Benny Feilhaber, who played soccer for the Irvine Strikers youth soccer club and Northwood High, has been named an assistant coach for UCLA’s men’s soccer team.
Feilhaber, 35, graduated from Northwood in 2003 and then played for two years at UCLA. He went from being a walk-on to becoming an all-Pac-10 Conference player. The midfielder went on to play for the U.S. Men’s National Team and appeared in the 2008 Olympic Games and 2010 World Cup.
Feilhaber capped his 15-year professional career with nine seasons in Major League Soccer, including stops with the New England Revolution, Sporting KC, LAFC and the Colorado Rapids. In 2015, he was named an MLS all-star and made the MLS Best XI team. Feilhaber retired in March 2020. Now he’s back at UCLA for his first coaching assignment.
His advice to young players?
“Don’t underestimate your limits. I think people’s potentials are so much greater than they actually believe them to be. Obviously, continue to work hard and dream your dreams but never limit your potential.”
