Nelson A. Cupello is a former Brazilian

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 ...

defender and current collegiate soccer coach. He played five 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 three in the American Soccer League. He currently coaches the

Monroe Community College Monroe Community College (MCC) is a public community college in Monroe County, New York. It is part of the State University of New York. The college has two campuses; the main campus in the town of Brighton, and the Downtown Campus in the City ...

men's soccer team.

College

Nelson began his collegiate soccer career at

. He transferred to

SUNY Brockport State University of New York at Brockport (also known as SUNY Brockport or Brockport State, and previously The College at Brockport) is a public university in Brockport, New York, United States. It is part of the State University of New York (S ...

in 1973 and played two seasons with Brockport. In 1974, the school won the Division III

NCAA Championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

. He earned third team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n recognition in 1974 and graduated in 1975. Cupello was inducted into SUNY Brockport Hall of Fame in 1993
/sup> and the NJCAA Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002.

Professional career

The Rochester Lancers (1967–80), Rochester Lancers of the

drafted Cupello in 1975. He went on to play five seasons with the Lancers.Rochester Lancers Stats
/ref> The Lancers folded at the end of the 1980 season. In 1981, Cupello joined the expansion

Rochester Flash The Rochester Flash was an American soccer club based in Rochester, New York, that was a member of the American Soccer League from 1981–82 and of the United Soccer League in 1984. History Rochester's first experience with professional soccer ...

of the American Soccer League. He retired from playing professionally in 1983.

Coaching

Cupello began coaching in 1978 when he became an assistant coach with the Monroe Community College men's soccer team. He held that position through the 1984 season, but with his retirement from playing professionally, he moved full-time into coaching. In 1985,

SUNY Fredonia The State University of New York at Fredonia (alternatively SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia State, or Fredonia) is a public university in Fredonia, New York. It is the westernmost member of the State University of New York. Founded in 1826, it is the six ...

hired Cupello as its head coach. In his five seasons with Fredonia, he took the team to the NCAA tournament four times, twice losing in the semifinals. In 1990, he returned to Monroe where he became the school's head coach. He is a 12-time Region III Coach of the Year and three-time Northeast District Coach of the Year, taking the Tribunes to the Regional title in 1995, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Hss overall record at MCC currently stands at 303–101–27. In 2012, Cupello led the Tribunes to an 18-1-1 record, and a third-place finish at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. On January 18, 2013, Cupello was named the NSCAA National Coach of the Year. In 2003, became the Director of Coaching at the Rochester Futbol Club which Cupello and Charlie Williams had founded in 1997.
/sup>

References

External links

Monroe bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cupello, Nelson 1951 births Living people American soccer coaches American men's soccer players Brazilian emigrants to the United States American Soccer League (1933–1983) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Rochester Flash players Rochester Lancers (1967–1980) players Men's association football defenders State University of New York at Brockport alumni 20th-century American sportsmen Monroe Community College alumni Monroe Community College faculty Junior college men's soccer players in the United States Brockport Golden Eagles men's soccer players Fredonia Blue Devils men's soccer coaches National Independent Soccer Association coaches