June 15, 2010

LOS ANGELES - Former LMU standout and current Lion assistant coach Michael Erush `03 will be quite busy over the next six months as he will take on not one but two head coaching jobs in addition to his duties with the Lions. Erush has been named the Director of Player Development for the Orange County Blue Star of the Premier Development League for this summer before taking over head coaching duties of the USA team this December at the 2010 Maccabi Australia International Games (MAIGs).

Erush, who will be entering his fourth season as LMU assistant coach this fall, is no stranger to the PDL and to the Maccabi games. In 2009, Erush was the head coach of the Hollywood Hitmen of the Premier Development League, leading them to a first-place finish and Southwest Division championship in the team's inaugural season. This summer, he has returned to the top of the standings with the Blue Star, who are based out of Irvine and currently lead the division with a 6-0-3 record through June 14. Orange County finished eighth in the division in 2009.

"Mike Erush brings such a competitive environment with training sessions and has made a huge difference in the success of the team," said Jon Spencer, the Technical Director of Blue Star. "He also has been a great addition to the team with his recruiting efforts and his knowledge of the game. We as a organization are lucky to have an experienced top level coach who has done an excellent job with both individual players and the team. We look forward to continuing the great success we currently have as a team."

A former Jewish Sports Review All-American as a collegiate player, Erush will return to the Maccabi team for his third go-around, and second as a coach. Erush served as an assistant coach on the USA squad that finished sixth at the 2009 Maccabi Games in Israel. This December, he assumes the role of head coach, taking a team consisting of players born in 1992 and 1993 to Australia from December 26-January 3.

The Maccabi Australia International Games are a celebration of Jewish Unity, Culture, and Heritage through world athletic competition. Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel, the sponsor of the U.S. Team, was founded in 1948, only weeks after the dream of a Jewish Homeland had finally been realized. Our purpose was two-fold: (1) to help Israel develop as a nation through physical education and sport; and (2) to promote fitness and athletics among Jewish youth in the U.S., Israel and the Diaspora. Through sports competitions, the organization strives to provide American athletes with a Jewish experience - to enrich their lives, to heighten their sense of Jewish Identity and to strengthen their feelings of Jewish Pride. As the official representative of Maccabi World Union in the United States, the organization oversees the U.S. delegations to International Maccabi Games worldwide.

The USL Premier Development League (commonly known as the PDL) is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid. It is currently the top level men's amateur competition in the United States, and has 67 teams competing in four conferences, split into eight regional divisions; unofficially, it is considered to be the fourth tier of competition, behind Major League Soccer, the USSF Division 2 Professional League (comprising the USL First Division and the North American Soccer League), and the USL Second Division.

While not strictly a "professional" league in the sense that the majority of players do not receive payment, the PDL prides itself on its professionalism in terms of its organization and the way the league is run, and its dedication to developing young soccer players, preparing them for future careers in professional leagues in the United States and elsewhere. As PDL seasons take place during the summer months, the player pool is drawn mainly from elite NCAA college soccer players seeking to continue playing high level soccer during their summer break, which they can do while still maintaining their college eligibility. In addition, PDL squads often also include standout high school and junior club players, as well as former professionals seeking to continue competing at a high level. PDL rules dictate that a maximum of eight players on each team's 26-man roster can be over 23 years old, while at least three players on each team's roster must be 18 or younger.