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On April 27, Gothic Knight
Director of Athletics Larry Schiner named Cristian da Silva as the new
head men's soccer coach at
New
Jersey City University. Da Silva will be the 11th head men’s
soccer coach in the 47-year history of the NJCU program.
Da Silva replaces Kevin East, who in nine years at NJCU (1998-2006) became
the school’s all-time winningest coach (123-66-11) and had a .643 winning
percentage in
exactly 200 games.
“We are fortunate to find an individual who has proven coaching ability,
as well as a thorough knowledge and understanding of the game of soccer in
Cristian da Silva,” said Schiner. “I feel confident that he will continue
the winning tradition at NJCU started by former head coach Kevin East.”
Da Silva comes to NJCU from Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale,
NJ where he was the head boys' soccer coach since 2001.The 2002 Bergen
County Coach of the Year, Da Silva guided the Green Knights to the
non-public North A state sectional finals in 2002 with a 16-5 record, and
the state sectional semifinals in 2004 and 2006 with records of 15-6 and
18-4, respectively. The 18-4 mark obtained by the 2006 club was the best
record in school history. Under his tutelage, the Knights were NNJIL
league finalists in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
“I’m excited about the opportunity NJCU is giving me,” said da Silva.
“It’s a challenge I’ve been wanting for a long time. College soccer has
been very important to me since I was part of two national championship
teams as a player, and my goal would be to win one as a coach.
“I know it is going to be hard to replace Kevin [East], but I’ll work very
hard to keep the program going in the same direction—vying for a
conference championship. I look forward to challenging my players on the
field, and will push them towards graduation.”
Da Silva, who possesses a United States Soccer Federation National “A”
License, has worked with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) as the
head coach of the Region 1 Olympic Development Program (ODP) since 2004
for boys born in 1992, and coached against professional teams in
Argentina, Italy and U.S. Regional clubs.
Since 1997, da Silva has served as head coach of the New Jersey Minority
Program for the USSF, working alongside national team coach Juan Carlos
Michia. Da Silva has been responsible for identifying inner-city players
for the U.S. National Team.
As Director of Youth Coaching for the American Soccer Club since 2000, da
Silva planned all the boys and girls U-7 to U-17 programs. He was head
coach of the U-11 boys’ teams that won the 2001 New Jersey State Cup
championship, was ranked No. 1 in the state and fifth in the country. He
guided the club to the 1999, 2001 and 2002 Northern County League title.
He also coached the U-15 girls’ team that was ranked third in the state
and 16th in the region, winning four league crowns.
In 2001, da Silva guided the Pasco Stallions U-13 Boys to a #2 ranking in
the state and eighth in the nation. That same year he coached the Northern
County Summer Select U-10 boys’ team to a perfect 34-0-0 record and the
league title.
Since 1999, he has been President and Director of Youth Coaching for the
Cris da Silva Pro Soccer Academy, where he has implemented training
sessions and organized youth club teams.
Amongst the professional coaching ranks, da Silva served as an assistant
coach and Director of Youth Coaching from 1998-99 with the Staten Island
Vipers A-League Division II, which advanced to the 1999 league
quarterfinals and defeated the MetroStars in the U.S. Open Cup.
Da Silva played professionally as a defensive midfielder with the
MetroStars of Major League Soccer from 1996-98, where he was a Franchise
First Discovery Player. In 1994, he was a first round draft pick of the
Buffalo Blizzards of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL).
From 1998-99 he played with the Staten Island Vipers of the A-League,
where he was a team captain, two-time player of the month and three-time
player of the week. He helped the Vipers to the 1999 playoff quarterfinals
and to a win over the MetroStars in the U.S. Open Cup.
From 1994-96, da Silva played for the New Jersey Stallions of the USISL.
There, he was a captain and the team’s defensive MVP, and was selected to
the league’s all-star game.
A four-year starter as a sweeper for Southern Connecticut State University
in New Haven, CT, he helped the Owls capture the 1990 and 1992 NCAA
Division II national championships, while also advancing to the 1993 NCAA
final. A 1993 First-Team All-America selection, he led the Owls to the
1990, 1992 and 1993 New England Collegiate Conference title. He also
played in the 1993 New England Senior Bowl.
Da Silva was a four-year starter for Don Bosco Tech in Paterson, NJ from
1986-89, and in 2000 was named to the Passaic County All-Century Team by
the Bergen Record. He was
named First-Team All-State in 1989 after leading the Rams to the Passaic
County championship. He was selected First-Team All-County in 1988 and
1989, and First-Team All-BPSL Carpenter from 1987-89, as the Rams won
league titles each year.
A 1994 graduate of SCSU, he received a bachelor of science in Corporate
Communication.
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