Coach Micah Middendorf

Micah Middendorf is in his second season as head coach of the Concordia men’s soccer program.

Middendorf came to River Forest last year from Concordia’s sister school in Mequon, Wisconsin where he had played for the Falcons and served as a graduate assistant for the Falcons’ men’s and women’s soccer teams last season. One of Middendorf’s mentors in Mequon was his older brother Ryan, coach of the Falcons’ women’s team, “While I have learned a lot from Ryan over the years, there is a completely different feeling to having one’s own program, assessing its abilities and potential, and building around those strengths,” states Middendorf. “I thank Concordia Chicago’s administration for having the confidence in me to rebuild the program, and I am very positive about what I think can take place here in the upcoming years.”

The Milwaukee native took over the Cougar men’s program at a time when the team was in a transition period. Last year’s roster featured 14 first-year players, and the Cougars endured a rough beginning to the season. As the year progressed, the Cougars came together and raised the level of competition against their opponents, despite finishing with a record of 1-18-0. “It was important that the team be competitive and see some progress so that they would be in a position to keep building on it at the beginning of this year. We certainly hope for a couple of wins early this season to build on the optimism,” says Middendorf.

Middendorf’s first full recruiting class features 18 new players, 17 of them freshmen. Much of that can be attributed to his belief in the advantages of a small college environment. Middendorf explains, “I would want any of our prospective players to feel comfortable in this setting, since they would be spending the next four years of their life here. I think the campus is great; the small-college atmosphere with the backdrop of Chicago and everything it has to offer is a great combination which I hope will appeal to our recruits, along with the opportunity to be a part of an emerging college soccer program."

As a player, Middendorf was a member of the Lake Michigan Conference All-Freshmen team in 2001 and a three-time winner (2002-04) of the school’s Falcon Award, given to the player that “best represents the team on and off the field.” A team captain for the Falcons, he started 100 consecutive games at defender in his four years with one goal and six assists and, according to his head coach Tom Saleska, was the team’s most important defender that would routinely draw the assignment of marking the opponent’s top scorer.

Middendorf’s time as a Falcons’ player and a coach enabled him to witness the beginnings of the Northern Athletics Conference and the level of play during its first couple of seasons. Now, as the NAC enters its fourth season of competition, Middendorf is excited to coach against new and old rivals alike. “I think that, within the first three years of the conference, there is a high quality of play already in place,” states Middendorf. “There are no easy wins in this conference; you have to be ready to play every time out. While the conference itself is still somewhat new, there are many rivalries that have been going on for a much longer time, and that will always keep the intensity flowing. Our players love being a part of that, and I confess that I still feel it having been a part of two Concordias.”

Middendorf attended Martin Luther High School in Greendale, Wisconsin and earned his degree in exercise physiology from Concordia Wisconsin in 2005. Middendorf and his wife Ashlee welcomed their first child this past February, son Luca.                      

Contact Information
Email - Micah.Middendorf@CUChicago.edu
708-209-3116 (Office)
708-209-3154 (Fax)