University of Connecticut Athletics
Men's Soccer
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- john.deeley@uconn.edu
John Deeley finished his 22nd year with the UConn men's soccer program and completed his 18th season as an associate head coach in 2018. Deeley has helped the Huskies reach the NCAA Tournament 18 times in his tenure. That stretch also includes the Huskies being ranked in the Top-25 in 18 of the 22 years he has coached.
After completing the 2018Â season, 12-6-2, the Huskies have now rattled off 21Â winning seasons in the past 22 years. Under Deeley, the Huskies have seen 41 players drafted to Major League Soccer (MLS), including 15 First Round selections. Jake Nerwinski (7th overall, Vancouver) and Kwame Awuah (16th overall, NYCFC) were the most recent to come out of UConn in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.
In 2013, Deeley and the Huskies reached the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third consecutive year, ending the season with a 12-3-8 record. He was named the Glen "Mooch" Myernick National Men's Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America at the conclusion of the regular season, and in 2011 he was named the Top Assistant Coach by College Soccer News after the Huskies went 12-2-6 in the 2010 season. Before starting at UConn, Deeley spent the previous eight seasons with Ray Reid at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Conn.
At UConn, Deeley is primarily responsible for scouting opponents and breaking down the game, both mentally and in terms of analyzing game tape. Players and coaches alike consider him one of the most tactical minds in the game, a skill Deeley has garnered after over two decades with one of the most talented coaching staffs in the country.
While working alongside Ray Reid over the last 30Â years, Deeley helped his teams at Southern and UConn capture four National Championships (1990, 1992, 1995 and 2000) and eight national semifinal game appearances (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000). During this time, Reid became the second winningest active coach in the NCAA - all the while with Deeley by his side.
Prior to his eight seasons at Southern, Deeley was an assistant for one season at Cleveland State University and also was the head coach for one season at Mt. Union (Ohio) College. In addition to his work in the college game, Deeley served as a member of the Olympic Development Program Region 1 staff for eight years, including four as the assistant coach for the U13 regional development squad.
As a player, Deeley was a standout midfielder for Southern from 1977-80, when the Owls had a 48-16-6 record with four trips to the NCAA Tournament, including three semifinal appearances. After over 20 years in the college coaching ranks, he holds a "C" coaching license from the USSF. A native of North Babylon, N.Y., Deeley is married to Karen Warner, who was an All-American and assistant coach for Len Tsantiris and the UConn women's soccer team. He graduated from Southern Connecticut with an undergraduate degree in political science.
