Late last month, MPLS City announced a new Director of Goalkeeping for the club. It’s a new position for the Crows and gives them a chance to add an incredibly accomplished coach to the staff, Alli Lipsher. “We are creating a high performance environment for our players, and to do that you need great coaches” said MPLS City GM Adam Pribyl. “As we grow, we are committed to providing great coaching, and more specialized coaching, to our players. Alli is a top coach with a fantastic pedigree and she is going to be great.” Alli had a 6 year professional career that spanned two continents, as she played for multiple clubs in the domestic WPS (the precursor to the NWSL) and the Australian A-League with Sydney FC.

The move of adding a highly qualified coach, who happens to be a woman, for an organization known for their men’s’ team is a great step forward by MPLS City and its significance isn’t lost on the organization. “Soccer has that old boys club feel about it in many places” said MPLS City Co-Founder Dan Hoedeman “but that’s their loss if they are willing to overlook big talent because of gender. I’m so excited that Alli is joining because she’s a great coach and because she’s now our great coach.”

It’s no surprise that a team known for being ahead of the curve isn’t allowing outdated perceptions about coaching get in the way of hiring the best candidate for the job. We sat down with Alli to discuss her path to MPLS City and the state of goalkeeping in Minnesota.

So Alli, tell us about yourself, what's your background? How did you get into soccer?

I was like a lot of kids and grew up playing a lot of sports at a young age. It was an easy way for my dad to keep me busy after school and get my energy out so I wasn’t a total terror at home. I started playing soccer when I was five and eventually, my interest in the other sports I played kind of fell off and soccer became my main sport.

Most kids want to be strikers, you became a goalkeeper, how was that decision made?

I honestly couldn’t tell you. I started as a GK when I was like 8, so pretty young. I still played on the field here and there but I always was the first to volunteer to play in goal.

You played for Duke during your college years, what was that experience like?

It was incredible. I grew up a literal and figurative world away from the south, so going to a fantastic school in an entirely new part of the country was really important for my growth. Also having to adapt to such a high level of play so quickly really shaped my development.

Can you tell us about your years in the A-League?

Australia’s professional league played during the WPS offseason, so getting to play abroad in between seasons in America and get that year-round training and play was really fun. The league down there was a bit more laid back, the girls were top notch, many of them play in the NWSL and WSL now, and living abroad is a really cool experience, I’d recommend it to anyone.

What are some big differences between playing in the US versus Australia?

I think if you looked at the level of the A-League now, there wouldn’t be that big of a difference. It is really up and coming as a top professional league. The main difference when I was playing was that the WPS was pro and the A-League was semi-pro.

How did you get into coaching?

I think a lot of goalkeepers get into coaching because we spend so much time watching and analyzing the game in front of us. I had the opportunity to coach at the University of Arizona in between seasons when I was playing and knew that it was something I wanted to pursue after I hung up my boots. I was also really fortunate to have a goalkeeper coach in college (Nate Kipp) who was an incredible mentor, and when I think of why I coach now, a lot of it has to do with wanting to be for my players what he was for me.

How does coaching goalkeeping differ from other positions?

It is perhaps a bit more compartmentalized because you are having to make decisions in one very specific part of the field, however the nuances of the decisions and actions you have to execute in that smaller space are far more complex and demanding than much of the outfield play.

What perception did you have of MPLS City prior to joining?

I knew it was a great club that played top level soccer and didn’t take itself too seriously

What do you hope to bring to the organization?

Top level goalkeeper training. Simple as that.

What's the goalkeeping talent like in Minneapolis?

I think there is a lot of talent in the state, you see that in instances of a kid like Fred Emmings getting picked up by MNUFC. The question is how do we identify that talent and help it grow to reach its potential? With the futures program, I think Minneapolis City is off to a great start in helping that happen.

- Dan Vaughn