Youssef Darbaki
Encyclopedia
Youssef Darbaki, was a Moroccan
soccer midfielder
. He was a participant in the 1982 World Cup Qualifiers.
He is currently the Head Coach
/Manager
of the Minnesota Twin Stars, and MSHSL
champions, Prairie Seeds Academy
.
from 1992-1994. He was the associate coach for the University of St. Thomas
from 1994-2008. He coached the Minnesota Select State Team from 1996-1999. He also coached Cougars FC from 1996–2006, which competed in the Minnesota Men's Premier League. He has coached the Minnesota All-Star African Team from 1999-2006. He coached the Minnesota Blast from 2002–2004, now Minnesota NSC United.The Minnesota Blast were the National Champions in 2004. He began coaching the Twinstars when they were formed in 2005. He also was the Coaching Director of the Wayzata Soccer Club, the Kelix Soccer Club, and the Three Rivers Soccer Club, all from Minnesota. He currently coaches the St. Paul Twin Stars
and the Prairie Seeds Academy
high school Boys' soccer team, which he won the 2010 Single A Boys' State Championship with. He went to Brazil during August 2009 to receive his FIFA coaching licence in Sao Paolo.
, French
, Arabic
, English
, Portuguese
, and Italian
.
, Badou Zaki
, Abdelmajid Dolmy
, and Aziz Bouderbala
, all of which played in the 1986 World Cup. Also, Merry Krimau is his 1st cousin. He currently lives in Minneapolis, MN with his wife and children. He could have possibly played in the 1986 World Cup, but he was injured, and did not pass the fitness test. He has coached talented players such as Francis Doe
, Ansu Toure
, Isaac Kannah
, and has had Tony Sanneh
play for him. Also, Youssef is good friends with George Weah
, a Liberian soccer player who won the Ballon d'Or, FIFA World Player of the Year
, and African Player of the Year in 1995. His son, Karim Darbaki, is also starting his career.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
soccer midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. He was a participant in the 1982 World Cup Qualifiers.
He is currently the Head Coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
/Manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
of the Minnesota Twin Stars, and MSHSL
Minnesota State High School League
The Minnesota State High School League is a voluntary, non-profit association for the support and governance of interscholastic activities at high schools in Minnesota, United States. The association supports interscholastic athletics and fine arts programs for member schools...
champions, Prairie Seeds Academy
Prairie Seeds Academy
Prairie Seeds Academy is a charter school located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a northwest suburb of Minneapolis. PSA, as it is informally referred to, is in candidacy to become an IB World School, and is a member of the National Honor Society...
.
Coaching career
Darbaki started off coaching South High in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
from 1992-1994. He was the associate coach for the University of St. Thomas
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
from 1994-2008. He coached the Minnesota Select State Team from 1996-1999. He also coached Cougars FC from 1996–2006, which competed in the Minnesota Men's Premier League. He has coached the Minnesota All-Star African Team from 1999-2006. He coached the Minnesota Blast from 2002–2004, now Minnesota NSC United.The Minnesota Blast were the National Champions in 2004. He began coaching the Twinstars when they were formed in 2005. He also was the Coaching Director of the Wayzata Soccer Club, the Kelix Soccer Club, and the Three Rivers Soccer Club, all from Minnesota. He currently coaches the St. Paul Twin Stars
St. Paul Twin Stars
Minnesota Twin Stars is an American soccer team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 2005, the team plays in National Premier Soccer League , a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Midwest Division. Prior to the 2011 season the...
and the Prairie Seeds Academy
Prairie Seeds Academy
Prairie Seeds Academy is a charter school located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a northwest suburb of Minneapolis. PSA, as it is informally referred to, is in candidacy to become an IB World School, and is a member of the National Honor Society...
high school Boys' soccer team, which he won the 2010 Single A Boys' State Championship with. He went to Brazil during August 2009 to receive his FIFA coaching licence in Sao Paolo.
Philosophy of The Game
Youssef believes that the education of the Youth Programs and the In-House Programs are very important, and that the structure of club philosophy is important also. The Brazilian and European style of play is important to the kids. Creating a family environment for all of the players and parents matters too. Working hand to hand with coaching directors to create a certain platform for the whole club's style, making all ages of one football club play the same style. Communication with all the coaches and team managers is very important. Creating a curriculum that fits the clubs style of play helps with coaching. He believes bringing all of the ethnic groups to the club to get a variety of style is good. He also thinks it is important to be able to talk to them through communicating to them in their own language, so, he is fluent in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.
Interesting facts
Youssef is friends with Mohammed TimoumiMohammed Timoumi
Mohamed Timoumi is former Moroccan footballer. He was named African Footballer of the Year in 1985. The player took part in 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. At club level, Mohammed Timoumi won the CAF Champions League with FAR Rabat, biggest Moroccan football club of his era...
, Badou Zaki
Badou Zaki
Ezzaiki Badou, nicknamed "Zaki" was the manager of the Morocco national football team from 2002 to 2005. Before coaching, he was a noted goalkeeper, appearing as the keeper for the Morocco national football team at the 1984 Summer Olympics and at the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He was named by France...
, Abdelmajid Dolmy
Abdelmajid Dolmy
Abdelmajid Dolmy is a retired Moroccan football defender.Dolmy played club football for Raja Casablanca in the Botola. He also played for the Morocco national football team at the 1984 Summer Olympics...
, and Aziz Bouderbala
Aziz Bouderbala
Abdelaziz Bouderbala El-Idrissi is a former Moroccan footballer. Aziz Bouderbala started his professional career at Wydad Casablanca, before moving to FC Sion, Switzerland and French Olympique Lyon later. the former player worked as a technical director at his first club Wydad Casablanca. He...
, all of which played in the 1986 World Cup. Also, Merry Krimau is his 1st cousin. He currently lives in Minneapolis, MN with his wife and children. He could have possibly played in the 1986 World Cup, but he was injured, and did not pass the fitness test. He has coached talented players such as Francis Doe
Francis Doe
Francis Doe is a Liberian footballer currently playing for the Egyptian Premier League Telephonat Bani Sweif.-Club career:...
, Ansu Toure
Ansu Toure
Ansu Toure is a Liberian footaller who currently plays for FC Locarno in the Swiss Challenge League.-Youth and Amateur:...
, Isaac Kannah
Isaac Kanneh
Isaac Kannah , is an Liberian football midfielder, who plays for NIU Huskies, and the MN Twinstars in the NPSL.-Highschool career:...
, and has had Tony Sanneh
Tony Sanneh
Anthony "Tony" Sanneh is an American soccer player who most recently played for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer.-Youth and college:...
play for him. Also, Youssef is good friends with George Weah
George Weah
George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah is a Liberian humanitarian and politician, and an ex-footballer. He ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2005 election, losing to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting...
, a Liberian soccer player who won the Ballon d'Or, FIFA World Player of the Year
FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
, and African Player of the Year in 1995. His son, Karim Darbaki, is also starting his career.
External links
- Profile with photo
- http://www.liberiansoccer.com/Avalanche%20of%20Phone-Calls%20Besieged%20Coach%20Darbaki.htm
- http://www.liberiansoccer.com/top_coach_willing_to_rebuild_lone_star2009123456789011.htm
- http://www.linkedin.com/pub/youssef-darbaki/21/b0a/529
- http://geographicalmedia.com/youssef-darbaki/activity
- http://www.theliberianjournal.com/index.php?st=news&sbst=details&rid=1142
- http://www.servinghistory.com/topics/Youssef_Darbaki