Popular U.S. men’s national team assistant Glenn “Mooch” Myernick remained unconscious Sunday 72 hours after suffering a heart attack near his home in Colorado.
Myernick, 51, was on life support in the intensive care unit at North Suburban Medical Center in Thornton, Colo., where he was taken after being stricken following his return from a run.
He was Bruce Arena’s assistant coach at the last two World Cups. He’s served as a U.S. Soccer coach twice (1992-97 and 2001-present). He coached the U.S. U-17s at the 1995 Under-17 World Championship and the U.S. U-23s in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2004 Olympics.
Myernick had just recently returned from a three-city visit to South Africa as a U.S. State Department sports envoy. Myernick and former U.S. women’s star Shannon MacMillan traveled to Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town on the ”World Cup Sports Initiative” that offers soccer clinics to children around the world.
Myernick starred as a defender at Mercer County Community College and Hartwick, winning the Hermann Trophy in 1976. He played eight years in the NASL with Dallas, Portland and Tampa Bay and earned 10 caps for the USA. He then went into coaching, first working as a college assistant at Tampa and Hartwick. Besides his work with the U.S. national team program, Myernick coached the Colorado Rapids for four seasons (1997-2000), leading them to the MLS Cup 1997 final in his first year as coach.
The Rapids will forward get-well cards, gifts or arrangements to Myernick or his family. Fans should address such items to: Colorado Rapids Community Relations Dept., attn: Mooch Myernick, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver, CO 80204, or send any email messages to rapidsfanmail@pepsicenter.com.