Chris Thorsheim

Chris’ passion for the game began as a youth growing up in the New Jersey shore area in the 1970’s and early 1980’s. It was the heyday of the New York Cosmos with legendary players, such as Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto, who inspired him to become a sweeper and field general. Highly competitive and self-motivated at a young age, Chris developed himself as into a skillful player with a technical understanding of the game. After starting in the early days of the Marlboro and Colts Neck youth travel programs, Chris played varsity soccer all four years at Marlboro High School and captained the team his senior year. Chris was most heavily influenced as a player and coach by George Casey, his club coach for the Colts Neck Stallions. George taught Chris how to bring a calm demeanor to the field, to never get too emotional, to play smart and to win.

Known as ‘Thor’ on and off the soccer field by his college teammates and friends at Susquehanna University, Chris made a very successful transition from high school to college soccer earning all-conference honors as a freshman. He went on to be four-year starter and captained the team his junior and senior years. After college, Chris played men’s club soccer in northern New Jersey while living in Montclair. As a player, Chris made every team he was on better with his dedication and leadership skills. This has carried into his coaching. He settled with his wife Lori and their four children in Manalapan, New Jersey and began coaching in the Manalapan Soccer Club in 1998. As a coach he began as a recreation coach with obviously higher aspirations. His knowledge and love of the game was and still is his driving force. In 2001 Chris began coaching on the travel level, coaching his oldest son Christopher on the Manalapan Red Tribe. Mixed in with that time he also continued to coach on the recreation level until the Spring 2006. At that point he became the head coach of the Manalapan Soccer Club's newest U8 team, the Joga Warriors.

His demeanor as a player truly followed him to the sidelines as a coach. His calmness and level headedness is seen on the sidelines. Furthermore his knowledge and understanding has helped some of the kids he has coached obtain ODP distinction with many more successes sure to follow them. He has continued to take coaching courses along the way realizing that there is still more to learn, more to bring back to the kids. Chris presently holds a D License and is a member of the NSCAA coaching ranks . For the past two years Chris has served on the Board of Directors of the Manalapan Soccer Club as, of course, the training director. This position not only enables him to bring his lifelong soccer experience to the children he coaches but to the aspiring coaches of the MSC and to its Board of Directors.

 

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