Sporting Kansas City assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin completed the second annual U.S. Soccer Pro License Coaching Course on Friday in Chicago.
Zavagnin was one of 17 professional coaches from Major League Soccer, North American Soccer League, National Women’s Soccer League, United Soccer League, and the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams to finish a 12-month journey that began in January.
2017 Pro Course Graduates
- Paul Buckle (Sacramento Republic, USL)
- Colin Clarke (North Carolina FC, NASL)
- Steven Cooke (Colorado Rapids, MLS)
- Jill Ellis (U.S. WNT)
- Jim Gabarra (Washington Spirit, NWSL)
- Jay Heaps
- Dominic Kinnear (Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS)
- Jesse Marsch (New York Red Bulls, MLS)
- Pat Noonan (U.S. MNT)
- Caleb Porter
- Darren Powell (San Antonio FC, USL)
- Brian Schmetzer (Seattle Sounders, MLS)
- Daryl Shore
- Mike Sorber
- Greg Vanney (Toronto FC, MLS)
- Josh Wolff (Columbus Crew, MLS)
- Kerry Zavagnin (Sporting KC, MLS)
The U.S. Soccer Pro Course represents the highest form of soccer licensing offered in North America. Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes was a graduate of the pilot Pro Course in 2016.
Zavagnin and the other 2017 graduates went through the course curriculum with two primary objectives: (1) to accomplish a custom, individualized plan and (2) for the collective unit to set new standards for the next generation of coaches. Each candidate took on a tailored program based on an assessment of their needs, participating in several group meetings and individual visits, while topics such as leadership and team tactical periodization were highlighted throughout the course.
“I think we need to continually use our experiences as we evolve the game," Zavagnin said this week in Chicago. "We have another generation coming through of coaches that have played at a high level. So to take that experience and now pass it on the younger generation, it’s certainly an obligation that I feel strongly about, trying to improve myself and share my experiences with players that we work with today but also to become better ourselves, because at the end of the day coaching is a lot about becoming an effective teacher and communicator. As we try to improve our players, so must we improve ourselves so that we can create an environment where we are all growing together.”
