Men's Soccer Head Coach

Micah Middendorf is the new head coach for the Cougar men’s soccer team, effective April 1. Middendorf takes over for Adam Nirenberg who coached the Cougars during the 2007 season.

Middendorf comes to the position with some familiarity of the Cougar soccer program. He played four years with the men’s team at sister school Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin and served as a graduate assistant for the Falcons’ men’s and women’s soccer teams last season. The Falcons’ women’s team was coached by Middendorf’s older brother Ryan, thus giving Micah a unique perspective about coaching. “I was very excited to coach under Ryan and learn from him this past year,” states Middendorf, “but at the same time, I see this situation at Concordia Chicago as a great opportunity for me, a big step forward, and I am eager to get started.”

As a player, Middendorf was a member of the Lake Michigan Conference All-Freshmen team in 2001 and a three-time winner (2002-04) of the school’s Falcon Award, given to the player that “best represents the team on and off the field.” A team captain for the Falcons, he started 100 consecutive games at defender in his four years with one goal and six assists and, according to his head coach Tom Saleska, was the team’s most important defender that would routinely draw the assignment of marking the opponent’s top scorer.

Middendorf’s view of the Cougar men’s program is an upbeat one, despite the team’s struggles following a 2005 Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference championship. “The team has been very competitive, and they have been in most of the games and played close to their opponents. They are not that far away from being a winning program; there is a good base of talent already in place, and I am looking forward to adding to that with talented new players and creating a program that can compete annually for the Northern Athletics Conference title.” In much the same way, Middendorf sees the entire Cougar athletics program as an exciting venture for him to join at this time. “I am impressed with the coaches that I have met, and I think that they are very excited about the direction that Cougar athletics is going. I am anxious to join the staff and help them work toward this goal.”

Middendorf gained an introduction to the rigors of small-college recruiting last year through his older brother, and he is eager to embrace its challenges on behalf of Concordia Chicago. While stating a coach’s natural desire to find talented players, he also notes that “I would want any of our prospective players to feel comfortable in this setting, since they would be spending the next four years of their life here. I think the campus is great; the small-college atmosphere with the backdrop of Chicago and everything it has to offer is a great combination which I hope will appeal to our recruits, along with the opportunity to play college soccer.”

Middendorf attended Martin Luther High School in Greendale, Wisconsin and earned his degree in exercise physiology from Concordia Wisconsin in 2005. A native of Milwaukee, Middendorf and his wife Ashlee (married in August of 2007) are preparing to relocate to the Chicago area.            

Contact Information
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708-209-3116 (Office)
708-209-3154 (Fax)