Philadelphia, PA, May 30 – Maccabi USA has appointed collegiate soccer coaches Preston Goldfarb of Birmingham, Alabama and Abby Richter of Stow, Ohio as head coaches of the USA Open Men’s and Women’s Soccer Teams at the 19th World Maccabiah Games in Israel, July 2013.
Goldfarb is the head men’s soccer coach at Birmingham Southern College (BSC). He started his involvement with soccer in Alabama in the early 1970’s with the Mid-State Youth Soccer Organization. Since arriving on the BSC campus in 1983, Goldfarb’s involvement with Soccer has expanded to the Alabama community with the development of youth and adult Soccer programs, including the first-ever Alabama amateur Soccer team in the U.S. Interregional Soccer League which he created in 1993. In 1995, Goldfarb was a driving force behind the city of Birmingham hosting Olympic Soccer for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games; and in 2000, he was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame.
Goldfarb has been named Conference Coach of the Year five times, including the 2005 Big South Conference Coach of the Year; Regional Coach of the Year in 1996, 1997, and 1999; and he was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’ s Regional honoree in 1995 and 1997. He also served as president of the NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches Association.
Goldfarb was the head coach for the Open Men’s Soccer Team at the Maccabi Australia International Games in 2010 and the head coach for the Juniors Boys’ Soccer Team at the 18th Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2009.
Richter is in her fifth season with the Kent State University (KSU) staff after rejoining the program as an assistant coach in April 2008. She had been a part of the KSU coaching staff from 2003-05 as a graduate assistant, then spent one year as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa and then two seasons at Ball State University as an assistant coach.
Richter has also coached elite soccer players internationally. She was the assistant coach for the USA Open Women’s Soccer Teams – in 2005 at the 17th Maccabiah, in 2007at the 11th Pan Am Maccabi Games in Argentina, and again in 2009 at the 18th Maccabiah Games. Her teams won medals at both Maccabiah Games – a silver at the 17th and a gold at the 18th.
Richter earned a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Goalkeeping Level One diploma and received her U.S. Soccer Federation “D” License. She has been a NSCAA member since 2002.
The coaching staff is seeking the best Jewish athletes from across the USA to try out for the team. The tryout is scheduled December 21 -23, 2012 in California and January 4-6, 2013 on the east coast – location to be determined. All interested athletes, both alumni and new, must fill out an application before trying out for the team. Applications are available at maccabiusa.com and can either be filled out on-line or mailed in.
Should you have any specific questions about eligibility or the tryouts, please contact the teams’ leaders atpgoldfar@bsc.edu for the Open Men’s Team or arichter@kent.edu for the Open Women’s team.
About the organization:
Maccabi USA (MUSA) is a federally-recognized not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization with an extensive history of enriching Jewish lives through athletic, cultural and educational programs. The organization is the official sponsor of the United States Team to the World Maccabiah Games, the Pan American Maccabi Games and the Maccabi competitions in Europe and Australia, as well as a sponsor of the JCC Maccabi Games for teens in North America. As the official Maccabi representative in the U.S., Maccabi USA supports Jewish athletic endeavors, enhanced by cultural and educational activities in the United States, Israel and throughout the Diaspora.
MUSA develops, promotes and supports international, national and regional athletic-based activities and facilities. It strives to provide Jewish athletes the world over the opportunity to share their heritage and customs in competitive athletic settings. MUSA supports programs that embody the Maccabi ideals of Jewish Continuity, Zionism and Excellence in Sport. Maccabi USA Builds Jewish Pride Through Sports.