On Friday, Union Omaha announced the hiring of their new goalkeeper coach: Boris Pardo. With him comes a wealth of experience from his collegiate career at Seton Hall, his professional days in Major League Soccer, Major Arena Soccer League, and even some futsal.
The New Jersey native spent his college years at Seton Hall and by the time he left, he had established himself as the all-time Pirates career shutout leader, earning 16 throughout his time wearing blue and white. He also separated himself from previous Seton Hall goalkeepers by collecting a program-best 1.07 goals against average. In 2006, he was named Big East goalkeeper of the year. He was also named Second team All-Region by Adidas shortly before he decided to ply his trade among the professionals.
In 2007, Pardo signed on with the MLS as a league goalkeeper – a professional player who joined any given club after they had two or more goalkeepers suffering from short-term injuries. During the 2007 season, he spent time with Toronto FC, FC Dallas, and Kansas City. His availability and flexibility gave him an advantage moving into 2008, where he was signed as the backup goalkeeper for the then-Wizard’s reserve team. After spending the 2008 and 2009 seasons with Kansas City, Pardo’s career took an unexpected turn: professional indoor soccer.
Before the 2010-2011 Major Arena Soccer League (MASL), the Missouri Comets joined the league as an expansion side. Pardo joined and began to expand his knowledge set. During his years with the Comets, he also spent his time as a goalkeeper coach for Sporting KC Juniors. He was also called up to play with the United States Futsal National Team ahead of the 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship in Guatemala.
Years later, he joined the San Diego Sockers, also of the MASL. He was recently the 2021-2022 MASL Goalkeeper of the Year. His passion for the sport is evident when reading and listening to his previous interviews.
In an interview with the San Diego Sockers, he said, “I love to study and watch and rewatch all the games…I’ve always been a soccer rat.” Later in the same interview, he talked about his love for playing goalkeeper. “I love diving around the dirt, the feel of getting dirty, and the hand-eye coordination stuff. Being able to use my hands was fun. It was a big goal, the challenge of trying to stop a goal from going in.”
In Union Omaha’s press release, head coach Jay Mims said, “Boris has plenty of experience playing at all levels and will be a great resource for the guys.” He went on to say, “I am happy to reconnect with Boris as we have known each other for a long time and will be fun to together.”
Union Omaha continues their title defense as they host the Charlotte Independence on Wednesday evening. The game will be held at Werner Park in Papillion, Nebraska. Kickoff is scheduled for 7PM (CST) and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
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