VNA Nebraska Sports Center

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VNA Nebraska Sports Center

VNA Nebraska Sports Center

  



ACADEMY DIRECTOR
DIRECTOR OF COACHING, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Jorge A. Sambataro
[email protected]
ATFA License, (Equivalent to 1st Division National Team Level)
Read Coaching Philosophies Here

Coach Sambataro has been coaching for 20+ years at all youth levels, including professional academy, club, high school, ODP, and college levels on both the men's and women’s side.

Previously Jorge has lived and coached in Nebraska, Michigan, and California earlier in his life. He has coaching and consulting experience with youth, professional, Olympic, and national teams in Argentina; more importantly, he has an extensive background in the professional training and understanding of top-level athletes around the world and at Villarreal C.F. The Villarreal C.F. curriculum that is unique to our club, is delivered to our Academy from the unique training and knowledge of the game that DOC Jorge A. Sambataro has worked on for over 35 years. This makes him suited to continue the developmental programs and process that our players and parents love. Jorge's passion is to "work together under the common goal of developing exceptional soccer players and citizens." He has a desire to impact players, to be a transformational experience for players for their lifelong growth.



ACADEMY DIRECTOR
MANAGING DIRECTOR

Amy L. Scott
[email protected]
Is a native of Lincoln and played soccer when girls/women's soccer was just taking off in Nebraska. She attended Lincoln High School, after attending Lakeview Elementary and Everett Jr. High Schools. At Lincoln High she was on Student Council and held several officer positions, she participated in cheerleading and intramural athletics and Varsity Girls Soccer. After High School she attended UNL and double majored in Accounting and Marketing with a minor in Psychology. Amy worked at Hallmark Corporate in Kansas City upon college graduation. She worked with a marketing staff for the Kids Birthday Cards, then Stationery. When she returned to Lincoln she managed and owns Klein Survey Systems Inc. She now is the Managing Director of Villarreal Nebraska Academy and manages Nebraska Sports Center in addition to Klein Survey Systems Inc.

Her coaching experience began in college, Amy first volunteered at the YMCA to coach 3rd grade girls. She took a break from coaching when she was at Hallmark Corpo9rate and then began a family. In 2008 she began coaching young girls again because she is passionate about showing young girls that women can be active and have a role in sports throughout their lifetime. Amy completed 7 half-marathons and several other shorter races with her best half at 1:54 in her late 30s after 3 children. She developed her knowledge of the game by investing in coach training, parent education, assistant coaching constantly. She has head coached many players from Minis to 2005s and has been an assistant coach for girls teams up to 18U. She has held licenses from the former Youth Level 2, F-License, E-License, several certificates from the United Soccer Coaches. She believes soccer is a beautiful game that allows players to think, make decisions, and problem solve.



Administrative Assistant

Nicki Baker
 [email protected]

Nicki grew up in Texas and moved to Nebraska when she started High School. She graduated from Schuyler High School and went on to college at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln where she graduated with a degree in Fine and Performing Arts. During college she began coaching dance, cheerleading and tumbling in the Lincoln area, where she formed a passion for working with young athletes. She is the former cheerleading coach at Lincoln Northeast, Lincoln Southwest, Cheerleading Director at Club Kicks and owner of Nebraska Cheer Center. She is a certified cheerleading instructor and judge. She has coached boys and girls ages 3 to 18 for more than 20 years. Nicki also has studied and loves working with dancers and cheerleaders on flexibility training. Nicki manages and coaches Submarines.

Nicki is married and has a 15 yr old son who attends Lincoln Southeast High School. He plays soccer for VNA and LSE. She also has a naughty three year old Pug named Beans.

Outside of working for the club she enjoys reading, working out, watching Nebraska Football and attending her son's soccer games. She is excited to work with others who have a passion for youth and youth sports.


Coordinators

11v11 Coordinator

John Stallings, D-LICENSE

John Stallings is a native of Lincoln Nebraska, where he grew up playing soccer.  He played for Lincoln East where he was a 4 year Varsity starter as a defender.  John played college soccer at Nebraska Wesleyan as a midfielder for the Prairie Wolves.  As a Lincoln native John won 7 State Cups and he was Nike All American.   

