Soccer
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- mpiserchio@ia.ua.edu
- Phone:
- 205-348-0144
Mike Piserchio was promoted to Associate Head Coach in March of 2020 after serving for five seasons as an assistant coach on Wes Hart’s staff. Piserchio also serves as Director of Player Development and focuses on coaching the attacking and transition tactics as well as attacking and defending set pieces. Along with his coaching assignments, Piserchio is the liaison to the strength and conditioning coach, oversees the community service program and plays a large role in recruiting and talent identification.
Piserchio helped Alabama capture one of its best seasons in the past 20 years during the 2021 campaign. The team posted its first ever NCAA Tournament win with a 1-0 victory over Clemson to make its first appearance in the second round of the tournament. The team's dominance at home set a single season record for most home wins in a single season with 10, which included a seven-game winning streak at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. UA finished the year with its best conference winning percentage since 1998 that was highlighted upset wins over No. 24 LSU and No. 19 Auburn. Additionally, Alabama battled No. 6 TCU into overtime, becoming one of just two teams to take the Horned Frogs into overtime during the regular season. The Crimson Tide outscored its opponents 23-8 when playing at home.
Despite the unconventional season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Piserchio’s offensive system produced 20 goals over 17 games and recorded an 1.18 goal per game average. The team upset No. 15 Auburn on the road and ranked as high as No. 15 during the season.
Piserchio’s implementation of mental activation, improving agility, explosion, cutting, changing direction, jumping and reaction has directly correlated on the field to an established attacking style. In 2015, the team accumulated 16 goals (0.84 goals per a game) and six assists (0.32 assists per a game) for the season, while the program increased significantly to 37 goals (1.95 gpg) and 32 assists (1.68 apg) in the 2019 season.
Between 2015-18, Piserchio played a critical role in turning the program over, helping the team to 34 victories, including Alabama’s shut out in 2018 to then-No. 5 Texas A&M, 1-0, to capture the Tide’s and Piserchio’s first win over a top-5 opponent in program history.
Under Piserchio and Assistant Coach Jerrod Roh’s watch alongside Hart, the team posted a 12-8-1 season in 2017 which ended with the program’s third-ever appearance to the NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, Alabama ended the regular season with four straight victories over SEC foes, which is the longest streak since 1998. In 2016, UA blanked Tennessee, 1-0, in 2016 marking the first SEC road opener win in two seasons and also shocked then-No. 14 Texas A&M, 2-1. It was the first victory over a ranked SEC opponent since 2014 and the first top-25 win of Piserchio’s Alabama career.
Piserchio is responsible for developing players like Emma Welch (2015-18), who leads Alabama in all-time assists (23), Abbie Boswell (2016-18) who ranked third in the SEC in shots per a game (3.58) during the 2018 season and Lacey Clarida (2014-16) who shot an astonishing 0.7 goals a game, which was good for second in the SEC in 2016.
Through his time spent as a youth coach Piserchio developed an eye for talent in high school aged players and was instrumental in helping identify and attract the nation’s No. 12 ranked 2019 recruiting class recognized by TopDrawerSoccer. He was key in recruiting and signing four players from the top ranked incoming class, as he previously coached Carlee Giammona, AJ Crooks, Macy Clem and Bella Scaturro during his time with the with the Colorado Rush.
Beginning in 2018, Piserchio launched and started overseeing the Community Service Program for the team, which provides community service opportunities to players and ensuring that the players are active in giving back to those in need. In the spring of 2018, each player volunteered a minimum of 10 hours in service projects around the local Tuscaloosa community, including reading to elementary students, volunteering in soup kitchens and helping rebuild tornado relief areas.
A native of Littleton, Colo., Piserchio came to the Crimson Tide from the Colorado Rush, one of the premier soccer clubs in the country, where he spent 10 years as a Director of Coaching, a role that Hart held for three years prior to joining Florida State in 2013.
During his time with the Rush, Piserchio served as a head coach for several ECNL girls teams, and was an assistant coach for the 2008 U18 Girls National Championship team. Piserchio has coached several US Youth National Team players, and has played a vital role in the development of many youth national team and current professional players.
Piserchio has played competitive soccer at every level, including two seasons at the University of San Diego and the University of Denver, and one season for the Colorado Rapids of the MLS. Piserchio won a National Championship with the Colorado Rush and was honored as a NSCAA West Region All-American after his senior season at the University of Denver. Piserchio and Hart were teammates with the Rapids in 2003.
Piserchio is married to the former Jamie Grisinger. The couple are the parents of three children, Audrina, Luca and Eliana.
