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Under the guidance of Virginia Military Institute men’s head soccer coach Nick Regan, Team USA captured the gold medal in futsal (indoor soccer) at the Pan-American Maccabiah Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Jan. 3.
Reflecting on the journey to the top, Regan said, “What an incredible experience. We were projected to finish in last place. I could tell from day one, meeting the players that this was a special group. We overcame the odds and came away with a Gold for Team USA. It’s a remarkable story.”
Regan, who led VMI to a 5-14 record last fall in his second year as head coach, was selected as head coach of Team USA back in the summer. He helped Team USA navigate pool play against Mexico and a pair of Argentinian teams, advancing to the final, where Team USA took down host Argentina by a score of 6-4 to earn gold.
The Jan. 3 victory was a historic one for Team USA, as it is the program’s first-ever medal in the futsal event, topping an Argentina squad that had won four straight Maccabi Game titles (2022, 2019, 2017, 2015). Previously, the best output was a 2019 bronze medal loss to Mexico in 2019.
Regan’s team featured players from Binghamton, Yale, North Carolina Wesleyan and a former Major League Soccer (MLS) professional.
The Maccabiah games – also known as the Jewish Olympics – are open to Jewish athletes from all around the world and is the third-largest sporting event in the world by number of competitors. The goal of the Maccabiah games is to celebrate Jewish pride and strengthen Jewish bonds.
“Twenty-five countries sent delegations to these games,” said Regan. “It is an experience I’ll never forget. On a personal level, this is the cherry on top of an incredible five months with all we achieved last season here at VMI.”
