johnm@lakecountrysoccer.org

John grew up in Kansas City and played soccer through High School and College.  He has over 40  years of experience coaching soccer at all levels, competitive and recreational.  John and his  wife, Debbie raised their 4 kids in Birmingham, AL where John was involved in club soccer from the moment they arrived in Alabama.  John helped grow the American Soccer Club form 650 players to 1500 players, having served as Club President & Director of Coaching.  Through a merger with the 2nd largest club in Birmingham, Birmingham United was formed  with a roster of 2500+ players.  John seerved as the Competitive Director of Coaching for the newly formed club.  John and Debbie's 4 children all played competitive soccer at the hightest levels and 3 of the 4 went on to play in college.  John, jr. is currently Head Women's Coach at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL, a NCAA DII school. John has served as the Executive Director at Lake Country Soccer in Springfield since 2013. 

thaylan@swmorush.org

Thaylan is from Springfield, MO and has been involved with soccer here in Springfield since he was 4 years old. He played on several club teams in Springfield during the infancy of Lake Country Soccer. Around the age of fourteen, Thaylan and his family made the decision to make a weekly commute to St. Louis, MO so he could play for Busch Soccer Club. Busch Soccer Club won the Missouri State Cup several times.

 Thaylan was a four year member of the soccer team at Greenwood High School in Springfield, MO. Greenwood won the district title all four years of his High School career. They fell just short of victory in the state championship game in 1995, 1996 and 1997. He was a first team all-district and first team all-state selection as a sophomore, junior and senior.

 He then earned a soccer scholarship to Missouri State University. Thaylan was a member of the 1999 Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament championship team. The 1999 Bears were undefeated through the regular season and conference tournament. In 2000, Missouri State climbed as high as number three in the NCAA division one national rankings.

 Once his playing days were over, he coached for several clubs throughout the city. He took a break from coaching before joining the Magic Soccer family in 2012. Thaylan resides in Springfield, MO with his wife Adrian and their sons Tristan and Tobias.

alfb@lakecountrysoccer.org

BOYS DIRECTOR OF COACHING

TYLER BENNETT

tylerb@swmorush.org
Born and raised in Springfield, MO, Tyler began playing soccer when he was 8 years old. He played for various teams until his 6th grade year when Tyler decided to start playing competitively with a traveling team called the Fire Hawks. He was a goalie for the majority of his early years until he started playing for Springfield Soccer Club. At that time his coach explained that with his speed he could be more helpful on the field after learning the technical skills of the game. 

 Tyler began his journey by starting out on the 2nd team during 7th and 8th grade. During the 8th grade year he started a workout plan every night that he didn’t have practice, that consisted of a one and a half hour individual training session, including 45 min of technical work and 45 min of fitness. As a result of his dedication and hard work, during his freshman year of high school he started to play for the 1st team, where he was a regular sub on the bench. He had the experience of winning 1st division MRL and playing in the Missouri State Cup tournament. Even more determined than before he continued his workout routine, which helped him land a starting spot on the 1st team during Tyler’s sophomore year, where he began playing every minute of every game. 

 In 2007, during his sophomore year of high school, the team at Springfield Soccer Club won 1st in the Premier MRL Division and also became the first team from not only Springfield, MO to win a Missouri State Cup Championship, but the first team to win it that was not from Kansas City or St. Louis. That year they also went on to become semi-finalists in the Regional tournament, made up of all 13 state cup champions from throughout the Midwest. During his junior year, they competed in the most prestigious top level tournaments in the United States including Disney Wide World of Sports Tournament, Dallas Cup, Adidas Final Four Tournament, and TSC Tournament. For the 2008 club campaign, his team won the Missouri State Cup Tournament for the second year in a row, 1st in the Premier Division for MRL, and Semi Finalist in the Regional Tournament. In 2009, Tyler’s senior year, his club team was ranked #1 in the Nation. 

Tyler also played all four years on his high school’s soccer team, at Kickapoo High School, where his team still holds the record for finishing 3rd in State. During his Junior year, he earned the following honors, 2nd Team All District, 2nd Team All-Conference. His senior year he was 1st Team All District, 1st Team All-Conference. After high school he was recruited to play NCAA Division III College soccer at Oglethorpe University from 2009-2012,

After graduating from Missouri State University Tyler began his coaching career in 2013. In 2016 he started coaching with Demize, where he has experienced winning multiple league championships including LCS and Heartland. He coached multiple teams and age groups that have won various tournament championships including LCS tournaments, Memphis Showcase tournaments, and Kansas City tournaments.

 “ I will continue to develop an elite soccer environment for kids that want to play at the next level. As the Director of the Boys side of the academy I will continue to instill the pillars of what allowed for my growth as a player and my success as a youth, high school and collegiate player from Southwest Missouri across the boys program. Commitment, hard work on and off the field, dedication to your team, teammates, and accountability.”

DEVELOPMENTAL LEAD, KIRK NELSON

• Missouri State University Associate Head Women’s Soccer Coach (2014 -)
• 2017 MVC Champions
• 2017 NCAA Championship Tournament
• 5 Time Conference Championship Tournament (1 Finals, 3 Semi-Finals)
• Former University of Nevada Associate Head Women’s Soccer Coach (2010 - 14)
• 4 Time Conference Championship Tournament (MW & WAC)
• U.S. Soccer Federation Youth National Team Lead Talent Scout (2018 -)
• U.S. Soccer Federation National Coaching Education Instructor for “C” License (2018 -)
• Olympic Development Program (ODP) 2004 Girls’ National Team Assistant Coach (2019-)
• Coached at new ODP National Camp in 2020
• Went undefeated in event
• ODP 2004 Girls’ Midwest Regional Team Head Coach (2018 -)
• Undefeated in 2019
• Competed against 4 Women’s’ Professional Teams in Costa Rica in 2020
• Midwest Region ODP Lead Scout (2019 -)
• Former West Region ODP Age Group Coach (2004 – 2016)
• Missouri Youth Soccer Association – State Technical Director (2017 -)
• U.S. Soccer Federation National “A” Coaching License
• United Soccer Coaches “Premier” Diploma
• U.S. Soccer Federation “Instructor” License
• Published in the “United Soccer Coaches Pre-Season Journal” 2019
• Have coached most ages & levels (including semi-pro) for over 27 years