SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (February 19, 2005) - The recipients of the 2004 US Youth Soccer adidas Coach of the Year Dinner were announced last night at the Coach of the Year Dinner held in conjunction with the 2005 US Youth Soccer adidas Workshop and Coaches Convention at the Salt Lake Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The national adidas Coach of the Year award winners were David Bozdeck of St. Louis, Missouri (Girls) and Mehdi Siadat of Saratoga, California (Boys).

Max Bretos of Fox Soccer Channel set the stage for the night as the master of ceremonies for the more than 1,200 in attendance. Several members of the youth soccer community were honored including Dr. Thomas Fleck who was recognized for his lifetime of service as the inaugural recipient of the US Youth Soccer Excellence in Youth Coaching Education Award and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson was recognized for his support of youth soccer through Utahs Proposition 5, a bond to enable the development of a soccer complex in Salt Lake City.

Brian Kilmeade, anchor for the number one morning program on cable television, Fox and Friends, and author of the best selling book The Games Do Count: Americas Best and Brightest on the Power of Sports was the key note speaker of the event. Kilmeade spoke to the capacity crowd of youth soccer coaches, administrators and enthusiasts before French action painter and performer Jean Francois Detaille took to the stage for his high-energy show.

Sport is lifes boot camp and you (coaches) are the drill sergeants, said Brian Kilmeade of Fox and Friends. Its not about raising great players, its about raising great people. You could be coaching the next secretary of state through the character, work ethic and discipline that you instill through your training sessions.

David Bozdeck, 2004 US Youth Soccer adidas Girls Coach of the Year, a former All-American and alternate for the Olympic National Team, coaches the 1990 Girls Busch Soccer Club team in Missouri. He believes in every member of the team and spends time at each practice maintaining fundamental skills and then developing new ones. Dedication to the community is also important to Bozdeck and his team as they participate yearly in food drives and Multiple Sclerosis Society events.

For more than 20 years Mehdi Siadat, 2004 US Youth Soccer adidas Boys Coach of the Year, has spent his free time crafting creative practice sessions and inventive game plans. As a player, he has enjoyed the game for more than 30 years. He currently serves as the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Boys Under-17 District II Head Coach, the De Anza Clash Under-17 Girls Head Coach, and the Assistant Varsity Coach at Presentation High School in San Jose, California. Known for his extensive understanding of the game, Siadat provides his coaching services free of charge.

Recipients of the adidas Coach of the Year awards are selected by the US Youth Soccer Board of Directors on the basis of sportsmanship, player development, personal coaching development and community involvement (citizenship).

The regional winners of the 2004 US Youth Soccer adidas Girls' Coaches of the Year are: Region I Jim Kelly, Soccer Rhode Island Region II David Bozdeck*, Missouri Youth Soccer Association Region III Kara Slick, South Carolina Youth Soccer Association Region IV Robyn Bretzing, Utah Youth Soccer Association

The regional winners of the 2004 US Youth Soccer adidas Boys Coaches of the Year are: Region I Mark Gorgos, New York State West Youth Soccer Association Region II Mike Olson, South Dakota Youth Soccer Association Region III Lane Smith, Mississippi Youth Soccer Association Region IV Mehdi Siadat*, California Youth Soccer Association - North *denotes national adidas Coach of the Year

These coaches have committed to continued education and self-sacrifice to give back to the sport they love with the hope that they might enhance one of their players abilities and quality of life. US Youth Soccer and adidas are proud to highlight these Coaches of the Year for their time and efforts in contributing to Americas youth through the great game of soccer. By promoting teamwork, discipline, fitness and fair play these coaches are making a difference.

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