Glenn "Mooch" Myernick (December 29, 1954 in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

– October 9, 2006 in

Thornton, Colorado Thornton is a home rule municipality located in Adams and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. The city population was 141,867, all in Adams County, at the 2020 United States census, an increase of 19.44% since the 2010 United States cen ...

) was an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player and coach. He won the 1976

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and th ...

as that year's outstanding collegiate player. He then spent eight seasons in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

and one in Major Indoor Soccer League. Myernick also earned 10

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

with the U.S. national team. After retiring from playing professionally, Myernick spent over twenty years as a professional and national team coach.

Playing career

High School and college

Myernick played soccer at Lawrence High School in

Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Lawrence Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located at the cross-roads between the Delaware River, Delaware Valley region to the southwest and the Raritan R ...

, from which he graduated in 1972. He was All-State as a forward in 1971 and as a defender in 1972. Beginning his freshman year, he led Lawrence to three straight Group 2 state titles. In 1999, he was named by ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition. In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...

'' as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1970s. Following high school, he attended

Mercer County Community College Mercer County Community College (MCCC) is a Public university, public, community college in Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. More than 7,000 students enroll in one or more credit courses each year. Esta ...

in 1973 before transferring to

Hartwick College Hartwick College is a private liberal arts college in Oneonta, New York. The institution's origin is rooted in the founding of Hartwick Seminary in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick. In 1927, the seminary became a four-year coll ...

his sophomore season. He is a member of the Mercer County Community College Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a second team All American in 1974 at Hartwick, but lost much of the 1975 season with the U.S. Olympic team as it attempted to qualify for the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

. Returning to Hartwick for the 1976 season, Myernick was named team captain and led the Warriors (Hartwick has since adopted the name Hawks) to the NCAA Final Four and First Team All American recognition. He was also the 1976

winner as the top college player of the year. In 1995, Hartwick College inducted Myernick into its Athletic Hall of Fame.

NASL

In 1976, Al Miller, a former Hartwick soccer coach who was now head coach of the

’s

Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. T ...

, selected Myernick with the top pick of the NASL College Draft. The Tornado traded Myernick to the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

in 1980 and he was named the Timbers captain that season. When Portland folded following the 1982 season, the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

selected Myernick in the dispersal draft. While the NASL folded following the 1984 season, the Rowdies continued to play as an independent team. Myernick remained with the Rowdies before retiring in 1985.

MISL

Myernick spent one season, 1979–1980, with the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

of Major Indoor Soccer League.

National Team

Myernick earned 10

for the U.S. from 1977 to 1979, serving as team captain in 1978. He also started 4 games for the U.S. Olympic soccer team during Olympic qualifying in 1976. Myernick was on the American team at the

1975 Pan American Games The 1975 Pan American Games, officially known as the VII Pan American Games () and commonly known as Mexico 1975 (), were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the second Pan American Games ...

Coaching

College

Myernick retired from playing professionally in 1985, becoming an assistant coach at the

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UTampa, UT or Tampa U) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UTampa offers more than 200 programs of study, including 19 master's degrees and a br ...

. In 1986, he moved back north to

to become an assistant coach.

National team

After serving as an assistant coach on the 1996 U.S. Men's Olympic soccer team, Myernick was hired in 2002 to serve as an assistant coach on the Men's National Team for the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

. After the highly successful Quarterfinal run made by the United States, Myernick coached the U.S. Men's U-23 Soccer team as they attempted (unsuccessfully) to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Tournament. He continued serving the U.S. Men's National Team through the 2005 Gold Cup (notably - managing the team during the championship game, when head coach Bruce Arena had been suspended for the final) and the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

. Myernick was also the organizer of the Colorado Rapids youth soccer clinic from 1997 through 2000 at the Rapids training facility in

Westminster, Colorado The City of Westminster is a home rule municipality located in Adams and Jefferson counties, Colorado, United States. The city population was 116,317 at the 2020 United States census with 71,240 residing in Adams County and 45,077 residing i ...

Colorado Rapids

Myernick served as the head coach of the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

from 1997 to 2000, leading them into the playoffs in each of the four seasons. The Rapids made it all the way to the

MLS Cup MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...

final in his first year at the helm, coming up short 2–1 to D.C. United at

RFK Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. located on East Capitol Street near the Anacostia River. Opened in 1 ...

. The team also advanced to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final in 1999, losing 2–0 to the

Rochester Raging Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American association football, soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-Major League Soccer ...

. He also served in the same capacity with the U.S. under-23 Men's National Team in 2003. Myernick was the U.S. Men's Senior National Team assistant coach at the time of his death.

Death

Myernick died in

on October 9, 2006, four days after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

during his morning jog on Thursday, October 5, 2006, never having regained consciousness. U.S. Soccer officials, including President

Sunil Gulati Sunil Gulati ( ; born July 30, 1959) is an American sports administrator who presided over the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) from 2006 to 2018. On April 19, 2013, he was elected to a four-year term on the FIFA Council. In March 2014, h ...

and former Men's National Team manager

Bruce Arena Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951) is an American soccer coach who currently serves as the head coach and sporting director of the San Jose Earthquakes. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the NJCAA Lacrosse Hall of Fame. ...

, paid homage to Myernick and praised his invaluable contributions to soccer in the United States. Myernick was acclaimed as an enthusiastic coach, player, father, and friend.

Hall of Fame

On April 8, 2015, Myernick was elected to the

National Soccer Hall of Fame The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a public-private partnership among FC Dallas, the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District, and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and currently located in Toyota Stadium (Texas), Toyota Stadium in Frisco, T ...

along with

Sigi Schmid Siegfried "Sigi" Schmid (; March 20, 1953 – December 25, 2018) was a German soccer coach. Born in Tübingen, West Germany, he moved to the United States with his family when he was a child. He played college soccer from 1972 to 1975 at the U ...

and

Kasey Keller Kasey C. Keller (born November 29, 1969) is an American former professional association football, soccer player who played in Europe and the United States, and was the starting Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for the United State ...

References

External links

Colorado Rapids coaching profile

MLS News: Former Rapids Coach Myernick Dies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myernick, Glenn 1954 births 2006 deaths American soccer coaches American men's soccer players Colorado Rapids head coaches Dallas Tornado players Hartwick Hawks men's soccer players Lawrence High School (New Jersey) alumni Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Portland Timbers (1975–1982) players Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players United States men's international soccer players Footballers at the 1975 Pan American Games Pan American Games footballers for the United States Wichita Wings (MISL) players Soccer players from Trenton, New Jersey Major League Soccer head coaches Men's association football midfielders National Soccer Hall of Fame members All-American college men's soccer players Hermann Trophy men's winners 20th-century American sportsmen