Irad Young

Irad Young (Hebrew: עירד יאנג; born 25 March 1971) is a retired Israeli-American professional football (soccer) player.

Playing career[]

Irad Young began his playing career as a youth in New York. He was a member of the United States U-16, U-18 US National Team. Young graduated from Syosset High School where he was an NSCAA First Team High School All American and a Parade Magazine All-America soccer player. Syosset reached the New York State high school championship, losing in overtime, during Young's senior season. He holds the school's career record of 54 goals. After high school young attended George Mason University on a full-scholarship where he earned, All-Conference Honors twice, All-Virginia, and All-South Region and was inducted into the GMU Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012. During his senior year, he assisted fellow Israeli, Tamir Linhart, to help his 13th Nationally ranked GMU team defeat No. 1 ranked University of Virginia 2-0. This assist broke the school's career assist record (21) and tied the single season record (9). Young also became the first GMU player to notch 20 goals and 20 assists.

During his senior year in college, Young was signed by professional soccer club Hapoel Haifa from the Israel Premier League, the same club his father, Roby Young captained and starred throughout the 1960s. Irad played with Hapoel during the 1993–94 Liga Leumit season. His best game came in Romania against FC Petrolul Ploesti, where he was named Man of the Match assisting on all three goals for a shocking 3-0 win against the European powerhouse. After his time in Israel, Young joined the American team who drafted him out of college, the Washington Warthogs of the Continental Indoor Soccer League in 1994. Young spent two seasons with the Warthogs recording 11 goals and 22 assists. On July 30, 1997 Young signed with the short-lived Baton Rouge Bombers of the Eastern Indoor Soccer League. During the team's two years of existence, Young led the league in assists both seasons leading the Bombers to two championship finals. Young was a two-time EISL All Star and was runner-up for League MVP in 1997. Young retired from professional soccer to focus on his graduate degree.

Coach[]

Young is a professional soccer scout for a number of Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs as well as international clubs in Israel and Europe. He is also a prominent youth and collegiate soccer coach in the Los Angeles area. Prior to Los Angeles, Irad was an elite youth soccer coach in the Washington DC area. He has coached the Herndon Arsenal, BRYC Nighthawks, SYC Jr. Royals, and Herndon Real Jr. to VA State Championships. Young was named Virginia State Coach of the Year in 2001 after taking the Nighthawks to 16th in the USA, the Arsenal to 12th in the USA, and the Oakton HS Cougars to the State Finals. ^[1]

References[]