The Beauty of Soccer: Meet UW-Milwaukee Men’s Soccer Coach Kris Kelderman

Off the field, he is laid back guy. Once in the field, he is a more aggressive person. His office is covered with ornaments, a championship title on his desk, and pictures of his successful career. You can smell and taste victory once you enter to his office. University of Virginia soccer champion, two times MLS Cup champion with DC United and even called for the 1985 FIFA U-16 World cup, all have in common one name. Coach Kris Kelderman has brought skills and experience to the UWM men’s soccer team.

That love for the 700 mm spherical came from his father, who is from Holland.  Harry Kelderman was playing in a pro-level soccer here in Wisconsin when Kris Kelderman was born. Eventually Harry Kelderman introduced the game to his son Kris.

“I was always a kid with a lot of energy,” Kelderman said. “I grew up kicking the soccer ball.”

Of Dutch descent, Kelderman developed his love for the sport with his father as a coach. Kelderman grew up in Neenah, Wisconsin, a small town an hour and a half away from Milwaukee.  He played a side with his father as a coach in Neenah High School. Kelderman played as a mid-fielder since he was a kid. His biggest mentor was his father who he learned every aspect of the game. He not only had his dad as a coach but as a teammate.

“I had the opportunity to play with my dad in indoor tournaments as well,” Kelderman said.

Kelderman said that the opportunity of playing with his dad was an experience that marked his life. Kelderman’s talent took him to a U-16 World cup championship. He followed the Dutch national team when he was a kid. His idol as a kid was Johan Cruyff, a former Dutch famous player who is known for creating total football. Kelderman’s nickname was Johan because everybody knew Cruyff was his hero.

“I was able to travel and see some of this guys played in the national team in Holland and played in the professional league here in the NSL,” Kelderman said.

After he finished high school, Kelderman was recruited by University of Virginia, where he was coached by LA Galaxy’s coach Bruce Arena. At the time, University of Virginia was number one in the country for soccer. Kelderman won the NCAA Division 1 Championship with Virginia. After he graduated college, Kelderman played in the indoor league and outdoor league for a few years.

Life had something else prepared for Kelderman since he was drafted by the DC United, for which Arena was the head coach. The first two years in DC United, Kelderman won two MLS Cups in a row. He continued his professional career until he had a major knee injury that ended his career. Assistant coach Kyle Zenoni recognizes Kelderman’s experience on the pitch.

“He knows the game really well,” Zenoni said. “He is a guy that is total package.”

Kelderman started coaching as an assistant coach in George Mason University with Greg Andrulis as a head coach. Kelderman started coaching in a professional level with Kansas City in 2007. Eventually, he took the position as an assistant coach with DC United, the team that made him a professional player. His experience with Arena left him a life lesson that he further developed as a coach. Like Arena, Kelderman is a coach who can read and understand the players. Kelderman gives liberty to his players in order to get the best of them. At the same time, he knows that some players need to be pushed more in order to succeed. Kelderman breaths and transmit that passion and love for the sport to the players.

“The beauty of soccer is that is the player’s game. It’s important for a coach to have a positive relationship with the players,” Kelderman said. “There was a time when you have to be serious and take care of business and there was a time when you have to treat your player as a brother or son and have a laugh.”

Kelderman didn’t feel complete as a coach, and he wanted to influence more in the young players. That brought him back to college soccer; he was hired in 2012 by UWM. Kelderman’s football philosophy has a modern touch. He tries to emulate Johan Cruyff’s total football, a style that only the big teams like FC Barcelona has achieved. Total football is the philosophy in which all team member attack and defend. The players are not statically set with a position but do all functions as a team. He applies that philosophy inside and outside the field in order for his players to be successful. As for the team, in this pre-season the team won 2 games, tied 2 and just lost 1. One of the wins was against Madison which is a big team in the confederation.

Zenoni knows how important the players are for Kelderman. He said that Kelderman’s best quality is that he has a big heart and players are his number one priority. Kelderman knows that life is not all about soccer and a small percentage of players are successful. He takes his experience as a former professional player and reflects it to his players.

“He would take his shirt to give to somebody else if his cold.” Zenoni said.

Kelderman has a big challenge for next year since he has a young team to face the championship.