Kevin East (born March 29, 1971) 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 ...

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

who currently coaches the Rutgers–Newark men's soccer team. He spent six seasons in the

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 two as a backup keeper with the MetroStars in

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 is a member of the

National Soccer Coaches Association of America The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of United States, American soccer Coach (sport), coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization i ...

National Rating Board and is a former president of the College Soccer Association of New Jersey.

Player

Youth

East graduated from Montgomery High School where he was an all-state soccer player. He then attended

Kean University Kean University () is a public university in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, Union and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Kean University was founded in 1855 in Newark, New Jersey, as th ...

where he was a member of the men's soccer team from 1989 to 1992. In 1992, he and his teammates won the NCAA Division III national championship. He holds the school record for single season and career saves as well as career shutouts. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and criminal justice in 1993 and was inducted into the Kean University Hall of Fame in 2004.

Professional

In 1994, he signed with the

Jersey Dragons The Jersey Dragons were a soccer club that competed in the United Soccer Leagues from 1994 to 1996. The club was based in Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. ...

in the

. He then played the 1995 season with the Dragons before being drafted by the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

in the 3rd round (30th overall) of the

1996 MLS Supplemental Draft The 1996 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft was held on March 4, 1996, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. History As Major League Soccer prepared for its first season, the league began stocking teams with players. As the teams were being created at t ...

. He broke his wrist during the preseason and was released soon after. On May 15, 1996, he signed a two-year contract with the

Central Jersey Riptide Central Jersey Riptide were an American soccer team that played in Clark, New Jersey. They joined the USISL Pro League in 1996, but were relegated to the USL PDL USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a sem ...

of USISL. In 1998, he began the season with the

New Jersey Stallions The New Jersey Stallions were an American soccer team, founded in 1996, which competed in various divisions of the United Soccer Leagues until 2004, after which the team left the league and the franchise was terminated. The club originally star ...

before being sent on loan to the MetroStars of

when regular backup Tim Howard joined the U.S. U-20 national team in preparation for the

1999 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Nigeria between 3 and 24 April 1999. This was the 12th edition of the tournament. Qualification The following 24 teams qualified for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. :1.Teams that ...

qualification. He shared time during the 1999 season with the MetroStars and the North Jersey Imperials. In 2000 and 2001, he played a handful of games for the New Jersey Stallions.

Coach

In 1993, East became an assistant coach at Kean University, a position he held through 1996. In 1998, he was hired as the men's soccer coach by

New Jersey City University New Jersey City University (NJCU) is a public university in Jersey City, New Jersey. Originally chartered in 1927, and known as Jersey City State College for 40 years of its history, New Jersey City University consists of the School of Business, ...

. Over the next nine seasons, he compiled a 123-66-11 record and was the 2005

New Jersey Athletic Conference The New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), formerly the New Jersey State Athletic Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. All of its full members are public universities in New Jersey. Affiliate members ...

Coach of the Year. In 2004, he coached the NJCU women's soccer team for a single season, compiling a 5-13-1 record.WOMEN'S SOCCER RECORD BOOK: All-Time Head Coaches and Records
/ref> In January 2007, he was hired by Rutgers–Newark as the school's head soccer coach, a position he holds today. East led the men's soccer team to the program's first NJAC championship in 2017. He is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America National Rating Board. He is also a former president of the College Soccer Association of New Jersey.

References

External links

Career overview
{{DEFAULTSORT:East, Kevin 1971 births Living people American soccer coaches American soccer players Central Jersey Riptide players Jersey Dragons players Montgomery High School (New Jersey) alumni New York Red Bulls players New Jersey Stallions players North Jersey Imperials players People from Montgomery Township, New Jersey Soccer players from New Jersey Sportspeople from Somerset County, New Jersey Association football goalkeepers USISL players USL Second Division players Columbus Crew draft picks