, from 1994 through 1999. Prior to assuming that role, DiCicco had been one of the team's assistant coaches, working specifically with the goalkeepers when he began in 1991. Only the third coach in team history, DiCicco lost just eight times as head coach of the USWNT, amassing an incredible 103-8-8 record and establishing the best winning percentage in U.S. Soccer history, .899!

When asked what has been the most rewarding moment of his life in soccer he replied, “That is tough, because there have been so many, on different levels. Obviously, winning an Olympic Gold Medal and a World Cup, especially with that particular group of athletes, was phenomenal. But I coach a lot of kids, U12 girls, U16 boys, and these kids teach you so much. Coaching is pretty special at the international level, but the heart of the champion isn't always reserved for the top international players, and I really see that heart in some of these kids.”

(Shawn Kelly/ SoccerPlus Camps)

That said, DiCicco did add that his most memorable moment, not surprisingly, “is shared, with the Olympic Gold Medal game, and the 1999 World Cup, the greatest women's sporting event ever, winning in front of 90,000 at the Rose Bowl.” He is pleased with the HBO Documentary “Dare to Dream” which encapsulates 17 years of the women's national team program into 77 minutes and, as DiCicco said, “memorialized those players and what they accomplished.”

But, as DiCicco had pointed out, he doesn't just coach at the international level. He founded Soccer Plus Goalkeeper Schools in 1981, which has expanded to include Soccer Plus Field Player Academies and operates camps nationwide. He regularly conducts camps and seminars for the NSCAA, for whom he has served as goalkeeper specialist.

(Shawn Kelly/ SoccerPlus Camps)

In fact, when In Touch first tried to reach Tony DiCicco for an interview, he was in one of his soccer camps - and when we did catch up with him, he was at the airport, en route from one of his camps in Vermont to a tournament at the University of Akron, where he would be speaking to high school players and coaches. He conducts camps all summer long, runs workshops for coaches, and does work through NSCAA, as one of the national academy staff coaches.

What advice does he offer young players? “Well, number one is, enjoy the game, love the game and have fun. And sometimes, the parents push a little too hard, which isn't good. If the kids love the game, they're going to play, so we should not push too hard. This game is easy to fall in love with, but people do it at their own pace and in their own time.”

Lastly, DiCicco discussed the National Training Center at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, saying, “It's a fantastic facility…now we need one on the east coast! It is one of the great steps that U.S. Soccer has made in the last decade.”