The passing of 51 year old US National team assistant coach Glenn ‘Mooch’ Myernick was a shock to the entire soccer community.
Myernick was a face of U.S. Soccer long before Claudio Reyna, Alexi Lalas, and Tony Meola.
The man they called ‘Mooch’ was a collegiate soccer icon at Hartwick College during that college’s glory days winning All American honors and the Hermann Trophy award as the top player in the country. On to the foreign player dominated NASL and Myernick became one of the best American defenders for the Dallas Tornado and Portland Timbers in a league where few Americans even saw the field.
His coaching career spanned a variety of work for U.S. Soccer from youth national teams all the way to assistant of the U.S. National team at the World Cup.
Along the way Myernick spent countless hours doing clinics, seminars, and coaching conventions educating soccer coaches throughout the country.
What I personally loved about ‘Mooch’ is that he never forgot his roots and had time for everyone. I got to know Glenn when I became a broadcaster in Major League Soccer and through my former Houston Dynamos teammate Gary Vogel who played with Myernick at Hartwick and against him in the NASL.
His was class all the way and willing to share his thoughts on the National team on my radio show locally here in Houston plus always willing to help on television broadcasts.
Glenn Myernick had rare qualities….He was a devoted family man, soccer pioneer who was honest, dependable, and reliable…..Pure class through and through.
He never let his stature at the professional level change him….a rarity and a man that will be missed.
Rest in Peace Glenn.