It was finally made official on Thursday that California State University, Stanislaus men’s soccer head coach Dana Taylor will be the head coach for the San Jose Earthquakes Premiere Development League U-23 team in its inaugural season in Turlock this upcoming May.
“It is our goal to showcase to the Central Valley community some of the top players that have a chance to break into the next level of professional soccer,” Taylor said.
Taylor, who has been the Stanislaus head coach since 2009, has led the Warriors to a 52-30-11 record during his tenure and has helped elevate the school to a top tier Division II program in the country along with a league title in 2012 and an NCAA tournament appearance, both for the first time in school history.
“I am extremely honored to be a part of the Earthquakes in their inaugural PDL season,” Taylor said. “It has been exciting to see the City of Turlock, CSU Stanislaus and the Earthquakes come together to establish this historic partnership. It is an opportunity of a lifetime for our community to watch and support some of the most talented players in the country.”
Before his current job at Stan State, Taylor was the head coach for Division I program Oregon State, where he developed current Earthquakes forward Alan Gordon among many others to pass through the reigns of his coaching.
There is no telling how the team will turn out in its first season as it is never easy to start from scratch, but Taylor said he feels he can help push these players to reach the top level of soccer in this country.
“The goal is to get these young men to gel together, play good possession, skillful ball, competing to win but more importantly to showcase their talent,” Taylor said.
In his 10 years at the helm in Oregon State, Taylor helped 19 players reach the professional ranks. Also during Taylor’s time with the Beavers he helped them advanced to two College Cups and were ranked as high as seventh in the country, earning Taylor Pac 10 Coach of the Year in 2002.
Prior to his stint at Oregon State, Taylor served as an assistant coach at Creighton for four seasons, helping the team to a 63-17-6 record, three Missouri Valley Conference titles, four NCAA appearances, a Final Four appearance in 1996, and an Elite 8 finish in 1998.
There has been nothing but success wherever Taylor goes, at any age group. As a youth coach, Taylor's team won the U-23 Region II Championships and went on to finish third at the 1998 National Championships.
In 2010, Coach Taylor’s U18 squad won the NorCal State Championship. His current San Jose Earthquakes U13 East Valley team finished second at the 2014 State Championships and is currently rank first in the state.
Taylor holds a United States Soccer Federation "A" Coaching License and a NSCAA Premier Diploma. He has been a national staff instructor, coaching USSF National courses and NSCAA Regional courses, and is part of the national goalkeeping staff.
For Earthquakes PDL ticket information call 620-0315. Also, follow the squad on their Facebook page at SJEarthquakesPDLU23.
