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JOHAN CEDERGREN NAMED UK MEN’S SOCCER HEAD COACH
Dartmouth Associate Head Coach Tabbed Third UK Soccer Head Coach in Program History
LEXINGTON,
Ky. -- After helping lead Dartmouth to five consecutive NCAA Tournament
appearances, Dartmouth associate head coach Johan Cedergren has been
named the third head coach in the history of Kentucky men’s soccer, UK
Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart announced on Thursday morning.
“Johan
is one of the top assistant coaches in the nation and is going to be a
dynamic head coach for our men’s soccer program,” Barnhart said. “He is
a tireless worker, has great tactical knowledge of the game and has a
proven track record of success. We are so excited to welcome Johan, his
wife Julia and family to the University of Kentucky.”
A
native of Sölvesborg, Sweden, Cedergren comes to UK after spending five
years with Dartmouth, leading the Big Green to the NCAA Tournament in
each season, an impressive feat at an Ivy League program without
athletic scholarships and significant academic requirements.
A
former standout player at the University of Cincinnati, Cedergren has
helped pace Dartmouth to the Sweet 16 in two of the last five years,
including two Ivy League Championships.
“I am extremely
grateful to Dr. Eli Capilouto, Mitch Barnhart and Kevin Saal for the
opportunity to lead the men’s soccer program,” Cedergren said. “My
family and I are delighted to be back in the Central Kentucky area. I
have had five great seasons at Dartmouth and can’t express enough of my
appreciation to athletics director Harry Sheehy and my coach and
mentor, Jeff Cook.
“I join a University and athletics
department that are known for excellence. Our soccer program will
compete at the highest level and make this community proud. Conference
USA is a great league and has done well nationally sending four teams
to the NCAA Tournament in both 2010 and 2011. We can’t wait to get
started and are looking forward to becoming a part of the UK family.”
The
2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Northeast Region
Assistant Coach of the Year, Cedergren has helped lead the Big Green to
a 52-30-12 overall record, including a 22-9-3 mark in Ivy League play,
with NCAA Tournament appearances from 2007-11. Dartmouth is one of just
10 programs to play in five consecutive NCAA Tournaments, the
eighth-longest streak in the nation, winning the Ivy League title in
2008 and 2011.
Highly committed to the student-athlete
experience and success on the field and in the classroom, Cedergren’s
Dartmouth teams won the NSCAA Team Academic Award for five consecutive
seasons. In 2009, Dartmouth’s team 3.46 GPA was the highest in the
nation, with Dartmouth boasting three Scholar-Athlete All-America
honorees.
Cedergren’s impact on Dartmouth can been seen
directly in the individual achievements of its student-athletes,
guiding two players to All-America accolades, two Hermann Trophy
candidates, Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Year honorees and 28
All-Ivy League selections. In addition, Dartmouth players have earned
an invite to the Major League Soccer Player Combine in four consecutive
seasons, most recently Lucky Mkosana, the 2011 Ivy League Player of the
Year.
Dartmouth head coach Jeff Cook – who coached
Cedergren at Cincinnati – has been enrolled in the demanding UEFA Pro
License coaching course throughout the 2011 year, requiring Cedergren
to take on an enhanced role with the program, including coaching the
team independently at times during spring games and preseason training
sessions.
Highly active in recruiting the Dartmouth
roster, Cedergren has found success coaching international talents,
with the 2011 Dartmouth roster featuring six international players from
five different countries. UK’s 2011 roster featured 10 international
players.
Cedergren played for Cook at Cincinnati, after
playing at the highest youth level in Sweden for Kalmar FF, also
participating in the national development program. At UC, Cedergren was
a three-year letterwinner and an All-Conference USA honoree. A former
team captain, Cedergren helped lead UC to its first ever NCAA
Tournament appearance in 1998 and a final-season top-20 ranking.
After
concluding his playing career with a business-finance degree, Cedergren
attained his master’s in business administration from Xavier
University, while also working full time in finance. Before beginning
his coaching career, Cedergren spent eight years working in business,
including time spent with U.S. Bank (2004-07) and the Johnson
Investment Counsel (2001-04). While in Cincinnati, Cedergren coached
with the Cincinnati Classics Soccer Club.
Cedergren has
his Level I and Level II coaching diploma from the Swedish Football
Federation and his NSCAA Premier Diploma, Advanced National and
National certifications.
Cedergren, 36, is married to the
former Julia Greenwald, a native of Cincinnati. The couple has two
children, Gavin (six) and six-month old Abigail.
THE CEDERGREN FILE
Personal
Birth Date: May 31, 1975
Wife: Julia
Children: Gavin (6), Abigail (six months)
Date Hired at UK: Dec. 22, 2011
Education
College: Cincinnati (2001)
Bachelor’s Degree Business-Finance
Team Captain, All-Conference USA
Post-Graduate Degree: Xavier (2005)
Master’s of Business-Finance
Coaching Experience
Year
Team
Record
Note
2001
Cincinnati (student assistant coach)
7-8-4
C-USA Tournament
2007
Dartmouth (assistant
coach)
11-4-3
NCAA Tournament
2008
Dartmouth (assistant
coach)
11-6-2
NCAA Sweet 16
2009
Dartmouth (assistant
coach)
10-7-1
NCAA Tournament
2010
Dartmouth (associate head coach)
12-7-1
NCAA Sweet 16
2011
Dartmouth (associate head coach)
8-6-4
Ivy League Champions
Playing Experience
1991-93 Kalmar FF (Division I)
1994-95 Sölvesborg GIF (Division IV & III)
1996-97 Mjällby AIF (Division I)
1997-00 Cincinnati (C-USA)
2001 Cincinnati Riverhaws (A-League)
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT CEDERGREN
“It
is really exciting. We couldn’t get happier for him and his family. I
am just delighted for him moving forward in his career, but also
because I feel like Kentucky is the type of institution that we would
hope our assistants move into when they have jobs. It is a great
position to leave Dartmouth for. Of course we are sad to see Johan go,
this is the right opportunity for him and his career.
