Paul Holocher

Infobox Football biography
playername = Paul Holocher


fullname = Paul Holocher
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1969|5|24
cityofbirth = Seattle, Washington
countryofbirth = United States
height = Height|feet=5|inches=10
position = Midfielder
currentclub =
clubnumber =
youthyears = 1988-1991
youthclubs = Santa Clara University
years = 1991-1992
1993
1993-1994
1994
1995
1996
1997
clubs = San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
San Jose Hawks
Admira Wacker
Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Monterey Bay Jaguars
San Jose Clash
California Jaguars
caps(goals) = 18 (3)
05 (1)
nationalyears = 1996
nationalteam = United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 01 (0)
manageryears = 1999-2006
2006-
managerclubs = UC Santa Cruz
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
pcupdate = 16 March 2007
ntupdate = 9 June 2007

Paul Holocher (born May 24, 1969 in Seattle, Washington ) is a former U.S. soccer midfielder who played in Austria and Major League Soccer. He currently coaches the men’s soccer team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He also earned one caps with the U.S. national team in 1996.

College

Holocher attended Santa Clara University where he played for future national team coach Steve Sampson from 1988 to 1991. In 1989, the Broncos were NCAA co-champions with the University of Virginia. In 1990, Holocher was a third team All American and ended his four seasons with the Broncos as the team’s all time career scorer. ^{[http://www.nscaa.com/awards-src.php]}

Professional

In 1991, Holocher turned professional with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks of the American Professional Soccer League (APSL). In 1991, the Blackhawks won the APSL championship. In 1992, the Blackhawks went 8-8. The owner of the Blackhawks decided to take the team to a lower division and so in 1993 the renamed San Jose Hawks spent one year in the USISL. The Hawks won their division and went to the Sizzlin’ Six tournament where Holocher was named MVP. Despite this success the team folded at the end of 1993. Holocher moved to Europe where he signed with Austrian First Division club Admira Wacker. However after spending only the 1993-1994 season in Austria, Holocher was back in the U.S. with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (APSL). ^{[http://22066.vws.magma.ca/apsl10.htm]} The Strikers folded at the end of the season and Holocher moved back west to the Monterey Bay Jaguars (USISL) which played in Santa Clara, California. The Jaguars won their division and went to the Sizzlin’ Nine tournament.

In February 1996, the San Jose Clash of Major League Soccer (MLS) selected Holocher in the fifth round (forty-eighth overall) of the league’s Inaugural Player Draft. Holocher injured his knee in April 1996 did not play again until the post-season. He saw time in five games and scored one goal for the Clash. Holocher began the 1997 season with the Clash, but they waived him on April 10, 1997. Holocher returned to the Jaguars, now known as the California Jaguars.

In 1998, the Chicago Fire of MLS picked Holocher in the second round (sixteenth overall) of the Supplemental Draft but did not sign him.

National team

In 1996, the national team players went on strike just prior to a game in Peru. Holocher was called into the U.S. national team for the game, a 4-1 loss to Peru on October 16, 1996. Holocher was a second half substitute for Ted Eck at forward.

Coaching

In 1999, Holocher entered the coaching ranks both at the collegiate and the youth soccer levels. He founded the Catalyst Soccer Club that year and coached in the Premier Futbol Club of Santa Cruz County. In 1999, the University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz) also hired Holocher as its NCAA Division III men’s soccer coach. In January 2006, Holocher left UC Santa Cruz to become the head coach at NCAA Division I Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In his eight seasons at UC Santa Cruz, Holocher compiled a 109-24-8 record. He also took the Slugs to the 2004 Division III championship game where his team lost 4-0 to Messiah.In 2004, Holocher was inducted into the Santa Clara University Athletic Hall of Fame. ^{[http://www.scu.edu/scm/spring2004/mm-halloffame.cfm]}

External links

* [http://www.costaricasoccer.com/photogallery_santacruz/Paul_Holocher_and_Steve_Sampson_detail.htm Photo of Holocher with Steve Sampson]
* [http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/January/31/sport/stories/02sport.htm Coaching overview]