STELLAR, DIVERSE STAFF TO LEAD SIDE FC 92 WOMEN IN 2022

DAN WILLIAMS APPOINTED SIDE FC 92 WOMEN'S COACH 

Side FC 92 has assembled a stellar cast of leaders with diverse and vast experience in the women's game, for the 2022 season.  

Side FC 92 is excited to announce the appointment of Coach Williams as the women's head coach for the 2022 season.  Coach Williams previously served 2 years as the Side FC 92 General Manager where he helped lead the Side FC 92 programs (Men's & Women's) to a combined 3 Conference Championships and 2 National Tournament appearances. 

Coach Williams on taking the reins of the Side FC 92 Women's team,  "I am honored to lead this team and build on the foundation that was set by the previous coaching staff. I'm delighted to be a part of a program that provides a platform and visual pathway for women to play at the highest level. There are a lot of highly talented female players in the Tulsa area and I am excited for the opportunity to work with them."

Williams has a long history with WSA Soccer, working with the club since 2013.  In that nearly decade time span Coach Williams served as NPL Technical Director from 2018 thru 2021 whilst the club earned National Premier League (NPL) Overall Club Champion all three years (2019, 2020. 2021) in a league of 40+ regional clubs.  He has coached the 99 boys, 05 Boys OKC, and inside the WSA Youth Academy.  He also currently coaches in the WSA ECNL-RL platform working with the club's 2008 program. 

Williams also served as Director of Operations for the ORU Women's program during the program's resurgence as a league title contender during the 2015-2019 seasons.  ORU claimed 4 different Summit League Runners-Up finishes and a 3rd place finish during Williams tenure, which represented a distinct turn-around from a program which had finished outside of the top-4 of the Summit League for the previous 10-years. 

Coach Williams also had a brief stint in coaching in the Dakotas during the 2011-2013 seasons where he served as the Dakota Wesleyan University Men's and Women's Assistant, helping that program to two Conference Tournament appearances. 

Williams worked closely in assembling the Side FC 92 roster as the club's General Manager.  That roster assembled qualified for the UWS National Sweet 16 in 2021. 

JAMES SUTTON ASSISTANT HEAD COACH

Coach Sutton will join Coach Williams, and join a familiar place in coaching in the WSA women's program where Sutton has recently led the WSA 2007 Girls and WSA 2004 Girls, and formerly led the WSA 98 Girls to a Regional Finalist appearance, and National Elite 8 (US Youth).  Sutton holds his English FA Level 2 coaching badge and national USSF B License.  Sutton, who like Williams, has roots in England, grew up playing at Evesham College in Evesham, England. 

On joining Side FC 92 for the 2022 season, Sutton reported, "I'm very excited to be given this opportunity to work with these coaches and ladies. I look forward to helping them grow as individuals and as team players and helping to create a fun and successful environment  for them to flourish and succeed."

Sutton who recently was an assistant coach at  Booker T. Washington High School, will continue coaching in The Side's Academy Program as he is slated to lead the WSA 2007 Girls ECNL-RLNTX team, as well as coaching inside the WSA 2012 Youth Academy program for the 2022-2023 seasonal year.  

Sutton is excited to apply his methodologies and experience to enhancing the Side FC 92 team's 2022 season, "My goal in coaching is to create and develop a performance environment through encouraging players to be involved, motivated and to take ownership of their own game."

MARIA SEIGEL TAKES OVER GENERAL MANAGER POSITION

Side FC 92 is also every excited to announce the appointment of Maria Seigel to the Side FC 92 Women's General Manager position.  

Seigel is an Oklahoma female soccer star, who played previously in Stillwater, then at Hurricane, before playing 4 years at ORU (2008-2011) where she was a captain, leading goalscorer, and a leader in minutes played.  Seigel's first-hand experience as a collegiate female player, brings a great perspective to the leadership of Side FC 92 women's program. 

Seigel is motivated and passionate about helping raise up the women's game in the U.S. and has seen the opportunity with Side FC 92 as a chance to invest in that cause. 

Seigel added, "I am honored to be a part of the growing opportunities young players have to play at the next level in the Tulsa area! Soccer was such a big part of my life growing up and I'm glad these girls get the chance to play in the summer to sharpen their skills, and also get to meet other players from different programs around the country" 

Seigel also served as a graduate assistant coach at Oklahoma State University after her playing career at ORU.  

MIRANDA THORNE JOINS SIDE FC 92 WOMEN'S TECHNICAL STAFF 

Coach Miranda Thorne joins Side FC 92 after having spent the past season leading the WSA 2009 Girls RL team in a succesful first year campaign in ECNL-RL play. 

Thorne has six-years of High School coaching experience in which her teams have advanced to the OSSAA play-offs each year.  At Edmond Memorial she led the team to a District Championship in 2016 and the State Play-offs each year, and has done the same while leading the Claremore High School team the past 3 seasons (one season cut short due to COVID).  

Thorne who is a former collegiate standout at UCO, is ready to bring her experience and perspective to the further growth of the women's game, "I am excited to contribute and be a part of the Side FC 92's commitment in curating first class soccer opportunities for female athletes. I aspire to be a role model to WSA Soccer's Academy on the youth side and unveil the cutting edge of advancing women's professional soccer."

Thorne was a 4-year starter, leading UCO in minutes played with 55 starts in 60 career games, earning All-MIAA accolades and MIAA Academic honors.  She formerly played for Oklahoma Soccer Hall of Fame coach, Kerry Shubert, winning seven state championships for Hurricane FC 93 girls.  Thorne obtained her Bachelor of Arts in English-Secondary Education from UCO and currently teaches high school at Claremore H.S.

Thorne will serve on Side FC 92's technical staff, participating in training, game analysis, and game tactics. 

RAFAEL RIVERA TO LEAD SIDE FC 92 U21s AS HEAD COACH 

Rafael Rivera, one of Oklahoma's most prolific young coaches, joins Side FC 92 Women after enjoying a successful past 5 years leading WSA girls teams.  In that time his WSA 2007 and WSA 2005 Girls have each won multiple State Championships, multiple NPL Conference Championships, multiple USCS Regional Championships, and reached the National Final IV (2005 Girls - 2021 US Club Soccer National Cup).  Rafael also recently spent a brief stint as the Director of Operations for the ORU Women's program. 

"First I would like to thank the coaching staff and organization for the opportunity and recognize the great job they have done so far in building women's soccer.  This is a big responsiblity and I look forward to serving, leading, and assisting the program in anyway possible to reach our objectives and goals," reports Coach Rivera. 

His role with the Side FC 92 Women will be focused on joining the Technical Staff to assist in training and executing opponent and film analysis for Side FC 92's Team 1.  He will also serve as Head Coach of the Side FC 92 Team 2, an u21 team, that will play in UWS League 2. 

Rafael formerly played for ORU helping the team qualify for a Conference Tournament in his first year as the starting holding midfielder, and prior to that led Cowley College as team captain to one of the most succesful seasons in program history.  He formerly played for WSA '94, a nationally ranked team (nationally ranked #27 by NationalSoccerRankings in 2011).  Rafael captained and led WSA '94 to multiple state championship games and twice played in the USYS Southern Regionals with WSA.  

Known as "Raffa" to The Side community, Rivera will also attempt to knock off the rust and captain the Side FC 92 men's team this summer. 

"I've been a part of this club since I was 14 years old and now I get to be part of this special program alongside this great staff and players, representing our club and this city."