Washington Soccer Academy
Coaching Staff
Jeff Rowland
Assistant Coach
Jeff Rowland joined the Husky coaching staff as an assistant on March 1, 2011. He was previously an assistant coach at Creighton University in 2010.
In his first season in 2011, he helped the Huskies to a second-place finish in the Pac-12 at 12-4-2 as UW nearly missed out on the NCAA Tournament.
With the Blue Jays, Rowland helped lead the team to a 13-5-2 record and a Missouri Valley Conference title. Creighton finished the season ranked in the top 20 and reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Jamie Clark, Rowland and the rest of the Creighton staff were named the 2010 Missouri Valley Coaching Staff of the year.
Before Creighton he served as a volunteer assistant coach at Harvard under Clark. Rowland's connection with Clark began as a player at New Mexico, as his playing career coincided with Clark's four-year coaching stint in Albuquerque.
Rowland played a major role in helping keep Harvard's attack ranked among the best in the NCAA that season. Harvard ranked 34th in the nation with 1.68 goals per game, led by All-American Andre Akpan. Akpan, who finished his career as Harvard's all-time leading scorer, ranked 13th in the NCAA in goals per game and 15th in points per game for the Crimson. Harvard went 14-4-1 overall and captured the Ivy League title in 2009, before advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in his only season on the sidelines in Boston.
Rowland is one of the most decorated men's soccer student-athletes in New Mexico history. As a senior in 2005, Rowland, who began his career as a walk-on, finished as the runner-up for the MAC Hermann Trophy. A forward, he was a two-time NSCAA First-Team All-American and two-time CoSIDA Academic First-Team All-American for the Lobos. His goal in the 94th minute of the NCAA Quarterfinals sent the Lobos to the College Cup in his senior season, where they would finish as the national runners-up.
During his junior season he was tabbed the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Co-Player of the Year after setting a school record with 45 points, including a school-record tying 19 goals. He owns the school record with 101 shots in a season, ranks second in school history in career shots (239), career goals (45) and third in career points (104). The Lobos posted a record of 61-16-8 (.765), won three conference titles and appeared in three NCAA Tournaments during his career.
Following his collegiate career he was drafted by Real Salt Lake as the second pick of the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft, playing two seasons for the club. He also played professionally for FC Dallas (MLS) and the Wilmington Hammerheads (USL) before knee injuries cut short his playing career.
An Albuquerque native, Rowland graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in marketing from New Mexico in 2006.
Craig Weibel
Assistant Coach
Craig Waibel was hired on Aug. 8, 2012 as the new assistant coach for UW men's soccer under head coach Jamie Clark.
Waibel joined the Michigan Wolverine coaching staff after a 12-year professional career in Major League Soccer in 2011, including stints with the Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes and Los Angeles Galaxy. Waibel, a native of Bellevue, Wash., most recently led the Houston Dynamo to back-to-back MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007 as a starting defender. Waibel also earned MLS Cup titles with the Earthquakes in 2003 and the Galaxy in 2002. His four rings rank No. 2 in MLS history.
Waibel was a four-year letterman and a 1999 graduate of the University of Washington, where he was named first-team all-conference and earned all-region honors. A two-time captain in 1997 and 1998, he led the Huskies to back-to-back Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships and to a No. 1 ranking during the 1997 season. Waibel was selected in the first round of the 1999 pro draft and made his MLS debut in 2000.
During Waibel's time with the Dynamo he also served as a volunteer assistant with the Rice women's soccer team and also spent time as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
In addition to his extensive professional career, Waibel has a long time history of philanthropy and was a five-time Major League Soccer Humanitarian of the Year. Waibel is currently involved in several charitable organizations in the Houston area, most notably "Waibel's Warriors," which benefits several Houston area charities.
Rich Reece
Goalkeeper Coach
Richard Reece spent six seasons as the Huskies' goalkeeping coach, beginning in 2004 and ending in 2009 when he left the Huskies to become a full time club director and coach for the USL under 20 and PDL Washington Crossfire club teams.
In 2011, Reece returned to the Huskies sidelines as the goalkeeper coach under new head coach Jamie Clark. During his first season back on the sidelines, Reece helped goalkeeper Spencer Richey to nine shutouts on the year and one of the best seasons by a UW keeper in school history.
Reece, a native of Cullercoats, England, mentored UW goalkeepers Chris Eylander and Rylan Hawkins, both of whom etched their names in the Husky record books under his tutelage and earned All-Pac-10 honors. Eylander went on to have an outstanding career with the MLS' Seattle Sounders, while Hawkins came back from a serious facial injury to post a career year his senior season and establish himself as one of the top keepers in the Pac-10.
Reece holds the prestigious UEFA "A" along with the USSF "A" coaching license, a USSF National Goalkeeping License, a USSF Youth license, a NSCAA Premier Diploma, a NSCAA Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma and NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma.
In addition to his duties at UW, Reece is a NSCAA national staff instructor and the NSCAA State Technical Director for Washington. Reece is an age group head coach for the Region IV Olympic Development Program as well as a coach for the U.S. soccer market training centers and a ECNL scout.
He is also the Director of Goalkeeping for Crossfire as well coaching the 98/95/94 A and ECNL girl's teams and the USL men's teams. Over the past four years he has coached the national-ranked Seattle Utd (ECFC green) '92 girls team which won numerous state and league championships and produced five national team players and 21 college players. Reece is the owner and director of the Elite Goalkeeper Academy.
Reece came to Seattle from Houston, Texas, where he had been the Director of Goalkeeping for the Eclipse Soccer Club since 2001. While coaching in Houston, Reece mentored goalkeepers onto youth national and All-American teams, as well as leading teams to State and Regional finals. Reece also ran the goalkeeping programs for both South Texas ODP and the STYSA coaches education department.
A standout goalkeeper himself, Reece spent six years playing professional and semipro soccer including stints with Gateshead FC, Stevenage Boro, Blyth Spartens, Whitley Bay, Lincoln City and Sunderland FC.
Reece and his wife Brooke reside in Seattle with their daughter Jazzy Rose.
