Philadelphia, PA, February 17, 2009 – Doug Homer, of Falls Church, VA has been appointed to the USA Masters Soccer team to compete at the 18th Maccabiah Games in Israel, July 12 – 23, 2009. The Games will be Homer’s fourth international competition and first in Israel.
Homer began his soccer career as a defender for The Wheatley School in East Williston, N.Y., playing club ball for Albertson SC before moving onto Davis & Elkins College, an NCAA Division 2 institution in Elkins, West Virginia, where he was an Adidas Academic All-American and a two-time All-Conference selection. Today, he is the Head Coach of the Aegean Hawks FC, one of the top amateur teams in the United States Adult Soccer Association. Under Homer’s leadership, the Hawks have won numerous championships, including the 2008 Washington Premier League and League Cup Championships, the prestigious Four Nations Capital Cup, and the 2008-2009 MDDCVA State Championship at the Amateur and Open Cup levels.
As a player for Maccabi USA, Homer has competed in the 2006 Maccabi Australian International Games, coached the 2007 USA Open Men’s Soccer Team to a fourth-place finish at the European Maccabi Games and was an athlete on the 2008 USA Masters Men’s Soccer Team at the 11th Pan Am Maccabi Games. Also in 2008, he led his youth soccer team (TAP FC Barcelona) to the United States Club Soccer National Championship in Virginia Beach. This year, he hopes to win it all in Israel. “I feel fantastic,” he says on being appointed to represent the United States. “I expect to win the Gold and get the monkey off my back.”
Homer serves as the Director of Soccer Development in the U.S. for FieldTurf Tarkett. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan from 1994-96. In 1998, he became the Founder and President of the Friends of Senator Soccer Alumni Association, a non-profit organization established to support Davis and Elkins College’s men’s intercollegiate soccer teams and to promote fellowship between the teams and alumni.
About the organization:
Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel (MUSA) has an extensive history of enriching Jewish lives through athletic, cultural and educational programs.? The organization is the official sponsor of the United States Team to the World Maccabiah Games, the Pan American Maccabi Games and the Maccabi competitions in Europe and Australia, as well as a co-founder of the JCC Maccabi Games for teens in North America.? As the official Maccabi representative in the U.S., Maccabi USA supports Jewish athletic endeavors, enhanced by cultural and educational activities in the United States, Israel and throughout the Diaspora.
MUSA develops, promotes and supports international, national and regional athletic-based activities and facilities.? They strive to provide Jewish athletes the world over the opportunity to share their heritage and customs in competitive athletic settings.? MUSA supports programs that embody the Maccabi ideals of Jewish continuity, Zionism and excellence in sport.?
“Now more than ever, we need to get involved and commit to building a proud Jewish Identity among our young people in the U.S., Israel and the Diaspora,” stated Ron Carner, General Chairman, USA Maccabiah Team. “The Maccabiah (Games) is not just about sports, but about providing for these young people a Jewish awareness of who they are, where they come from and where they are going.”
The World Maccabiah Games are a quadrennial event that takes place in Israel.? The 18th World Maccabiah Games, scheduled for July 12 – 23, 2009 will be the world’s third largest international athletic competition.? Over 9000 of the world’s best Jewish athletes from six continents and over 60 countries will compete at the Games.