On February 3 2014, our Men’s soccer assistant coach, Brian Holt, signed a professional contract with the Philadelphia Union, our local major league soccer league. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Holt began playing soccer as a “youngster” and says that although he began playing a variety of sports he has always had a special passion for the game. Growing up, he played on both school teams and club teams. Over the years Holt said that he has had “positive influence from family, coaches, teachers and friends that has gotten me to where I am today.” Eventually, Holt signed to play division one soccer at Creighton University.
His college career was marked with success from the start. He started out winning the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2008 and then received the All-MVC Second-Team honors during both his sophomore and junior seasons.
He continued on this successful path setting a NCAA record with his average of 0.207 goals against, he was named MVC Goalkeeper of the Year after leading the NCAA with a 92.3 save percentage and 17 shutouts and ended his career with an NCAA-record of 44 shutouts. Among his many other accolades, Holt finished his college career as an NSCAA First-Team All-American goalie at Creighton in 2011, leading the Blue Jays to the NCAA College Cup, and was then honored in the All-Tournament Team.
After his time at Creighton, Holt continued in his pursuit of soccer. He went on to train with the Harrisburg City Islanders of the United Soccer League. He also played for Reading United A.C. for some time. During this time Holt was part of an All-Eastern Conference selection and also named a PDL Rookie of the Year finalist.
However, Holt says, “My soccer experience and my desire to play on a professional level led me to Philly.” After training with the Islanders for the past year and this years’ preseason, Holt was chosen in the 2014 MLS draft by the Union. Regarding this development, Holt says, “the Philadelphia Union is a great organization and I am excited to be a part of the team.” When speaking of the team’s new addition, Union team manager, John Hackworth has been quoted as saying that, “Brian is a tremendous competitor and we have seen a lot of his dedication, hard work and resolve while he trained with us last year. We’re really happy to have him as part of our team going into the season.” Although he might stand short at 5’8 for the typical MLS goalie, Holt’s decision looks promising as the team moves into their season.