John started coaching while in his 20’s, he comes to us with 20 years of coaching experience coaching all ages, genders and levels.  He has his Grass Roots License and D License.  In addition to coaching teams at VNA John is active in our Submarines classes and Yellows- TEAM Curriculum Coordinator.  John is married and has 4 kids Brycin, Will, Piper and Trip.  Will, Piper and Tripp all play for the academy.  He works/owns Stallings Construction.  In his free time John likes to fish.

9v9 Coordinator

Marco Sapien, D-LICENSE

 Marco is from Albuquerque, New Mexico where he graduated from Cibola High School in 2013.  While on the varsity soccer team, they achieved two state semi-final appearances as well as one quarter-final finish.  In addition, Marco was named Academic All-District for three years, and twice All-District as a midfielder and defender.  For club, he played as a sweeper for Alameda Atletico where we finished as state runner-up my junior year.After high school, Marco attended the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio where he played four years Div. III soccer in the North Coast Athletic Conference, appearing in 62 of 68 possible games, primarily as a wingback, winger, and attacking midfielder.  As a junior, he started all 18 games, scoring four goals.  While in college, Marco was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to England to train at top-tier professional clubs including Bolton Wanderers F.C. and Queens Park Rangers F.C., in addition to studying abroad in the Dominican Republic where he played futsal in association with Cibao Futbol Club, a member of Liga Dominicana de Fútbol (LDF).After earning his bachelor's degree Marco committed to a year of service with an AmeriCorps program called City Year, an education non-profit, where he worked full-time at an elementary school in Columbus, Ohio.  During that year, Marco also started to pursue coaching, earning my U.S. Soccer Grassroots licenses and working as the head coach of an '04 girls team with Ohio Premier Soccer Club.  In his first season, his team went undefeated in their league and achieved semi-final finishes at both Nike Cup and Pacesetter Invitational.In the summer of 2018, Marco decided to pursue his master's degree in teaching through the University of Louisville and another AmeriCorps program called Teach Kentucky.  For two years, he worked full-time in Jefferson County Public Schools as a 7th grade social studies teacher in a Montessori magnet program while completing his degree coursework.  In addition, Marco was the head coach of an '05 girls team at a Chicago Fire satellite academy called Kentucky Fire Juniors.  In the winter of 2020, he completed his U.S. Soccer D License and participated in trials for several professional soccer teams in the USL Championship, USL League Two, NPSL, and NISA.In the summer of 2020, Marco moved to Lincoln with his partner Harper as she started to pursue her PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Shortly thereafter, Marco began working as a staff coach with VNA and as an assistant men's soccer coach with Union College prior to joining the Nebraska Army National Guard.After returning from the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, Marco started working as a teacher associate at Goodrich Middle School and became an administrator, age group coordinator and head coach for VNA.  This coming year he will be a 6th grade humanities teacher at Goodrich, the head coach of the boys soccer program at Lincoln Southeast High School, and continue as the '05 boys head coach at VNA.  In the fall of 2021, they achieved a semi-finals appearance in state cup with two players selected to the Nebraska Best XI, a finalist finish at the Cornhusker Classic, third place in the NPL Central States, and first place in Premier II of the NYSL.  In the spring of 2021, March began my U.S. Soccer C License, and had the incredible opportunity to travel to Spain to visit and learn from the coaches and directors of Villarreal C.F., where he completed Level 1 of the Coach Development Program.



7v7 Coordinator

Cory Shepard, D-LICENSE

Cory Shepard is from Lincoln, Nebraska. He attended Lincoln Northeast High School where he played center midfielder and center back. He also attended Morningside College and played center midfielder. He started coaching in 2006 for Tristate Revolution and joined the VNA family in 2018. Cory has his D license. Cory works full time at Zoetis Animal Health.



4V4 AND 5V5 Coordinator

John Hakari, D-LICENSE
John Hakari is a native of Green Bay, WI, where he grew up playing soccer.  John has over 10 years of experience coaching soccer, from levels U8 through high school, boys and girls.  John holds a U.S. Soccer National E Coaching License.

John formerly coached for the De Pere Select Soccer Club in De Pere (Green Bay), WI, for 5 years, ages U8 through U11 (boys and girls).  John served as the boys and girls Junior Varsity head coach for Luxemburg-Casco High School in Luxemburg, WI, for two seasons before moving to Lincoln for law school in 2012.  John has volunteered as a coach for various local organizations, including the former Magellan Soccer Club and the YMCA.  He also currently serves as the Southeast Community Colleges head women's soccer coach. 

