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Justin Moose Joins WHYFC in full-time Juniors Program Director Role

By why, 06/26/17, 2:15PM EDT

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WILMINGTON, NC – Justin Moose, a 1st team all-American at Wake Forest University, 1st round draft pick in Major League Soccer, and Former 10-year professional player has accepted a full-time position as the Director of the WHYFC ‘Juniors’ program. 

Moose has been successful at every level of the game and has gained knowledge and experience at each stop throughout his career.  These experiences will be valuable as he works with the young players in the WHYFC Juniors program.

“Ages 7 thru 10 is where you build the foundation of all of your soccer skills, which is why this position and this program are so important to our overall goals as a club.” commented Executive Director Carson Porter. “The experiences Justin has had as a professional and his ability to connect with kids and work with them at their level make him a great fit for this position.  We are excited to support him in this role and can’t wait to see the improvement in our players.”

A native of Statesville, N.C., Justin played youth soccer in Charlotte and was recruited by UNC, Stanford and Furman, among others, eventually accepting a scholarship to Wake Forest University where he set the all-time school assist record; earned ACC rookie of the year in 2002; NSCAA 1st Team All-American honors (2004, 2005); won two regular season ACC championships (2002, 2004); and was a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy his senior year; Moose also spent a semester away from Wake Forest to play on the U-20 U.S. national team as they prepared for the U-20 World Cup.

Selected seventh overall in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft by D.C. United, Justin played with the MLS side for two seasons, and won the Supporters' Shield both seasons, before moving to Canada to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps. During his three seasons there, he reached two league finals and provided the game winning assist in the 2008 championship after scoring a crucial goal in the semi-final. 

"I am honored to accept the new role as the Juniors Director. I'm excited to get to know the kids and I will be working hard to assure that they are enjoying the game while becoming great players. I am proud to be part of a club that dedicates resources and puts an emphasis on developing the youngest players in the club.  The work we do with these young players will help them as they graduate through levels of the game.   It is already a good program and I am excited to get going and make it even better."

Moose holds a USSF National ‘B’ License and has been a Hammerheads coach since he came to Wilmington in 2015.  In addition to his time spent in the U.S. and Canada, Moose also played professionally in Finland and Thailand.