CHICAGO – Sacramento Republic FC’s Paul Buckle and San Antonio FC’s Darren Powell were named as candidates for the 2017 U.S. Soccer Pro Course on Friday by U.S. Soccer, part of a 17-person class that will undertake the year-long course with the goal of earning the highest coaching license issued by the Federation.

Both Buckle and Powell have already earned their USSF ‘A’ licenses, and this week began the Pro License course in Los Angeles. This is the second year the USSF has run the course, with 13 MLS and U.S. Youth National Team program coaches being part of the inaugural class that completed the course last month.

Other notable names to take the course this year are U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Jill Ellis, in addition to MLS Head Coaches Jay Heaps (New England), Dominic Kinnear (San Jose), Jesse Marsch (New York), Caleb Porter (Portland) and Brian Schmetzer (Seattle).

The Pro Course was added to the U.S. Soccer structure of licensing to complete the pathway from the grassroots to professional coaching, with its two primary objectives for each coach to accomplish a custom, individualized plan and for the collective unit of coaches to set new standards for the next generation of coaches. 

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Nico Romeijn, U.S Soccer’s Director of Coaching Education, said that the new course will allow a significant step forward for professional coaches in the United States.

“The addition of the Pro course helps raise the bar by setting a new standard for current professional coaches and coaches aspiring to be professionals,” Romeijn said. “We hope to continue to build on these opportunities and create a world class learning environment for our domestic coaches at the professional level and all levels.”

Among the guest speakers for the initial sessions in Los Angeles are current United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Bruce Arena, UEFA Head of Football Education Services Frank Ludolph, Gautum Mukunda, of the Harvard Business School, and Thomas Schaaf, whose managerial positions have included Hanover 96, Eintracht Frankfurt, Werder Bremen.

“It’s a honor to be a part of this program and to be able to exchange ideas with this group of coaches,” Arena said. “The Pro Course is something that all professional soccer coaches should aspire to achieve. The Pro Course is not only raising the standard, but also amplifying this notion of continued development. We should always be looking to better ourselves and our community of coaches.”