John has played soccer for as long as he can remember.  He played on various club teams at various levels throughout Wisconsin, as well as for his high school.  John played NCAA Division III college soccer for St. Norbert College in De Pere (Green Bay), WI, where he was named First Team Academic All-Conference for the Midwest Conference in 2010. John graduated from the UNL College of Law in 2015, and is an immigration attorney here in Lincoln, NE.  John speaks Spanish fluently, and has spent significant time in Mexico, where he attended the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Guadalajara, Mexico, and the Universidad de Guanajuato in Guanajuato, Mexico. John is passionate about soccer.  His two main goals with every team he coaches are to ensure that the kids enjoy playing the game, and to help them play the game at a high level.



SUBMARINES COORDINATOR

Edgar Ramirez, D-LICENSE in progress

Edgar Ramirez is from Grand Island, Nebraska.  He attended Grand Island Northwest where he played fullback and center back. He also played for the GI Fireballs. He started coaching in 2016 for Magellan and has been with VNA from the start. Edgar has his Grass Roots Licence and is currently working on his D licence. Edgar is also a certified referee.  Edgar also works part time as a preschool teacher at Academic Advantage.

Girls Coordinator

Christine Latham

Christine played eight years with the Calgary Celtics, a youth team coached by her father, Brian. Christine was recruited by, and eventually chose to attend, the University of Nebraska. While at the university, she played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers women's soccer team from 1999 to 2002. Christine was named a three-time NSCAA All-American and left as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Nebraska women's program with 69 goals. Christine added a further 29 assists in her 4-year career.  She is married to Pierre Allen, ex Husker defensive end and former Seattle Seahawk.

Upon graduating from Nebraska, Christine joined San Diego Spirit of Women's United Soccer Association as a Discovery Player in February 2003. In her first year, she scored 6 goals en route to being named the 2003 WUSA Rookie of the Year. This proved to be her last year in the league as the WUSA suspended operations following the conclusion of the 2003 season.

Christine joined New Jersey Wildcats of the W-League in 2005, appearing in 4 games (296 minutes) while scoring 4 goals and assisting on 3 others.

The following season, Latham joined fellow Canadian internationals Sharolta Nonen and Melissa Tancredi at Atlanta Silverbacks. In her first year with the Silverbacks, she appeared in 6 games (495 minutes), scoring twice and adding an assist. 2007 saw the departure of Tancredi and Latham increased her production to compensate. She appeared in 9 games (677 minutes) and scored 7 goals with 2 further assists. 2008 saw Latham increase her production even further, appearing in 13 games (1081 minutes) and while getting 13 goals and 2 assists.

The new Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league took notice of her and Boston Breakers claimed her as a Post-Draft Discovery Player on 10 October 2008. She agreed to terms with the club on 9 January 2009 and played in the 2009 WPS season for Boston. She appeared in 16 games (8 starts, 654 total minutes) and scored twice with one assist. Her option for the 2010 WPS season was picked up by Boston on 28 September 2009.  

Christine later served as a commentator for Fox Sports at the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship and as a studio analyst for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Christine is the girls' program coordinator in which she also coaches her daughter Layla at the U11 level with daughter Alaya soon to be introduced into the academy.

 

 


STAFF COACHES




Villarreal C.F. Consultant TBD

 
 







Richard Day, USC NATIONAL DIPLOMA, OMAHA HEAD COACH

Richard Day comes with 17 years coaching experience from recreational to college from 3 years of age to 24 years of age. 

High School Career:
Richard coached at CB Abraham Lincoln High School, the same high school played for in high school for 4 years. They overcame an 0-17 season the year before he became the coach, winning 15 games the last year he was there and earning their first state ranking in 15 years. 

Club Career:
Richard has spent the last 7 years coaching select in Council Bluffs with Council Bluffs Futbol Club (CBFC) and Council Bluffs Soccer Club (CBSC). At CBFC/CBSC he has been a head coach for ages from U13 to U19 as well as the Academy Director. In 2017 Richard led the Boys 19U Red Bulls to the clubs and SW Iowa’s first ever State Cup Championship and Regional Qualifier. I help 45 players from 5 different teams play at the next level. These players played at all levels (JUCO, NAIA, DIII, DII, DI). Before Richard was at CBFC/CBSC he coached at Bellevue Soccer Club for 4 years and Papillon Soccer Club for a year. He also coached at the youth recreational level with the YMCA and CBYSA in Council Bluffs for 9 years. 

