Coaching Staff

Michael Barshai is in his third season as a soccer assistant to the Cougar program.

A native of Moscow, Barshai began playing soccer at the age of seven with the youth program of famed Russian side Spartak Moscow. He came to the United States at the age of 16 where he attended Niles North High School in north suburban Skokie. Barshai continued to commute between both countries where he furthered his playing experience with teams in the Russian second and third divisions, and locally with the Chicago Soccers U21 team. He has nine years of coaching experience to his credit with youth teams in Evanston, Skokie and Morton Grove. Barshai holds a "B" license from the United States Soccer Federation.

Barshai became involved with Concordia's soccer programs during the 2005 season, and he contributed to the success of both teams that year - the men winning an NIIC conference title and the women winning 10 games and establishing several new offensive records. During his two years with the Cougars, Barshai has adhered to a basic tenet of coaching: "I like to teach players how to think on the field, to be able to read the situation and react to it smartly. When you see a player that can improvise within the system that you are teaching, you have an excellent gauge of their progress."

Barshai earned his B.A. in economics and management from Moscow State Building University in 2002 and works with the Glenview Soccer Club. Barshai and his wife, Kristina, welcomed their first child in April of 2006, son Sebastien.

Steven Graner joins the Cougar soccer coaching staff for the 2007 season as a graduate assistant.

Graner is a 2007 graduate of Loyola University Chicago where he played 73 matches and started 71 as a defender. He recorded two goals and five assists in his career, and he was the captain of the 2006 Rambler squad that won the Horizon League tournament and made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. Graner was a key component in that team's defense recording a scoreless streak of 398 minutes between September 10-27 and a later streak of 325 minutes (September 30-October 13).

Graner, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, attended Burke High School where he earned a total of 11 varsity letters playing soccer, basketball and cross-country. The soccer team enjoyed much success during his time there, winning district championships in his sophomore and senior years and a state runner-up finish his junior year. Graner was an honorable mention all-state player as a sophomore, and he earned both Class A All-State and first-team All-Nebraska accolades in both his junior and senior years.