Matt first started playing competitive soccer at the U11 age group. Lacking technical skill and physical ability (lumbering wouldn’t be an inappropriate adjective), he was often the last player off the bench on a very weak team. Determined to secure more playing time he turned to VHS skill tapes and books in addition to a steady diet of watching professional games when they were on TV. After a while he became a half decent player but his desire to acquire more insight into the game and its tactics fostered his continued education. Following his senior high school soccer season he took the USSF ‘E’ License Course at a nearby club and began assisting with travel teams at his first club. Before his sophomore college soccer season he completed the USSF ‘D’ License and was thus introduced to some basic tactics, which he continued to study. After suffering knee injuries prior to his junior and senior college seasons, Matt turned his attention from playing to coaching and began volunteer assisting at the local high school a few miles from his college. After his first season helping with the girls’ soccer teams, he was offered the 9th grade boys’ coaching position. During the winter after coaching the 9th grade boys, he attended and completed the USSF ‘C’ License in Bradenton, Florida. He again helped with the girls’ high school teams in the spring before graduating college. Matt is presently the assistant mens’ coach at a small Division III college and provides both one-on-one and small group training in the Philadelphia area.