College Career:
Richard spent 6 years at Iowa Western Community College from 2013-2019. He was part of the staff that won the schools first National Championship (2013) for the men’s soccer team. 

Philosophy:
Development before winning! Richard wants to develop young players physically and mentally. He wants to help develop young players so that they are prepared to take on whatever is in front of them in their lives, as well as on the pitch. 

Licences: 
USSF E License
USC National Diploma
USC Attacking Principles
USC Defending Principles
USC Futsal
USC GK I
USC Team Management





Kennis Paul
Kennis is from Grenada, a country in the Caribbean. He attended St Rose Modern Secondary School (SRMSS). He played left winger in high school. He attended The University of South Carolina - Akien where he played right back.  He started coaching before moving to the states for SRMSS. Kennis joined the VNA soccer family in 2019. He has coached various ages and levels. Kennis works full time for Smart Chicken in Waverly. 






Matt Litt
Matt is from Lincoln, Nebraska and attended and played soccer for Pius X High School for four years. He attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for undergraduate and graduate school. Matt played soccer for the university club team for a time, played on multiple intramural teams each season, and was a referee for you games at the University of Nebraska. Matt’s coaching career began by assisting his father with his sister’s YMCA team when he was in middle school. Matt has coached the Groguet boys at VNA since August 2018.  Matt and his wife, Erin, have five children- three play for VNA. He is the Nebraska Medicaid Deputy Director- Experience Management & Provider Relations at the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services. Matt volunteers as a Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity Housing Corporation board member and at his parish, St. Teresa’s Catholic Church.





Dominic Arthur, D-LICENSE

Dominic comes from Ghana (west Africa). He has been playing soccer since he was kid going through the youth ranks until  high school (Kpando Tech High School) where he became his school's sports prefect during my senior year 2006-2007. After High school, Dominic played college soccer for a year at Sunyani Polytechnic in 2008 before having the opportunity to come to the U.S. as a student exchange program. Because of the love he had for the sport, he continued to play and coach the sport. He started working for Duteau Chevorlet in 2013, when one of his service advisor informed him about a family owed soccer club that he coach. So, he informed him about my experience and love for the sport and he asked if Dominic could volunteer to help coach (Lincoln Comets U7-U12G).  Dominic was with them from 2013-2016, it had always been his dream to become a soccer coach so he started to coach a team in the central part of his country called Ellen-trade F/C. In the winter of 2017, Dominic joined the Villarreal coaching staff. and currently works full time for Baxter Toyota Of Lincoln as a service Technician. 

Coach Position: 2006 Select Girls-Division.

Dominic has United States Soccer Grassroots Coaching Licenses Certificates  4V4, 7V7,11V11 (E,F)

He hopes that his experience of playing the sport and  geographical background can help improve our youth who love the game of soccer, play to have fun on and off the pitch and to help them grow as good people in our community.
 





Ryan Tanner, D-License

Ryan has been coaching youth soccer in Lincoln for 8 years. He received Coerver Youth Diploma in 2016 and his USSF D License in 2017. Ryan began coaching at Villarreal Nebraska Academy in 2018.  Prior to that he coached for Sporting Lincoln and Magellan before coaching independently for several years. Ryan enjoys working with the younger players because his strength is teaching the core technical aspects that set the stage for strong all around players. “What brought me back to working within a club setting, and specifically Villarreal Nebraska Academy, is the ability to work with other coaches that share the same mindset. When you are independent, you are mostly on your own. At Villarreal, when I bring in guest coaches, I can count on the those coaches to add to the curriculum my group is working on and I am confident my coaching is helping players build toward being ready for the curriculum they will receive as they get older. We are all moving forward together.” 





