Rachael Safirstein - Founder & CEO FC Sting - Co-Founder ISA STING

ABOUT the ISA (FC) STING Staff

ISA FC STING hires the services of STAFF who have EXPERIENCE and CREDENTIALS which include a wide array of noteworthy accomplishments including:

bachelors and masters college degrees in education;
NSCAA & USSF national and advanced national coaching diplomas;
domestic professional, semi-professional & collegiate playing experience;
US national team, Regional ODP & ENY State ODP team playing & coaching experience;
international amateur playing experience;
resumes for training and coaching nationally competitive players and club teams;
experience in developing comprehensive soccer programs for clubs and teams from pre-travel through travel; and
experience in training pre-travel & travel team’s & players of all ages and abilities.

Safirstein is the founder of FC Sting whose mission includes teaching soccer and leadership skills to young athletes in the Westchester area. As Club President, she is responsible for producing and implementing the FC Sting soccer curriculum, which is used in all Youth Academy classes and summer soccer camps.

At FC Sting, Safirstein lead the GU16 FC STING BEES to three consecutive New York State Cup Championships in ’05,’06,’07. In 2009, Safirstein, and team management, merged top Sting players, along with top Syosset Elite players, to form Syosset Sting. The Sting went on to win the ’09, ’10 NY State Championships, back-to-back Region I Championships, and consecutive appearances at the USYSA National Championships. The Sting finished third in the prestigious USYSA National League, which garnered their #3 national ranking.

In 2010, Safirstein lead the FC STING ’97 team to their first NY State Championship, and top #20 National Ranking. Her younger FC STING teams compete regionally, in national tournaments, and have won several league championships. In addition, Safirstein lead her U18 Premier team to the quarterfinals of the Dana Cup in Denmark.

Under her guidance, numerous FC Sting players have secured prestigious college scholarships to Princeton, St. Johns, Providence, Yale, George Washington and Univeristy of Connecticut. Several players have been selected to the Olympics Development Program, and many have made it to the next level -- Region I ODP.

Safirstein played collegiate soccer at the University of Texas at Austin. As a scholarship athlete, she became the first Lady Longhorn to be named to Soccer America’s Team of the Week. During Safirstein’s tenure the team was consistently ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA Division I. Safirstein was named to the Scholar Athlete Honor Roll and earned her bachelor’s degree in Journalism in 1995.

Director - INTENSE SOCCER ACADEMY -Co Founder ISA STING

INTENSE SOCCER ACADEMY staff is directed by founder RON ALBER and his advisory committee.

ON THE FIELD. Supplementing his amateur international playing experience, Ron Alber has achieved national coaching diplomas and licenses with both the NSCAA and USSF. During his coaching years Ron Alber has accumulated an impressive resume for training, coaching and managing elite collegiate and national team players as well as several teams who won State Championships, and other nationally competitive tournament championships. Ron Alber also had the good fortune to coach the ISA Black girls team in the 2003 SYL National Championship, where the team was eventually crowned the SYL National Champions.
OFF OF THE FIELD. Ron Alber has earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Hofstra Law School, where he was an award recipient for academic excellence, and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Hofstra University’s Frank Zarb School of Business. After commencing a law career with a prominent New York City law firm, Ron Alber returned to Long Island where he now serves as the managing partner of the full service law firm of Alber & Loglisci LLP.

Ryan Garland - Director of Goalkeeping

Ultimate Goalkeeping, Co-Coach ISA Sting 1995s, 1996; Coach Solomon Schechter NY Varisty Girls

Ryan is the founder of Ultimate Goalkeeping, one of the Premier Goalkeeping Programs in New York and New Jersey. Garland is responsible for training and developing the FC Sting Goalkeepers into the anchors and generals of their respective Sting teams. His cutting edge curriculum is called “Attack Goalkeeping, and in addition to fundamentals and their tactical and strategical applications, Garland also teaches the Psychological aspects of Goalkeeping to Sting Goalkeepers, including " Overcoming the 3 Fears of Goalkeeping", "Visualization Techniques", "Concentration and Focus for 90 Minutes".

Garland’s Ultimate Goalkeeping is and has been the Director of Goalkeeping at Soccer Academies such as FastTrack Academy, Parisi Speed School, and Cheshire Soccer. Garland’s ability to teach Goalkeeping has also landed him positions as Director of Goalkeeping for several Town Travel programs. He has spent 20 years training and teaching Goalkeepers and under his training programs has placed numerous Varsity High School, USA Olympic Development, and College Goalkeepers.

Garland also is Head Coach at Solomon Schechter Westchester Girls Varisty Soccer. In his first season there (2011) he led the girls to a 9-6-1 record, to the Sectional Finals, and received Westchester Conference League "COACH of the YEAR".

Ryan Garland was trained by Hall of Fame USA World Cup Goalkeeper Coach Joe Machnick and was trained in Indoor Soccer by MISL and NASL Hall of Famers Enzo Di Pede and Alan Mayer. Garland was a 5-Time Olympic Development Goalkeeper and Regional Pool Player. He was also Gatorade All American Goalkeeper. As a scholarship Goalkeeper at Division I Vanderbilt University, Garland’s team broke into the NCAA Top 25 and Garland was All Sunbelt Tournament Team. After earning his bachelor’s degree with Major’s in Philosophy and Classical History, Garland finished his career one year later with the Nashville Metros Soccer Team.

www.UltimateGK.com

Quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle

Jon Feinstein - Coach ISA FC STING '98

Jonathan Feinstein - Coach of the ISA FC Sting ’98 - was named Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Mercy College in May of 2009.

Feinstein’s background includes stops at the collegiate, high school and club levels. Most recently, he was named the first Director of Coaching for the Rivertowns Soccer Club in the summer of 2008. He worked with the club for six years, coaching the Rivertowns Wizards to an undefeated season in the first division of the Girls U15 and directed the program into the Eastern New York Premier League the next year. Feinstein also served as the head coach for the Westchester Select U14/U15 girls team in 2004.

Feinstein’s last collegiate post was as the head men’s soccer coach at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in 2007, after serving as a men’s assistant at Saint Peter’s College (NJ), a NCAA Division I program, for the previous two campaigns.

Prior to his position at Saint Peter’s, Feinstein was an assistant coach at his alma mater Manhattanville College with the men’s program from 2003-04. He also served there as the interim head coach in 2003, and helped lead the Valiants to a pair of Skyline Conference Tournament appearances during his tenure.

Feinstein has also previously coached the girls varsity program at nearby Hastings-on-Hudson High School. He holds a United States Soccer Federation National "B" Coaching License.

Feinstein is a 2003 graduate of Manhattanville with a Bachelor of Arts in history. He went on to receive his master’s degree in liberal arts from Manhattanville in 2004. Feinstein was a standout for the Valiants from 1999-2002, earning a pair of All-Conference honors.