Timo Liekoski (born June 30, 1942) is a Finnish soccer coach who managed teams in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League,

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 ...

and Major League Soccer. He currently holds a variety of coaching positions with the Football Association of Finland.

Player

A native of Finland, Liekoski was drafted into the Finnish army when he was eighteen. After completing his service two years later, he moved to the United States. In 1964, Liekoski was working as a dishwasher when Al Miller noticed him watching Miller and his teammates practicing. At the time Miller played for the amateur Kingston Kickers and coached at the State University of New York at New Paltz. Miller invited Liekoski, a goalkeeper, to join the Kingston Kickers. After Liekoski proved his worth, Miller then recruited him into the New Paltz State soccer team. Miller moved to

Hartwick College Hartwick College is a private liberal arts college in Oneonta, New York. The institution's origin is rooted in the founding of Hartwick Seminary in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick. In 1927, the Seminary moved to expand into a ...

after Liekoski's freshman season, and took Liekoski with him. Liekoski sat out a season, per NCAA rules, then played his sophomore and junior seasons as the Warriors starting goalkeeper. After breaking his wrist during the preseason to his senior year, Liekoski moved to defender where he was a second team All American. He graduated in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in economics and later earned a master's degree in education from

Whittier College Whittier College (Whittier Academy (1887–1901)) is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of fall 2022, had approximately 1,300 (undergraduate and graduate) students. It was ...

Coach

College

Liekoski began his coaching career in 1972 when he served as the first head coach of the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscon ...

soccer team. In 1973, Liekoski replaced Miller as head coach of the

men's soccer team. He lasted only two seasons and compiled a 30–9–7 record. He took the Hawks to the 1974 NCAA Final Four and was inducted into the Hartwick College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.

Professional

In 1976, Miller became head coach of the Dallas Tornado of the North American Soccer League. He brought Liekoski in as an assistant that year. In 1978, he became the head coach of the

Houston Hurricane The Houston Hurricane was a soccer team based out of Houston that played in the NASL. They played from 1978 to 1980. Their home field was the Astrodome. Their colors were orange, white and red. History The team was the last of six expansion t ...

. That fall, Liekoski became the head coach of the

Houston Summit Houston Summit were a professional indoor soccer team that operated from 1978 to 1980. They played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1980, the franchise was moved to Baltimore to become the Baltimore Blast. Their roster mainly include ...

, a team in the newly established Major Indoor Soccer League. He took the Summit to a league leading 18–6 record and gained MISL Coach of the Year honors.The Year in American Soccer – 1979
/ref> He followed this in 1979 when he coached the Hurricane to an unexpected 22–8 record and was named the 1979 NASL Coach of the Year. The Edmonton Drillers hired Liekoski in 1980. Liekoski took the team, which had finished the 1979 season at 8–22 to 17–15 in 1980. He then took the Drillers to the 1980–1981 NASL indoor championship. However, when Edmonton began the 1981 season at 6–12, the team fired him on June 22, 1981. In September 1981, the expansion New Jersey Rockets hired Liekoski. In February 1982, the Rockets fired him after the team started with a 4–13 record. In July 1982, the Cleveland Force hired Liekoski. He coached the Force until July 1988 when the team folded. On September 26, 1988, the

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

signed Liekoski to a one-year contract, with an option for a second year. He took the Invaders to the 1989 and 1990 championships.

U.S. national team

In August 1991,

Bora Milutinovic Bora may refer to: Geography * Bora (Australian), the site of an initiation ceremony in Australian aboriginal culture, sometimes known as Bora rings * Bora, Punjab, a village in India * Borá, a city in the São Paulo state in Brazil * Bora (wind ...

, head coach of the U.S. national team brought in Liekoski as his assistant in preparation for a series of European games. He returned to coach the Invaders as they began the 1991–1992 season, but took a leave of absence in January 1992 to rejoin the national team. In June 1992, he left the Invaders and became a full-time assistant to Milutinovic. In 1994, Milutinovic and his staff took the national team to the second round of the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...

. In October 1994, he was named as head coach of the U.S. Olympic soccer team as it prepared for the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. After losing three games without scoring a goal at the 1995 Pan American games, then finishing ninth at the 1995 World University Games, Liekoski was fired in September 1995.

Professional

On December 5, 1995, 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 ...

of Major League Soccer hired Liekoski as the team's first coach. On August 3, 1996, Liekoski resigned after the Crew began the season at 6–16. He then returned to Finland where he coached Myllykosken Pallo in 1997.

Finnish national team

In 1998, he was hired by the Football Association of Finland and has held a variety of national coaching positions. In 1999, he coached the

Finland national futsal team The Finnish national futsal team represents Finland in international futsal competitions. The team is run under supervision of the Football Association of Finland. It has never qualified for the FIFA Futsal World Cup, World Cup or the UEFA Futsal ...

. He also headed the Finland national under-17 football team.UNDER 17 CHAMPIONSHIP: Liekoski looks forward for Finland
/ref>

References

External links

Career overview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liekoski, Timo 1942 births Sportspeople from Helsinki American Indoor Soccer Association coaches Finnish emigrants to the United States Whittier College alumni Finnish football managers Columbus Crew coaches Living people Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) coaches North American Soccer League (1968–1984) coaches Milwaukee Panthers men's soccer coaches Expatriate soccer managers in Canada Expatriate soccer managers in the United States Major League Soccer coaches Myllykosken Pallo −47 managers Expatriate soccer players in the United States Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Canada Finnish expatriate football managers Finnish expatriate footballers State University of New York at New Paltz alumni Hartwick Hawks men's soccer players Dallas Tornado Houston Summit Edmonton Drillers (1979–1982) Futsal coaches Association footballers not categorized by position Association football players not categorized by nationality