Archives February 2021

As coaches, players, and generally as people, we should always be looking to improve in one way or another. Continual growth and lifelong learning are impactful characteristics that shape a prosperous future. By improving ourselves, we can positively impact our surroundings on a greater scale. 

At Nebraska Soccer Talk, we have many objectives. We are here to promote players and coaches that participate in the game we love. As the season gets underway, NEST is also going to be covering as many games as humanly possible with a three person operation. However, we have a more overarching goal of forming an uplifting and supportive soccer community. We plan to do that in many different ways with the assistance of our readers. 

In the world we live in, there are countless resources at our disposal. Some are worth the time and effort, others simply are not. Sorting through those resources can be confusing, as well as time consuming. This article series is meant to make your growth process simple, enjoyable, and organized. Many of these resources are valuable, regardless of your level or role. Youth, high school, club, college, and pro coaches can benefit from these resources. Players, especially team leaders, can learn many valuable lessons. Finally, these items would be great for any parent looking to be more prepared for their child’s development.  

As a young coach and director, I spent countless hours searching and researching the internet for material. Throughout that process, I came across wonderful books, articles, and videos that have impacted me. These resources cover a myriad of topics, including game tactics, data analysis, roster construction, team bonding, program pillars, leadership, and so much more. Through Nebraska Soccer Talk, I wanted to share the resources that have helped me grow as a person and coach.

The Politics of Coaching

by Carl J. Pierson

NEST Review – Coaching can be a wonderful experience, regardless of the sport. For many of us, that sense of impact-fulness is the reason why we chose to get involved. However, longevity in the coaching career path does not happen by chance or luck. Those that prosper are expert communicators, personal managers, organizers, and life coaches. Fulfilling all of those roles can be overwhelming for many. If handled improperly, burn-out or a pink slip is a real possibility. Carl Pierson provides you with a full-scale guide to the coaching lifestyle. Even the smallest of details matter when you’re the program leader; this book helps you with those topics.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Campaign

• Throwing Your Hat In The Ring
• It’s Who You Know, Not What You Know
• It Never Hurts To Apply
• The Interview
• The Underdog
• Know Your Strengths
• Never Use Negative Campaigning Publicly
• Running Against An Incumbent

Chapter 2: Director of Communications

• The State Of The Program Speech
• Individual Player Meetings
• Open Door vs. Call and Click Policy
• The Magic of E-Mail
• The Danger of E-Mail
• The Power of Old Fashioned Mail
• Controlling the Message
• The New Enemy: Online Fan Forums
• New Forms of Communication
• The Coach’s Lifeline
• Crazy Parents: Label Them Before They Label You
• Political Correctness: The Power of Words

Chapter 3: Public Relations

•  Media Relations
• The Best Public Relations Move You Will Ever Make
• The Other Best Public Relations Move You Will Ever Make
• Know Your Constituents
• The Expectations Game: Control Them Before They Control You
• Dealing With Public Confrontations

Chapter 4: Special Interest Groups

• The Powerful Parent
• When the Powerful Parent is Your Boss
• Fundraising and Donations
• Parent Donations
• Accepting Help From Parents
• Booster Clubs
• Control of Activity Accounts
• The Allies Every Coach Must Have

Chapter 5: Confronting A “Cancer” in Your Program

• Diagnosing Cancer
• Player Cancer
• Parent Cancer
• Assistant Coach Cancer

Chapter 6: The Politics of Youth Sports

• Coaching Your Own Kid
• Youth Tryouts
• Every Parent Has An Agenda
• Convincing Youth Coaches to Integrate Your System
• Sell Your System, Don’t Mandate It
• When Selling Doesn’t Work
• Beware The Parent That Won The 6th Grade Championship
• The Residual Effect of Youth Sports Boards

Chapter 7: Learning From and Dealing With Coaches

• Trophies as Critic Repellent
• The Softer Side
• Old Fashioned Political Acumen
• Dealing With Coaches in Other Sports
• Dealing With Club or Personal Coaches
• Dealing With College Coaches