Scott Poppe
Scott Poppe is from Kearny, Nebraska. He attended Kearney High School where he played center midfielder and left forward. He attended Midland College where he continued to play center midfielder and left forward. He started coaching in 2012 as a micro coach for his daughter Addie when she was 5 yrs old. In 2016 he assisted the varsity coach for the girls program at North Star High School. Scott has also coached at Schoo middle school as a boys middle school coach. He has joined the Villarreal family as a mini coach and the 2007 girls Spring team. Scott is also a certified referee. Scott is currently engaged and has 2 daughters. One that plays for VNA.  Scott owns a construction company called Golden Standard Construction.





Thomas Nettleton, USSF and NSCAA Certified, BALL MASTERY AND FOOTSKILLS SPECIALIST
Thomas has 14 years coaching experience from U6-College. His many experiences have including playing and coaching at Hastings College, and was a club soccer player from Lincoln. Currently, Thomas is the Head Girls Soccer Coach at Southwest High School. Thomas has certifications from USSF and NSCAA. He also has a Masters Degree in Physical Education. 





Chris Eggertsen

Chris is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He began coaching since 2016 in Papillion and Springfield NE and joined the VNA coaching staff in 2020 as one of the Omaha coaching staff.  Chris has coached ages U6-U15.  Eggertsen is married and has 2 daughters, one daughter Jenna plays for the VNA Omaha 2006 Elite Girls.  Chris also works a full time job at Applied Underwriters.






Matthew Landis

Matthew is from Lincoln, NE.  He went to Lincoln Northeast and graduated in 1988. He started the soccer club at Northeast, which was the last of the high schools to have a soccer club. The next year soccer was sanctioned by the city of Lincoln which happened to be Matthews senior year.  He was two-time all-city co-captain and was also all-state selection his senior year and played attacking center midfielder.  Matthew was inducted in Northeast High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019 for soccer.

In 1987 Matthew played for a Premier American Athletes team that played a couple of tournaments in Brazil where he got to meet Pele and tour his house. 

Matthew played for the University of Tulsa (Division 1) for one year and played outside midfielder for them.  

He started coaching his senior year of High School a group of third grade boys.  He has since coached almost every age of boys and many different places including the YMCA and Nebraska Rush.  Matthew joined the VNA coaching staff in 2020.  He also was the assistant coach for Nebraska Wesleyan's very first men's team.  

Matthew also has two of his very own VNA players as well, his daughter Sophia who plays for the 2008 Elite Girls and Stefan who plays for the 2011 Groguets.  






Erin Hall

Erin Hall is from Omaha NE and attended Omaha Westside High School where she played sweeper for the Warriors.  She attended Nebraska Wesleyan where she continued her soccer career, playing sweeper and stopper for 4 years.   Erin has been coaching on and off over the last 20 years with the YMCA, CSA, NFC, and at clinics for a variety of ages.  Erin joined the coaching staff at Villarreal in 2021.  She has all of her grassroots coaching licenses and is QPR Gatekeeper Certified.

Erin also works full-time at INSPRO, A Marsh McLennan Agency as the Benefits Team Manager.  She is married with 2 girls, Hayden is a member of the VNA Yellows. 






Trinity Babcock
Trinity is from Lincoln, NE. She attended Lincoln Southeast High School where she played forward and midfielder for the Knights for 4 years as well as playing for VNA HS Girls teams.  Trinity currently plays for the Southeast Community College Storm as a midfielder.  Trinity joined the VNA coaching family as a submarine coach and Yellow's assistant coach. 





Zander Day

Zander is from Council Bluffs Iowa.  He has played soccer since he was 3 years old.

Playing career: Played high school soccer at Abraham Lincoln High School. Played at Papillion Soccer Club, Bellevue Soccer Club, Sporting Omaha Futbol Club, and Council Bluffs Soccer Club (state cup and regionals only). Played in college at Iowa Western Community College and Concordia University, NE.

Coaching career: Assistant coach at CB Abraham Lincoln, Assistant/head coach at CBSC, Nest program coach

Player Career Achievements: Team leader in goals (junior year), Team leader in assists (sophomore, junior, senior), Four year varsity letterman (CBAL), First team all city, 2 year Honorable mention all conference, Second team all conference, Honorable mention all state, Iowa HS All Star game selectee, NSL division 2 league champion, State cup winner 2017, regional qualifier 2018, Varsity letterman Concordia University

Licenses: 4v4, 9v9, 11v11





Alison Mandell







Jacob Miller

Jacob is from Lincoln, NE where he played for Southwest High School. He played under Coach Jorge since he founded the club, playing center midfield and attacking midfield. He recieved a 3 month trial to play for the official Villarreal Academy and is now going on to play for Wesleyan University. He will be coaching teams at the same time, where he says he is looking forward to contributing to the growth of young players. 





