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Ken Krieger, one of the most successful high school soccer coaches in Virginia history, died Monday morning.
He had been battling dementia. Krieger was 69.
In 30 seasons at three different high schools (Osbourn Park, Hylton and Forest Park), Krieger went 386-184-37 and won four state titles and two national championships. His win total ranks fourth all-time among boys soccer coaches in Virginia.
Krieger is the father of longtime U.S. National Team member and Forest Park graduate Ali Krieger, who retired from playing soccer after her National Women’s Soccer League team, Gotham FC, won the title Nov. 11.
Krieger, who is a member of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association Hall of Fame, was ahead of his time as a coach when he implemented a style of play in Virginia rarely seen at the high school level at the time.
Instead of a dump-and-chase style where players kicked the ball forward and ran it down, Krieger taught his players to patiently work the ball up from the back and use the entire field to attack the goal through a variety of angles and passing combinations.
The distinctive approach produced a fluid game and attractive results.
Krieger began his coaching career at Osbourn Park before starting the programs at Hylton and Forest Park when those two schools opened.
It was during his nine seasons at Hylton where Krieger enjoyed his most success. From 1992-2000, the Bulldogs won four Group AAA state titles (1993, ’94, ’98 and ’99) and two national championships (1993, 1998). He was the NSCAA/Adidas Division I High School Coach of the Year in 1999.
He was also the first boys soccer coach in Virginia history to lead three different programs to the state tournament.
Overall, Krieger’s three teams reached 11 state tournaments while winning nine region titles and 14 district titles. He coached numerous all-Americans as well as many who went on to play in college.
The list of those who competed for Krieger in high school include Hylton graduate David Stokes, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2003 MLS Draft, Forest Park graduate CJ Sapong, the 10th overall pick in the 2011 MLS Draft and Hylton graduates Grover Gibson and Kyle Rakow, who were both Parade All-Americans.
Tommy Adams chose to play basketball instead of soccer in college, where he ended up starring at Hampton University. But at Hylton, he was the Cardinal District and Northwest Region Player of the Year and the area’s leading scorer on the Bulldogs’ 1998 state championship team.
Besides basketball, Krieger also served as the head girls basketball coach at Osbourn Park and Hylton. He led the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1982 and 1983.
Krieger graduated from Aberdeen High School (MD) in 1972. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Frostburg State.
An all-American at Penn State, Ali Krieger played on three World Cup teams, including back-to-back championship squads. She was also a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team. Ali Kriger was inducted into the Virginia High School League’s Hall of Fame in April.
