Boyden named to Wisconsin men’s soccer coaching staff
April 05, 2024 | Men's Soccer
Chicago Fire Youth Technical Director rejoins former teammate and coaching colleague on sidelines
MADISON, Wis. – Head coach Neil Jones has announced the addition of Nate Boyden as an assistant coach for the Wisconsin men's soccer program.
"We are thrilled to welcome Nate Boyden and his family into the Wisconsin men's soccer program," Jones said. "Our current, and future student-athletes, will quickly learn that Nate is a man of first-class character, who is quick to build and foster relationships and has high-level soccer intelligence and coaching acumen."
Boyden arrives in Madison from the Chicago Fire Football Club, where he completed his second stint with the club. As the Fire's Youth Technical Director, Boyden developed curriculum for the Fire's youth programs, coached within the Fire academy, created programming for player identification and scouting and served as interim Academy Technical Director for the fall season of 2022. During Boyden's first stint with the Fire, from 2016-2019, he served as an academy head coach where he coached and helped develop Fire academy Homegrown players such as Brian Gutierrez, Gabriel Slonina and Chris Brady. In the 2018 season, Boyden served as a part-time Assistant on the First Team staff of Head Coach, Veljko Paunovic.
The Davis, California native went back home from 2019-2021 where he served as technical director and ECNL team coach of Davis Legacy Soccer Club. At Davis, he oversaw the technical direction of a club with 51 youth teams and approximately 40 coaches, and led their high school boys' team to a successful transition to the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).
Boyden also boasts collegiate coaching experience, having spent time as an assistant coach and associate head coach with current UW head coach Neil Jones at Loyola Chicago from 2013-16. He helped the program reach a No. 7 national ranking and a Missouri Valley Conference title in 2016 during his time with the Ramblers. The staff was named 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Coaching Staff of the Year that season.
He also spent time as an assistant coach at Bradley University from 2012-13, and as a volunteer assistant coach while a graduate student at the University of Michigan with the women's team under head coach Greg Ryan from 2011-12.
"I am honored and excited to be joining the Wisconsin men's soccer family," Boyden said. "I want to thank Coach Jones and Associate AD Marija Pientka for entrusting me with this opportunity to help lead the Badgers. I also want to thank my wife and family for their support in embarking on this new adventure.
"On my recent visit, I was impressed with the quality of student-athlete in the Wisconsin men's soccer program and have been impressed with the Badger alumni that I meet in the greater soccer community. I am looking forward to getting up to Madison, doing good work and pursuing the University's educational mission through soccer."
A teammate of current head coach Jones at the University of California, Santa Barbara when he attended from 2001-05, he helped UCSB finish as the 2004 NCAA runners-up. He was twice named Big West Conference First Team while playing for the Gauchos and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2014.
He went on to play two years with the Seattle Sounders, where he won a USL championship in 2006, and he played as a reserve player for Chivas USA, formerly of MLS. Boyden also played overseas for Rostocker FC of the German Verbandsliga in 2008 and 2009, as well as for the Michigan Bucks (now Flint City) of the PDL in 2010.
Boyden earned a degree from UCSB, graduating with high honors in psychology, with a minor in sports management. He also earned a master's degree in psychology while pursuing his PhD from the University of Michigan. Boyden was awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation and is a published author in the Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, the Journal of Neurophysiology, and the Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Neuroscience.
"Along with Ryan Osborne and Daniel Bermingham, Nate completes a top-level coaching staff that will invest everything in to our players, and the program as we chase championships on the field, and excellence in the classroom and community," Jones exclaimed.
"Welcome to Wisconsin Nate, Anne, Lilah, Violet, and Jonathan!"
"We are thrilled to welcome Nate Boyden and his family into the Wisconsin men's soccer program," Jones said. "Our current, and future student-athletes, will quickly learn that Nate is a man of first-class character, who is quick to build and foster relationships and has high-level soccer intelligence and coaching acumen."
Boyden arrives in Madison from the Chicago Fire Football Club, where he completed his second stint with the club. As the Fire's Youth Technical Director, Boyden developed curriculum for the Fire's youth programs, coached within the Fire academy, created programming for player identification and scouting and served as interim Academy Technical Director for the fall season of 2022. During Boyden's first stint with the Fire, from 2016-2019, he served as an academy head coach where he coached and helped develop Fire academy Homegrown players such as Brian Gutierrez, Gabriel Slonina and Chris Brady. In the 2018 season, Boyden served as a part-time Assistant on the First Team staff of Head Coach, Veljko Paunovic.
The Davis, California native went back home from 2019-2021 where he served as technical director and ECNL team coach of Davis Legacy Soccer Club. At Davis, he oversaw the technical direction of a club with 51 youth teams and approximately 40 coaches, and led their high school boys' team to a successful transition to the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).
Boyden also boasts collegiate coaching experience, having spent time as an assistant coach and associate head coach with current UW head coach Neil Jones at Loyola Chicago from 2013-16. He helped the program reach a No. 7 national ranking and a Missouri Valley Conference title in 2016 during his time with the Ramblers. The staff was named 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Coaching Staff of the Year that season.
He also spent time as an assistant coach at Bradley University from 2012-13, and as a volunteer assistant coach while a graduate student at the University of Michigan with the women's team under head coach Greg Ryan from 2011-12.
"I am honored and excited to be joining the Wisconsin men's soccer family," Boyden said. "I want to thank Coach Jones and Associate AD Marija Pientka for entrusting me with this opportunity to help lead the Badgers. I also want to thank my wife and family for their support in embarking on this new adventure.
"On my recent visit, I was impressed with the quality of student-athlete in the Wisconsin men's soccer program and have been impressed with the Badger alumni that I meet in the greater soccer community. I am looking forward to getting up to Madison, doing good work and pursuing the University's educational mission through soccer."
A teammate of current head coach Jones at the University of California, Santa Barbara when he attended from 2001-05, he helped UCSB finish as the 2004 NCAA runners-up. He was twice named Big West Conference First Team while playing for the Gauchos and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2014.
He went on to play two years with the Seattle Sounders, where he won a USL championship in 2006, and he played as a reserve player for Chivas USA, formerly of MLS. Boyden also played overseas for Rostocker FC of the German Verbandsliga in 2008 and 2009, as well as for the Michigan Bucks (now Flint City) of the PDL in 2010.
Boyden earned a degree from UCSB, graduating with high honors in psychology, with a minor in sports management. He also earned a master's degree in psychology while pursuing his PhD from the University of Michigan. Boyden was awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation and is a published author in the Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, the Journal of Neurophysiology, and the Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Neuroscience.
"Along with Ryan Osborne and Daniel Bermingham, Nate completes a top-level coaching staff that will invest everything in to our players, and the program as we chase championships on the field, and excellence in the classroom and community," Jones exclaimed.
"Welcome to Wisconsin Nate, Anne, Lilah, Violet, and Jonathan!"
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