Eli Brown

 Eli is from Lincoln, NE. he played for Lincoln East high school while playing through our academy for our Ultra team and progressed to play at Bellevue University. He returned stepping into coaching and administrative roles. Eli was an assistant coach for East's varsity season for the 22' season where he led the team to the stte semi-finals and an ooverall 15-4 record. He has received a multitude of different academic, all-state, and all-city while playing and now hopes to push others towards further success at the collegiate and professional levels.





Raul Lucero

Raul joined the VNA coaching family the summer of 2019.  He is from Chicago, Illinois.  He currently has his 7v7, 11v11 and E licenses.  Raul has been coaching soccer since 2005 bringing us 15 years of coaching experience.  He has coached various ages, genders and levels.  Raul started coaching because his friend was coaching a team and needed help in 2004 and enjoyed it so much that he has never stopped. Raul is married and has 2 boys, Raul Jr and Gael that both play for the academy. Raul also works as a truck driver for Universal Transit. 




Mike Tridle

Mike comes to us from Omaha, NE with 12 years coaching experience.  Mike joined the VNA soccer family in 2019.  He has coached various ages, genders and levels.  Mike started coaching because his boys were involved in the sport. Mike is married and have three boys that all play for the academy. He also works full time for Fiserv.






Joe Holmburg

Joe Holmburg is from Lincoln, Nebraska with 11 years coaching experience. He played soccer in high school for Lincoln Southest as an outside back. Joe joined the VNA soccer family in 2019 after coaching recreational and spirit soccer for the YMCA. He has coached various ages, genders and levels. Joe started coaching because of his love for the sport. Joe is also a certified futsal referee. He has volunteered for Lincoln public schools, Serositis Shrine and the YMCA. Joe is married and has two boys that play for the academy Luke and Landon. Joe graduated from SCC and works full time for Holmberg Construction.






Carlos Mejia, 11v11 Grassroots License

Classes include previous F-License class, Grassroots Intro, Grassroots 11v11, Intro to Villarreal Coaching, Villarreal On-Field Experience. Carlos has coached for 4 years with Union F.C., Dreamers F.C. and now with Villarreal Nebraska Academy. He has coached 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11 teams in ENSA, NL, YMCA Spirit and Rec. Carlos teaches and volunteers with his church as bible class at his church Nuevo Nacimiento. Carlos loves soccer and is something he grew up with. Carlos said soccer helped him to respect others and self, learned respect for others, helped him be in good physical condition, helped him get to know people and make friends. Coaching kids is important to Carlos because he wants players to get better, share what soccer can teach players for life, help them achieve their goals. While coaching he know his own life skills will continue to develop with communication, the opportunity to learn from others and grow as a team. Its fun to learn new coaching styles and skills. 






Thomas Goines, FUTSAL SPECIALIST

Coach Goines is the Head Women's coach at Concordia University in Seward. Prior to stepping into his role at Concordia, he had several roles including Director of Coaching at Wilson Youth Soccer Association in North Carolina. In his time with WYSA, Goines worked with both juniors and seniors on both men’s and women’s teams and lead the Girls Youth Academy. He has experience as a high school coach, Olympic Development Program coach, NCAA Division III and Division II college head coach in addition to his playing experience at Concordia University-Wisconsin.

He comes to use with:
•9 years college coaching experience (D3, D2, and NAIA)
•20 years’ experience in club coaching
•Founder of US Youth Futsal club in NC called “264 Futsal”
•264 Futsal was founded as a place where the best players from multiple clubs could play at elite levels concurrent to their outdoor club responsibilities, with only the joy of the game and love of competition as their goal.
Thomas has the following Licenses:
•USC Advanced National Diploma
•USC Premiere Diploma Candidate
•USC Futsal Level 1 Diploma •National and Regional Goalkeepers Diploma





Angela Rice
 Angela grew up in a military family so moved around a lot. She has attended several universities, but played at the University of South Alabama Mobile. She started the women's soccer program at West Craven High School in North Carolina. Angela then took over the women's program at Arnold High School in Florida that had never won a game, where they never had a losing season under her direction. They made a multitude of state playoffs and won districts, sending players to college on scholarships and trainings with the U18 USWNT. She then moved on to coach her son and has been coaching at the youth ages since.





