UC Irvine Names Cano as Director of Soccer

Marine Cano, the man Athletic Director Dan Guerrero had in mind when he formed a new position of director of soccer/head women’s coach at UC Irvne, Tuesday was named to the job.

Cano, who calls himself “Mr. Soccer,” had been the director of soccer and coach of both the men’s and women’s teams at Cal State Dominguez Hills since 1985. He is a highly recognizable figure in the Southern California soccer community, serving as coach of California’s girls’ under-19 Olympic development team and directing camps that attracted more than 1,000 youths this past summer.

“We’re very excited about bringing in an individual of Marine’s abilities,” said Guerrero, who was athletic director at Dominguez Hills until moving to Irvine in 1992. “He’s a proven recruiter, a proven fund-raiser, and he’s done a great job of administrating two programs. And he’s had success at every level he’s coached at.”

Cano’s Dominguez Hills women’s teams have been ranked in the Division II top 20 in each of the last six seasons and won the NCAA Division II title in 1991. From 1984-88, the women’s team competed on the Division I level and compiled a 48-30-10 record. It was ranked eighth in the nation in 1986.

“I’ve recruited a lot of players who could have played Division I,” Cano said, “and my goal here is to attract the type of student-athletes who can win the big trophy. The potential for soccer here is unlimited.”

Cano, 39, says his goal will be NCAA championships for both the men’s and women’s teams, and he will work with men’s Coach Derek Lawther toward that end.

“I’ll be an extra set of hands and extra set of eyes for Derek,” said Cano, who played for the California Sunshine in 1979 when Lawther was coach. “I’ll offer specialized help with coaching and help recruit. I want to find out what he needs and then start working together to get it done.”

Cano realizes that coaching might be the easy part. Fund-raising, always a tough job at Irvine, will be a key to the program’s fate. If the Anteaters hope to compete with the nation’s top teams, much of the money for scholarships will have to come from outside.

“I already have a lot of great contacts in the soccer community, but you don’t just go out asking for money,” Cano said. “My players and I will be out in the community, giving clinics for players and coaches, letting them know we want to help them. You have to give something if you want to get support in return.

“This isn’t a 9-to-5 job. You have to find the time every single day to hit on all the reasons you were hired. It’s not going to be easy. But soccer has been my passion for a long time, and beyond my family, it’s my life.”

Cano, a former goalkeeper, was a member of the 1976 U.S. national team and played nine years of professional soccer. He was an assistant coach at Cal and UCLA and was head coach at El Camino College.