Chapter 8: The Politics of Winning and Losing

• How to Handle Winning
• Using “We” After a Loss
• Beware of Blaming Bad Luck
• Shouldering the Blame
• Players Win Games

Chapter 9: Surviving Race and Gender Issues

• Males Coaching Males
• Females Coaching Males
• Females Coaching Females
• Males Coaching Females
• The Politics of Race

Chapter 10: All Politics Is Local

• Picking Teams
• Seniors: Cut ‘Em or Keep ‘Em?
• General Thoughts About Cutting Players
• The Politics of Playing Time
• Playing Time During a Blowout
• Recruiting Players
• Selecting Team Captains
• My Proudest Moment In Coaching
• The Classroom’s Impact on Coaching
• The Coaching Crossroads: Recognizing When to Move On, Resign, or Stand and Fight
• The Single Smartest Political Move Any Coach Can Make

NEST Rating – ★★★★★

Amazon Rating – ★★★★☆

Goodreads Rating – ★★★★☆

Buy this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ebay or at your local bookstore.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to leave book/resource recommendations in the comment section below.

In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Omaha South

Head Coach – Jill Alder

Previous Records

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – The Lady Packers appear ready to carve out their place in the Class A soccer landscape. A tremendous 2019 season provides momentum and expectation heading into the 2021 season. As of right now, OPS lacks a dominant girls soccer program. That title is ready to be claimed, and Omaha South could very well be that team. Coach Alder and her players will prove to be a difficult challenge for many upcoming opponents. According to Nebraska Soccer Talk, Omaha South is a Team on the Verge on our Top 10 rankings.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Gross Catholic

Head Coach – Mike Nolte

Previous Records

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

Previous Season Accomplishments – 2019 Class B State Qualifier

NEST Analysis – With Omaha Gross Catholic, the state will yet again receive the opportunity to witness wonderful play on the field. Coach Mike Nolte has an impressive program filled with skill and soccer prowess. In 2019, the Cougars qualified for the state tournament; in 2021, they will attempt to build upon that experience. A return to Morrison Stadium seems to be in the cards, at least that is the expectation. As a clear contender in Class B, Omaha Gross Catholic will begin the 2021 season ranked #5 by Nebraska Soccer Talk. As for the future, Gabe O’Doherty is an excellent freshman prospect.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Papillion-La Vista

Head Coach – April Kelcher

Previous Records

Players to Watch – 

• Mykena Turner (South Dakota State University soccer signee)
• Claudia Wilson (Midland University soccer signee)
• Ella Guyott (University of Nebraska-Lincoln soccer commit)
• Lauryn Anglim (University of Nebraska-Lincoln soccer commit)
• Lauren Schmidt (University of Nebraska-Omaha soccer commit)

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

Previous Season Accomplishments – 2019 Class A State Qualifier

NEST Analysis – 2021 could be a banner year for the Papillion-La Vista girls soccer program as they look to improve upon their 2019 state qualification. Rarely does so much talent occupy the same school at the same time, it is a circumstance engineered by hard work and luck. Adding to the excitement is the fact that the Monarch’s backline, midfield, and attack will all feature a Division I recruit. With Mykena Turner, Ella Guyott, and Lauryn Anglim on the field, Papio will feature one of the state’s most star studded lineups. For Coach Kelcher and her program, a year of high expectations is right around the corner. Papillion-La Vista will begin the season as the #3 team in Class A according to Nebraska Soccer Talk.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Kearney Catholic

Head Coach – Amer Arram

Previous Records

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – The community of Kearney, Nebraska is blessed with a dedicated and prosperous youth soccer club that prepares players for the high school level. In recent years, more and more talent has been coming from this area. It is starting to become a soccer hotbed in the middle of Nebraska. Kearney Catholic is a beneficiary of that system, and the program has progressed accordingly. In the past, the Stars have struggled to field a competitive team but that is changing as evidenced in 2018. Although the outlook is positive, Coach Amer Arram still has work to do at Kearney Catholic. 2021 could be another year building block for this project.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Lincoln Pius X