Brad Wells
 Brad played youth years with Bellevue Soccer Club, select years with Gladiator Soccer, and a further 5 years of ODP for Nebraska. He received All State Selections in 86' 87' and 88'. Brad went on to play UNL Club and has since been coaching developmental teams going on 12 years.





Cainan Ming

Cainan is from Bermuda, playing center midfield for Blue Mountain Academy, high school, and college. He is currently the head coach for Union College and College View Academy, and has worked with all ages at the youth level. Cainan has his USSF license D and is currently working on his National Diploma. He is married with one son and a dog.





Ciro Reyes

Ciro is from Lincoln, NE. He played striker and center attacking midfield for Southeast high school. Ciro won several intramural champions while attending college at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. He started coaching through his cousin's U6 team and now coaches several youth ages for Villarreal. Ciro volunteers for the Big Brother and Big Sister program while working at Ultimus Fund Solutions as a fund analyst.





Alisha Stopp

Alisha is from Lincoln, NE.  She played club soccer in Lincoln and graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School. Alisha played for Nebraska Wesleyan University upon graduation.  She has coached micro to high school level teams.  Currently, Alisha is the JV Girls Soccer Coach at Lincoln Southwest High School. She also has a daughter, Avryn, that is part of the Groguets program.








Jason Parga
Jason joined the VNA coaching family in October of 2021. He has 10 years of experience coaching boys and girls in a variety of youth sports. Jason is from Lincoln, NE, graduated from Southeast Community College and works full time as a stay at home dad. He also volunteers at his children’s school, Cathedral of the Risen Christ. Jason is married and has four children, three boys and one girl. His oldest son Riley(‘07), middle son Tyler(‘09), and only daughter Madilyn(‘13) all play for the academy.





Kara Parga
 





Jerry Kile

Jerry is from Guide Rock, NE. He began coaching in 2008 with LSC Eclypse U15s and has also coached YMCA teams, holding both USSF E and F licenses. Jerry works for Van Sicle Paint  and is married with two girls. One currently coaches in Omaha, and the other came through our academy, going on to play at Concordia University. He has a total of 11 years of coaching experience and has learned much through watching and being apart of classroom and field training sessions.





Jose Hernandez

Jose is from Humble, TX. Played for Texans Socer Club and Houston Dynamo Kingwood, and played centerback for Humble High School. He went on to play for York College where he was a starter within his freshman season. Jose coaches withn both the Groguets and Yelloes program for Villarreal.





Nish Yadav

Nish is from las Vegas, Nevada. He graduated from West Career and Technical academy, played for Palo Verde High School where he led the team their first ever state championship, and played for club LV Neon where he won state, regionals, and nationals. Nish went on to play for Doane University where he was starting keeper for all 4 years, team captain for 2 years, and still hold several individual records. He has since coached at Crete High School, Doane's women's team, and is currently the goalkeeper coach for both of Doane's teams. Nish is also currently an individual goal keeper coach and club goalkeeper coach for Villarreal He works at TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab in Omaha.





Wilber Palma
 




Juan Perez

 





Miguel Perez








Christian Kohler
  


 
  






Cora Scott

Cora is from Lincoln, NE.  She attended Lincoln Southeast High School where she played soccer for the Knights as a fullback.  While at LSE she also ran Cross Country and played Basketball.  She also has played for the VNA Ultra girls teams.  She is not new to the VNA family.  Cora has been coaching Mini-Submarines, Yellows and Groguets for the last 3 years.  In addition to coaching soccer Cora is also a certified soccer referee.

Cora is also working at Scheels, Scooters and Southlake Village as a CNA.


 





Adam Archuleta 

Adam is from Lincoln, NE. He attended his first two years of High School at Pius X where he played for the Bolts then transferred to Lincoln East High School where he played center mid for the Spartans for 2 years. He is not new to the VNA family Adam has played for Jorge for 3 years on the HS Ultra team prior to graduating high school.  He has joined the VNA coaching staff to help coach the 2010 Elite Girls, Yellows and Submarines.  Adam is also a certified referee.  

Adam also works full time at Campbell's Nursery.






