Matt Glaeser (born April 27, 1985) is a former 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 is currently the head coach and technical director of

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...

club

Forward Madison FC Forward Madison FC is an American professional soccer team based in Madison, Wisconsin. The team was founded in 2018, and played its inaugural season in 2019. The team competes in USL League One, the third division of the United States soccer l ...

Career

College and amateur

Glaeser played

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

and the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. It enrolled approximately 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students as ...

, where he was the America East Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and the NSCAA Northeast Region Goalkeeper of the Year as a senior. In 2007 Glaeser led the Hawks to their first appearance in the America East Championship since 2003, playing every minute in goal, allowing just 18 goals, less than one per game.

Professional

Glaeser was expected to be a high pick at the

2008 MLS SuperDraft The 2008 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 18, 2008 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the ninth annual Major League Soccer MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft. The first selection was made by the Kansas City Wizards, after acquiring the selection from t ...

, but was not drafted by any team, and was forced to look elsewhere for games; he subsequently signed for the

Western Mass Pioneers Western Mass Pioneers is an American soccer team based in Ludlow, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team plays its home games at Lusitano Stadium ...

in the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ...

, and played 20 games between the posts in his debut professional season. After a successful trial Glaeser signed for Finnish club

Pallo-Iirot Pallo-Iirot (abbreviated P-Iirot) is a football club from Rauma, Finland, Rauma in Finland. The club was formed in 1930 and their home ground is at the Äijänsuon stadion. The men's first team currently plays in the Kakkonen. The Chairman of ...

in 2009, and spent the year playing for them in the

Kakkonen Kakkonen or II divisioona is the fourth level in the league system of Finnish football and comprises 36 Finnish football teams. Until the end of 2023, ''Kakkonen'' was the third-highest level in Finland, but after the creation of new second-t ...

, the Finnish third division. Glaeser returned to the United States in 2010 and signed for

Miami FC Miami FC is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (201 ...

of the

USSF Division 2 Professional League The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding U ...

. He spent most of the early part of the year as a backup keeper to Caleb Patterson-Sewell, and spent a brief period on loan at state rivals

FC Tampa Bay 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 tier ...

as injury cover, before making his debut for the team on September 11, 2010, in a 2–1 win over Montreal Impact. During the 2011 season Glaeser started 27 games for Fort Lauderdale. As a result of his good performances, Glaeser signed a new contract with the club in July 2011, tying him down through the 2012 season with an option for an additional year. On March 28, 2014, Glaeser signed with

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...

club

Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. Histor ...

. In addition to his signing as an active player on the club roster, Glaeser will also be the club's Goalkeeper Coach and Community Development Coordinator. Glaeser retired from playing at the end of the 2015 season. On 3 December 2021, Glaeser was announced as head coach of

. On 2 November 2023, Glaeser signed a contract extension to return as Madison's head coach and technical director for the 2024 season.

References

External links

Associated Sports Management profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glaeser, Matt 1985 births Living people American men's soccer players Hartford Hawks men's soccer players James Madison Dukes men's soccer players Western Mass Pioneers players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (2006–2016) players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Fort Lauderdale Strikers players USL Second Division players USSF Division 2 Professional League players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Soccer players from Virginia USL Championship players Men's association football goalkeepers Pallo-Iirot players American expatriate men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Finland Expatriate men's footballers in Finland Wilmington Hammerheads FC players Real Monarchs coaches Real Salt Lake non-playing staff American soccer coaches Sacramento Republic FC coaches Forward Madison FC coaches USL League One coaches Sportspeople from Fredericksburg, Virginia