Head Coach – Steve Andersen

Previous Records

Players to Watch – Natalie Crouse (Central Community College soccer signee), Cassidy Kobza

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – Pius is a program looking for a moment of truth and a bit of planning stability. The Thunderbolts have been a borderline .500 team throughout their history in Class A and will look to improve upon those records. Switching between Class A and Class B on a yearly basis presents challenges that other teams simply do not face. Scouting the same opponents and scheduling the same trips is an overlooked luxury. This would be a fascinating topic to discuss with Coach Andersen in the near future. Lincoln Pius X is a well coached team that will be competitive throughout the 2021 season. They garner the too-early-to-tell status because there is this overarching feeling that they could be the surprise of Class A. However, that is a gut feeling, and we will need to see some of those early season results.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Norris

Head Coach – Scott Hakel

Previous Records

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – Norris High School represents an intriguing storyline heading into the 2021 season. Due to its geographic location and overall reputation, many are unaware of this team’s pedigree. However, Norris is Nebraska soccer at its finest. It is a model of stability, consistency, and distinguished displays. Coach Scott Hakel leads a program ready to contend with the best in Class B. A state tournament berth is well within the realm of possibility. Nebraska Soccer Talk has designated them as the #9 team in Class B on our Top 10 List.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Elkhorn North

Head Coach – Fred Doscher

Previous Records

Players to Watch – Jack Vokt, Logan Hanigan, Michael Grigsby, Jon Doschet

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell 

NEST Analysis – This is the first year of existence for the Elkhorn North boys soccer program. For those in the program, this is sure to be an incredibly exciting time but also a period of detailed work. A result of district growth, North will face many challenges that other programs simply do not have to consider. For one, this will be one of the youngest varsity squads in the entire state. Rightfully so, a grace period will be extended to the Wolves just as there is with any MLS expansion team. Coach Fred Doscher will have the responsibility of building this new program. An experienced and well respected soccer mind, Coach Doscher is a good fit for the task. He would also be an incredible interview for Nebraska Soccer Talk, as few have been in this position. On the field, there are a few Wolves that grab our attention. Jack Vokt, Logan Hanigan, Michael Grigsby, and Jon Doschet are all great building blocks for the future. Elkhorn North is sure to be an intriguing storyline during the 2021 season and beyond.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Omaha Westside

Head Coach – Chris Dunford

Previous Records

Players to Watch – Lena Homan (Black Hills State soccer signee), Ellie Temero (St.Thomas soccer signee)

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

Previous Season Accomplishments – 2019 Class A State Qualifier

NEST Analysis – Omaha Westside enters 2021 with exciting talent and state title aspirations when it comes to the girls soccer program. Lena Homan and Ellie Temero are two talents sure to garner attention from opposing coaches throughout the year. Game planning against them may prove to be a tough task, especially if other players are able to emerge. Qualifying for the state tournament in 2019 was an impressive accomplishment for the Warriors, but there are questions surrounding the follow-up campaign. Despite those unknowns, Coach Dunford has built a solid program, which usually produces at a high level. Given that reputation, Omaha Westside lands on our list of Teams on the Verge. With a few weeks of early season observation, the Warriors entering our Top 10 list is a very real possibility.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Lincoln Northeast

Head Coach – Jose Hidalgo

Previous Records

Players to Watch – Riley Wrhel (Hastings College soccer signee), Hannah Beach (Central Community College soccer signee), Maddie Berndt (Central Community College soccer signee)

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell 

NEST Analysis – Anchored by three known college commitments, Lincoln Northeast will have a talented returning group for the 2021 season. Coach Hidalgo is a recent hire to the Class A ranks, giving this program a new voice and direction. Riley Wrhel, a Hastings College commit, will be the standout player on this squad. Hastings has a knack for talent identification, and we trust their judgement.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

Chace Hutchison