Catherine Marsolek

Catherine is from Lincoln, NE.  She attended Pius X High School where she played outside midfielder for the Bolts for 4 years as well as playing for the VNA.  Cat also played for the UNL Women's Club Soccer Team.  While playing for them she played outside midfield and outside back.  

She has been coaching for VNA since she was in high school.  This spring she coaches the Submarines and Yellows. 

Cat is currently a phlebotomist at Bryan Health.





Kurt Schanou

Kurt is from Platteview, NE but currently lives in Papillion, NE with his family.  While in High School in Platteview Kurt played forward, right outside, midfield and goal keeper.  Kurt began coaching in 2015 for the Papillion Soccer Club and has also coached with Springfield Soccer Club and Evolution Soccer Club coaching U8 through U165 girls and U8 boys.  He joined the VNA family in 2020.  He has all of his grassroots coaching licences.  

Kurt and his family live in Papillion and his daughter Alison plays for VNA on the 2006 Girls team.  He also works for General Siding Supply in Omaha. 





Director of Coaching - Girls

Jo Rosenberger
[email protected]
Jo Rosenberger is the Girls Director of Coaching and is also a staff member of MiSA.  She has been coaching for 15 years in various capacities including Football in the Community, high school, club, ODP, id2 and college.  

Originally from Bolton, England, where she played with the Lady Wanderers, she was a multi-sport standout but chose to come to America to play college soccer.  She played at multiple levels ranging from NAIA to NCAA Division I and was a key player on all teams.  

Jo has spent many years learning the MiSA curriculum and pedagogy and is considered one of the top female youth coaches in North America.  Her strength is in her communication, vision, and passion for the game that transfers effortlessly into her students.  Jo currently holds USSF and UEFA licenses and holds a MiSA National A license.  Jo is married to Brett Rosenberger (Boys DOC) and they live with their 6 year old daughter, Jadyn.

Director of Coaching - Girls

Jo Rosenberger
[email protected]
Jo Rosenberger is the Girls Director of Coaching and is also a staff member of MiSA.  She has been coaching for 15 years in various capacities including Football in the Community, high school, club, ODP, id2 and college.  

Originally from Bolton, England, where she played with the Lady Wanderers, she was a multi-sport standout but chose to come to America to play college soccer.  She played at multiple levels ranging from NAIA to NCAA Division I and was a key player on all teams.  

Jo has spent many years learning the MiSA curriculum and pedagogy and is considered one of the top female youth coaches in North America.  Her strength is in her communication, vision, and passion for the game that transfers effortlessly into her students.  Jo currently holds USSF and UEFA licenses and holds a MiSA National A license.  Jo is married to Brett Rosenberger (Boys DOC) and they live with their 6 year old daughter, Jadyn.

Director of Coaching - Girls

Jo Rosenberger
[email protected]
Jo Rosenberger is the Girls Director of Coaching and is also a staff member of MiSA.  She has been coaching for 15 years in various capacities including Football in the Community, high school, club, ODP, id2 and college.  

Originally from Bolton, England, where she played with the Lady Wanderers, she was a multi-sport standout but chose to come to America to play college soccer.  She played at multiple levels ranging from NAIA to NCAA Division I and was a key player on all teams.  

Jo has spent many years learning the MiSA curriculum and pedagogy and is considered one of the top female youth coaches in North America.  Her strength is in her communication, vision, and passion for the game that transfers effortlessly into her students.  Jo currently holds USSF and UEFA licenses and holds a MiSA National A license.  Jo is married to Brett Rosenberger (Boys DOC) and they live with their 6 year old daughter, Jadyn.

Staff


Back Row: Travis Brock, Richard Day Jr., Chris Eggertsen, Raul Lucero, Kurt Schnou,
Dominic Arthur, Cory Shepard, Ryan Tanner, Mike Tridle, Intern Mustafa.
Front Row: Matt Litt, Zander Day, Kennis Paul, John Hakari, Scott Poppe,
Managing Director Amy Scott, Carlos Mejia, Marco Sapien, Thomas Goines, 
Director of Coaching Jorge Sambataro.

Contact

VNA - Nebraska Sports Center
345 Speedway Circle, Suite #1
Lincoln, Nebraska 68502

Phone: 402-853-7100
Email: [email protected]

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