First Assistant Coach, Recruiting Coordinator
Phil Presser is in his seventh season as First Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. In 2019, he helped the Boys in Blue to USL Championship franchise records of 19 wins and 63 points in the regular season and two playoff victories to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
He began his tenure with Indy Eleven in the newly-created Sporting Director, Academy Operations & W League role in 2022, providing an important link between the organization and one of the Midwest’s most comprehensive and accomplished youth academy structures. The Academy Director and Technical Director created the first official pathway in state history from youth academy to the Indy Eleven first team in 2019. Since then, 30 players have signed USL Academy contracts, with seven of them going on to sign professional contracts. Current Boys in Blue Cam Lindley and Logan Neidlinger are two members of this elite group.
Presser began his coaching career at Indiana University as its first-ever undergraduate assistant coach in 2003, helping the Hoosiers to an NCAA Championship. He continued his collegiate coaching at UIC (2005-06) before returning to Indiana (2006-09), then remaining in the Big Ten at Wisconsin (2010-13). Presser served as the FC Wisconsin Academy Director in 2013, prior to coming to Indianapolis for his current role.
Presser played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League for the Kansas City Komets from 2003-04. As a collegian, Presser was a three-year starting midfielder and two-time All-Big Ten performer at Indiana, helping the Hoosiers to the 1999 NCAA Championship. The four-year letterwinner made three trips to the College Cup with the Hoosiers and helped IU to a 70-18-3 overall record during his career.
In high school at Fort Wayne Canterbury, the midfielder earned Gatorade Player of the Year for Indiana and All-America honors, helping Canterbury win two IHSAA championships. In the IHSAA Finals as a senior, Presser scored the only goals in 1-0 victories in both the semifinals and finals.
Presser holds both a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) A Coaching License and a USSF Academy Director’s License and he has completed the USSF Academy Director course.
