Kia Zolgharnain (born November 10, 1965) is an Iranian-American soccer coach and former player who is the current head coach and technical director of Akron City FC. As a player, Zolgharnain was a forward who led the

American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

in scoring during the 1986–1987 season. He coaches youth soccer in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. During his playing days, he was known by his first name alone.

Youth and high school

Although born in Iran, Zolgharnain's family fled the country after the 1978

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

. They settled in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

where Zolgharnain attended Coronado High School. He became a U.S. citizen in 1994.

Playing

Professional

In 1983, Kia chose to turn professional coming out of high school. From 1983-2000 he scored 527 goals in 534 professional indoor appearances with the likes of the Phoenix Pride, Canton Invaders, Kansas City Comets, Tacoma Stars, Pittsburgh Stingers, and Cleveland Crunch. He is best known for his success with the Invaders where he scored an astonishing 324 goals. He signed with the

Phoenix Pride Phoenix Pride (formerly known as Phoenix Pride March & Rally, Desert Pride, Arizona Central Pride, and Phoenix Pride Festival) is a parade and festival held each year in Phoenix, Arizona to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgend ...

of Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). In 1984, he moved to the expansion

Canton Invaders The Canton Invaders was an indoor soccer club based in Canton, Ohio that competed in the National Professional Soccer League. After the 1995–96 season, the team relocated and became the Columbus Invaders. History The Canton Invaders were a p ...

of the

(AISA). The Invaders won the 1985 and 1986 AISA championships as Zolgharnain was selected as a first team All Star both seasons. In 1987, Kia returned to MISL, this time with the Kansas City Comets. On December 23, 1989, the Comets traded Kia and Gerry Gray to the Tacoma Stars in exchange for Barry Wallace. In 1991, Kia rejoined the Canton Invaders. In 1995 and 1996, Kia spent two summer indoor seasons with the

Pittsburgh Stingers The Pittsburgh Stingers are a defunct indoor soccer team that played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) for two seasons from 1994 to 1995. Year-by-year Players * Bob Lilley (1994) * P.J. Johns (1995) * David Moxom (1995) * Doug P ...

in the Continental Indoor Soccer League. In 1996, Kia signed with the

Cleveland Crunch The Cleveland Crunch are an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio competing in as a charter member of the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The rebranded Crunch returned to indoor play as a member of the MASL 2 i ...

of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). While he played thirty-seven games in the 1996–1997 season, his playing time rapidly dropped over the next three seasons. In 1997–1998, he played only fifteen games. That fell to one in 1998–1999 and three at the beginning of the 1999–2000 season. The Crunch waived him on December 3, 1999. Zolgharnain finished his career ranked ninth on the AISA/NPSL goals list. He was also a two time first team All Star.

Futsal

Zolgharnain earned five

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

, scoring two goals, with the U.S.

Futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...

team in 1995. That year, the U.S. finished fourth in the Futsal Mundialito.

Coaching

Zolgharnain has been coaching at the youth soccer level since 1984. He began as a coach in the Ohio Olympic Developmental Program. After retiring from playing, he became an assistant coach with the

. In 2001, he spent a season as an assistant coach at

John Carroll University John Carroll University is a private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio. It is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts institution accompanied by the John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business. John Carroll has an enrollment of 3 ...

. He then joined the Cleveland Soccer Academy as the Director of Coaching, a position he held from 2001 to 2005. In 2003, he became a Super Y-League coach with the Cleveland Crunch Juniors. The team won the 2003 U-19 Super Y National Championship. In November 2005, he left Cleveland and moved to Georgia where he became the Director of Coaching for the

Peachtree City Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 34,364. Peachtree City is located in South Metro Atlanta. Peachtree City is noted for its extensive use o ...

Youth Soccer Association. In 2007, he returned to Cleveland as the Director of Coaching for CASA (Cleveland Alliance Soccer Association) U16 & U18 USSF developmental Academy. In 2019 Kia created the soccer training and consulting firm Go2Goal. Go2Goal provides independent training sessions for youth of all ages in Northeast Ohio. Along with their independent training program, Go2Goal also has secured multi year contracts to oversee the development of the Chagrin Falls and Solon Soccer Club community travel programs. Chagrin Falls and Solon Soccer Club are considered two of the best community travel programs in Northeast Ohio and have continued to flourish under Kia's leadership. In the fall of 2020, Kia founded a new premier club program called Sporting Chagrin Valley Football Academy. Kia has partnered with seasoned sports industry executive Nick Turchan and local businessmen Robert Cohn and Jason Fisher in this venture. The academy has increased its enrollment to 170 players (2022–23), up from 40 its first year (2020–21) and is considered one of the best training grounds for youth soccer players in Northeast Ohio.

Business

In addition to playing and coaching soccer, Zolgharnain has owned several businesses including a chain of sporting goods stores in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

.February 6, 1996 Business Wire
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zolgharnain, Kia 1965 births Living people American men's futsal players American Indoor Soccer Association players American soccer coaches American soccer players Canton Invaders (AISA) players Canton Invaders (NPSL) players Cleveland Crunch (NPSL) players Continental Indoor Soccer League players Association football forwards Kansas City Comets (original MISL) players Iranian expatriate footballers Iranian footballers Iranian emigrants to the United States Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Sportspeople from Mashhad Sportspeople of Iranian descent Phoenix Pride players Pittsburgh Stingers players Soccer players from Scottsdale, Arizona Tacoma Stars players