UDA@NMSU Announce Director of Soccer for Academy Program at NMSU

UDA Academy Director, Jeff Thompson announce today that the UDA Academy program located on-campus at NMSU has hired Dallas native Tahlon Drake to become the Director of Soccer for the UDA@NMSU Men’s Soccer Academy.

​Drake, 34, has a long resume and was selected from a pool of over 40 applicants for the DOS position that included coaches from the USA and from around the world.

Drake played his youth soccer in the Dallas area and played for Ed Puskarich and the Texas Spurs. At the collegiate level he competed at Hendrix College in Conway Arkansas before moving on the UC-Santa Barbara. Drake eventually earned his degree from the University of North Texas in Denton.

Professionally, Tahlon spent the better part of 2004 and 2005 in Europe while playing for FCM Onesti in Romania and then RSC Anderlecht in Belgium before playing with the LA Blues in 2005-2006. He returned to the professional game in 2015 as a player/coach with the newly formed Liverpool FC America as they entered the NPSL in the Dallas area.

As a USSF National B licensed coach, Drake also became heavily involved in the Dallas area Club Soccer arena the past 13 years with coaching stints at Milan FC, Liverpool FC America (NPSL), Liverpool FC American (youth club), Texas Spurs (UPSL), Sting SC and Titans FC. 

Drake is married (Joanna), has two children and will relocate to the Las Cruces area in July. 

Contact: 
tdrake@udaus.org 
214-675-5889