As the Technical Director and Academy Director of FC DELCO, Jeff Zaun is responsible for overseeing programming development, style of play, player development, coaches, coaching education and player recruitment.
A former professional MLS player for both The NY/NJ Metrostars and Chicago Fire, Zaun comes to FC DELCO from TSF Academy and has his ‘A’ license from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). Prior, Zaun was both a recruiter and a coach for Red Bulls Youth Academy, helping to elevate the club to the powerhouse it is today.
Zaun was a NY Red Bulls Development Academy (DA) Coach from 2010-2017. During his tenure, there were twelve Red Bull recruits who made the first team, including US National team players Matt Miazga, Tim Weah and Tyler Adams. More than 60 players that Zaun coached have been invited to US Youth National Team Camps. For the 2014/2015 season, Zaun was named the U14 Northeast DA Coach of the Year. In Zaun’s eight seasons as a coach, his teams all finished ranked in the top 5 in the country and finished #1 in the country four of those seasons. Zaun and current FC DELCO General Manager, Rob Elliott also coached the Red Bulls PDL U23 team, which advanced to the PDL National Championship game. In Zaun’s final season, his U19 team went 15-0 and was ranked #1 in the country. The team’s top player, Ben Mines was signed to a homegrown contract with the first team Red Bulls team that January.
Coach Zaun put his coaching career on hold in January 2018 when he was named Director of Youth Scouting for the New York Red Bulls where he created an extensive scouting protocol, player evaluation system, and recruiting network.
In high school, Zaun was a standout for Holy Cross High School and Shawnee High School where he was an All-American in 1988, and the New Jersey High School Soccer Player of the Year in 1989. In 1997 Zaun was Inducted into the South Jersey Soccer Hall of Fame.
Zaun attended Rutgers University, where he was a key player from 1989 to 1993 leading the team to four NCAA tournaments, twice advancing to the Final Four in 1989 and 1990. As a freshman, Zaun earned Atlantic-10 Freshman of the Year honors and was the MetLife Soccer Tournament Most Valuable Player in his sophomore year. In addition to captaining his team for two years, Coach Zaun was also nominated for the prestigious National Player of the Year Award, also known as The Herman Award, his junior and senior years. In 2006 Zaun was inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame.
In 1996 Zaun was drafted in the inaugural MLS draft by the NY/NJ MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls) where he played for three season with the MetroStars and part of a fourth with the Chicago Fire before retiring to begin his coaching career.
In 2000, Zaun returned to his alma mater, where he served as the Associate Head Coach for nearly a decade. At Rutgers, Zaun began to make a name for himself as a talented recruiter, bringing in nationally ranked Top 30 recruiting classes in 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008. From 2008 to 2010, Zaun was also a regional scout for the United States Soccer Federation DA.
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