Ed Puskarich (born April 4, 1962, in Hanover Park, Illinois) is a retired U.S.

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

defender who had an extensive career which began in 1984 in the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

and ended in the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental association football, soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United Stat ...

. In between, he played in the American Indoor Soccer Association, National Professional Soccer League,

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

and

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

. He has coached at the youth, college and professional levels including four as an assistant coach and scout with the Dallas Burn. He is currently the head coach of the Dallas Sidekicks in the Major Arena Soccer League.

Player

Puskarich attended

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

where he played on the men’s soccer team from 1980 to 1983. He was also a placekicker and wide receiver on the SMU football team in 1982. In 1984, he signed with the

Houston Dynamos Houston Dynamos was a U.S. soccer team that existed in various forms from 1983 to 1991. In 1991, the team's owners changed the name to Houston International, but the team lasted only through the 1992 season before folding. The Dynamos were foun ...

of the

. The Dynamos went to the league championship where they lost to the Fort Lauderdale Sun. In fall 1984, he signed with the

Columbus Capitals The Columbus Capitals were an indoor soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association. The club played its home games at the Columbus Convention Center from 1984–1986, then known as the Battelle Hall. ...

of the American Indoor Soccer Association. The Capitals lasted two seasons before folding in 1986. On September 16, 1986, he signed with the

Fort Wayne Flames The Fort Wayne Flames were an indoor soccer club based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association, playing home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum from 1986–1989. History The team was foun ...

for the 1986-1987 AISA season. According to his biography, he spent time in 1987 with the

Los Angeles Lazers The Los Angeles Lazers were an indoor soccer team that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1982 to 1989. History Jerry Buss, the owner of California Sports, the parent company of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings and Strings of Tea ...

in the Major Indoor Soccer League. However, it does not specify whether this was the beginning or end of 1987. However, he then signed with the

Memphis Storm The Memphis Storm was an American soccer team based in Memphis, Tennessee which existed from 1986 to 1994. They underwent several names changes including the Rogues, the Survivors, the United Express and finally the Jackals. They played in the Am ...

for the 1987-1988 AISA season. He then moved to the Dayton Dynamo for the 1988-1989 season before transferring to the

Chicago Power The Chicago Power were an indoor soccer club based in Chicago, Illinois that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association and National Professional Soccer League. After the 1995–96 season, the team was sold to Peter Pocklington, moved ...

in November 1989. He infamously endured his first cramp in 1990 at the age of 28. He remained with the Power until ownership turmoil in 1994 led him to leave the team. During those years, the AISA was renamed the National Professional Soccer League and won the 1991 NSPL championship. In January 1995, he signed with the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, m ...

. He finished the 1994-1995 season with the Wave then played the 1995

outdoor season with the

Rockford Raptors The Rockford Raptors were an American soccer team based in Rockford, Illinois. The team began in the USISL and moved to the USISL Pro League in 1995. In 1999, the team was relegated to the Premier Development League. The Raptors are now a so ...

before returning to the Wave for the 1995-1996 NPSL season. That was his last season in the NPSL. He finished his time in the league ranked ninth on the all-time list of games played in the NPSL with 370 games. In February 1996, the Dallas Burn selected Puskarich in the fifteenth round (143rd overall) in the

1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United State ...

. He made the team and played eighteen games with the Burn in 1996. He retired at the end of the season, but returned to professional soccer in 2000 with the

Texas Rattlers DFW Tornados (also known as Dallas–Fort Worth Tornados) was an American soccer team based in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1986, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer P ...

in the

USL D3 Pro League The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ...

. In 2001, the league became the Premier Development League and the team, now under new ownership, became the Texas Spurs. Puskarich remained with the Spurs through the 2003 season.

Coach

In addition to his extensive playing career, Puskarich is a longtime coach. In 1993, he became the head coach of the

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their stu ...

North Central College soccer team. On April 6, 1994, he moved to

Aurora University Aurora University (AU) is a private university in Aurora, Illinois. In addition to its main campus and the Orchard Center in Aurora, AU offers programs online, at its George Williams College campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, and at the Woodsto ...

which had just established a women’s soccer program. In 1996, the university gave him a leave of absence to play for the Dallas Burn. He did not return. In 1997, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Burn, a position he held until 2000. In 1998, he became head coach of the

Texas Toros Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. In 2001, he became the head coach of the

Texas Spurs DFW Tornados (also known as Dallas–Fort Worth Tornados) was an American association football, soccer team based in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1986, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of t ...

, a position he held until 2003. Puskarich now owns and manages the TFC Youth soccer club in the Dallas area. On August 21, 2023, Puskarich was named head coach of the Dallas Sidekicks in the Major Arena Soccer League.

References

External links

Stars and Stripes Soccer Tours
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puskarich, Ed 1976 births Living people National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players American soccer coaches American men's soccer players Chicago Power players Columbus Capitals players FC Dallas players Dayton Dynamo players Fort Wayne Flames players Houston Dynamos players Los Angeles Lazers players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Major League Soccer players Memphis Storm players Milwaukee Wave players Rockford Raptors players SMU Mustangs men's soccer players DFW Tornados players SMU Mustangs football players American football placekickers American football wide receivers USISL coaches USISL players United Soccer League (1984–85) players Soccer players from DuPage County, Illinois People from Hanover Park, Illinois Men's association football defenders North Central Cardinals men's soccer coaches FC Dallas non-playing staff Association football player-managers Aurora Spartans Dallas Sidekicks (2012–present) Major Arena Soccer League coaches