“Johan
was a seriously competitive player and one of the best players I have
ever coached in my over 20 years of being involved in college soccer.
His passion for the game was very evident, even when he was playing. He
was a bit older when I recruited him to the University of Cincinnati,
so his final year in school, he was no longer eligible because of his
age, so he took his senior year as a student-assistant coach. That was
the first time that I saw his real interest in team organization, in
putting real thought into building a team and the process, team
management, all of those things that go along with coaching. That is
when we knew he was going to be a really good coach.”
“I
have said this to a few people. I believe that his experience outside
of the game, ironically, has really set him up well in terms of his
professionalism, the fact that he has done his MBA, he has worked in
the business world for a time. That helps him. I think he does a great
job with preparation. That stands out to me. He is very current,
up-to-date on sports science, conditioning and coaching. He is a
passionate man. He wants to gain knowledge; he wants to see how he can
be a better coach. For me that is one of the things that when you look
across all sports and you see the top coaches, it is those that are
always trying to get better. As a coach, once you start to think you
have figured it all out, you are in trouble. He is so knowledgeable
about the game. And our players really respect him and wanted to play
for him. I feel that he was able to work with our student-athletes in
the right way so that they knew that he could really help them become
better players in college soccer.”
- Dartmouth Head Coach Jeff Cook
“Johan
is a great hire for Kentucky. He was huge for me and Dartmouth during
his time there. He really helped us jump the program to the next level.
I had the chance to work with him after the season to get ready for the
MLS Combine last year and he was huge for me there. He was that one
missing link that we had as far as bringing his ideas and coaching
ability that kind of brought us from being a competitive team to being
a team that expected to win on the national stage. He is an important
person and a lifelong friend in my life and I am just so excited that
he has gotten the opportunity to coach Kentucky.”
- LA Galaxy and former Dartmouth MF Dan Keat
“The
Kentucky program is one that has been on the cusp of national
prominence for quite a few years. They have teetered in and out of the
top 25 and the expectation for every program at Kentucky is probably to
be in the top 10. UK’s hire in Johan is a guy who will very likely take
you there. For the school, the program and the athletics department as
a whole, there is a man in place now who will get things done for the
program.”
- University of Washington Head Coach Jamie Clark
BREAKING DOWN CEDERGREN’S TIME WITH THE BIG GREEN
*
In his first year at Dartmouth in 2007, helped the Big Green to an
11-4-3 record, with the fifth-best goals-against average in the NCAA
(0.53).
* Helped Dartmouth to the NCAA Sweet 16 and the Ivy League
Championship with an 11-6-3 record, averaging 1.58 goals scored per
game.
* Dartmouth ranked 30th in the NCAA with 1.72 goals scored per game in 2009, posting a 10-7-1 record.
*
In 2010, Cedergren helped pace the Big Green to the NCAA Sweet 16,
averaging a1.65 goals scored per game, with a 12-7-1 overall record.
*
Helped Daniel Keat completed his career in 2010 for the Big Green with
four goals and five assists, earning a spot on the Los Angeles Galaxy,
helping the Galaxy win the 2011 MLS Cup.
* Helped direct Dartmouth
to its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth in 2011 with an 8-6-4
record, averaging 1.39 goals scored per game.
* Mentored 2011 Ivy
League Player of the Year Lucky Mkosana to 10 goals in 17 games in his
senior season, completing one of the most prolific careers in school
history.
* Dartmouth averaged 27.8 goals scored per season during
his tenure with the Big Green, owning a 492-360 advantage in corner
kicks.
QUICK NOTES ON CEDERGREN
* As the
associate head coach, guided the Dartmouth Big Green to five
consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, despite battling the obstacles
of playing in the academic-restricted Ivy League without athletic
scholarships.
* The 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of
America NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year, Cedergren worked directly
with Dartmouth’s midfield and forwards during his time with the Big
Green.
* Committed to academic success, Dartmouth won the NSCAA Team Academic Award for five consecutive years.
*
Has helped guide Dartmouth to a 52-30-12 overall record, one of only 10
programs to play in five consecutive NCAA Tournaments, the
eighth-longest streak in the nation.
* Has mentored a bevy of
individual talents at Dartmouth, including two All-Americans, two
Hermann Trophy candidates, Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Year
honorees and 28 total All-Ivy League selections.
* A Dartmouth player has been invited to the Major League Soccer Player Combine in four consecutive seasons.
*
Former All-Conference USA standout at Cincinnati, married to Cincinnati
native, the former Julia Greenwald, living in the Queen City for 10
years, before coaching at Dartmouth. Johan and Julia have two children,
son Gavin (six) and daughter Abigail (six-months).
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