Men's Soccer Coaching Staff
Meet the Coaches
Foti’s 12 seasons on “The Hill” mark the second-longest coaching tenure in the history of Orangemen soccer. Foti has guided the Orangemen to a top-25 ranking during each of the last three seaons. SU began the 2002 campaign ranked 23rd in the NSCAA preseason top 25. The Orangemen have at least one win versus a ranked team in each of the last five seasons. SU defeated 14th-ranked Rutgers, 2-1, and tied third-ranked St. John’s, 1-1, in consecutive games in 2002. Foti’s student-athletes have also found success after Syracuse. The Orangemen have had a player selected in the A-League College Draft in each of the last six seasons. Syracuse has also had former players in the MLS, NPSL, WISL and USISL. Foti and the Orangemen were ranked as high as 18th in the nation during the 2001 season, the second straight year the squad was among the nation’s top 20. Foti mentored four Orangemen to All-BIG EAST honors in 2001 season, including first-team pick Kirk Johnson and the league’s Rookie of the Year Jarett Park. Park led the nation in assists and was named national Freshman of the Year by Soccer America Magazine. Foti coached the 2000 Orangemen to their first top-25 ranking since 1997 after Syracuse upset top-ranked, and eventual natonal champion, Connecticut on the road. Foti and the Orangemen made their second consecutive BIG EAST Tournament appearance, a first for the program since 1995 and 1996. He also mentored three second-team all-league players, including first-team All-New York Region goalkeeper Kevin Bacher. The 1999 NSCAA/Adidas New York Region Coach of the Year, Foti guided the Orangemen to 11 wins that season, the largest single-season total in his tenure. The squad finished the year ranked second in the region, boasting wins versus a pair of top-25 teams. He coached four All-BIG EAST players, including two first-team members. Even before his tenure on the sidelines began, Foti was a part of Syracuse soccer history. A four-year starter from 1979-82, Foti captained the squad his senior season, leading the Orangemen to the inaugural BIG EAST Tournament title and a school-record 16 victories. Foti is one of just 15 SU players ever to wear the captain’s armband for more than one season. Prior to returning to Syracuse, Foti spent six years as an assistant coach at the University of Maryland. He was an integral part of the staff that led the Terrapins from a dormant ACC program to an NCAA Tournament team in 1986. Foti also was a graduate assistant at Syracuse in 1984 and an assistant at Fayetteville-Manlius High School (NY) in 1983 before joining the Maryland staff. Aside from his duties with the Orangemen, Foti is an active clinician. He serves on the Olympic Development Program Region I staff, and has served on the USSF National Coaching Schools staff. Previously he worked on the O.D.P. staffs of both New York West and Maryland. Foti is currently the assistant coach of the Under-17 Region I Olympic Development Team. In April of 2001, he helped guide the squad to a 5-1 record and a berth in the semifinals of the 32-team Mediterranean International Cup in Spain. The squad has travelled the globe, participating in tournaments in France (1996-97), Brazil (1998), Switzerland (1999) and Morocco (2000). Foti is a member of several coaching organizations. He is a past president of The BIG EAST Conference Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Association (1996-98). He was also a member of the NSCAA Regional Ratings Committee (NY) from 1993-98, serving as chairman in 1994 and 1995. Foti served two terms on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee for the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship (1998-2000 and 1992-94). Foti has been involved in youth soccer, directing summer camps for 19 years. After co-directing the 1985 Syracuse Soccer Camp, he successfully started and directed the University of Maryland camp from 1986-90. Since 1991, Foti has directed the popular SU Soccer Camp. A native of Oneonta, N.Y., Foti graduated from Syracuse in 1983 and received his master’s degree in physical education from SU in 1985. He holds both a USSF "A" license and a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma. Dean and his wife, Holly, have three daughters -- Riley, and twins, Sophia and Lainey. The Fotis reside in Syracuse. The Foti File
In addition to his scouting and recruiting duties, Zawislan works directly with the Orangemen’s goalkeepers. Last season’s starter, Alim Karim, ranked third in the BIG EAST in total saves and second in saves per game. He became the first SU rookie to record back-to-back shutouts since 1994. Karim also helped the Canadian Under-20 National Team to a berth in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships, going 2-0-1 with a pair of shutouts in the qualifying tournament. He played every minute in goal for Team Canada. Zawislan has coached in two NCAA Men’s College Cup final fours. In 2001, he helped guide Stanford to the national semifinals and a 19-2-1 record, the best in school history. The Cardinal also won the program’s first-ever Pac-10 championship. In 2000, Zawislan helped Creighton to a second-place finish in the Men’s College Cup and the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship. The Bluejays set a school-record with 22 victories and became the first team in school history to reach an NCAA championship game. In 1999, Creighton boasted the lowest team goals against average in Division I, and goalkeeper Tom Zawislan was named an All-American. Zawislan graduated from Clemson in 1993. He was the starting goalkeeper in every game of his four-year career. Zawislan was the Most Valuable Player of the 1993 ACC Tournament. He was a three-time All-ACC and four-time All-South Region selection. The two-time team MVP holds the Clemson records for career saves (448), season saves (134) and career starts (88). An Academic All-American, Zawislan also received the Jim Weaver Award, presented annually to the top male ACC student-athletes. Zawislan went on to play professionally with the Columbia Heat of the U.S.I.S.L., where he was an Atlantic Division All-Star. He moved to Arka Gdynia, A Division II professional team in Poland, and then for the Detroit Neon/Safari of the Continental Indoor Soccer League. Zawislan holds a U.S.S.F. “B” License, NSCAA National Diploma and an NSCAA Goalkeeper Academy Diploma. In 2000, Zawislan coached the Nebraska ODP Men’s Open Under-23 squad and the Nebraska State ODP goalkeepers. Prior to his experience at Creighton, Zawislan coached at the Canadian Soccer Academy and served as player-coach with the Heat. Zawislan earned his master’s degree in liberal studies from Creighton in 2001. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Clemson as well as a bachelor of education from the University of Toronto (1999). |
Assistant Coach Matt Tantalo
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Tantalo came to SU after three seasons as the head coach at Elmira College. He also served as the Director of Intramural Sports. Prior to his appointment with the Soaring Eagles, Tantalo served as an assistant coach at Nazareth College for three years.
Tantalo has also been actively involved in clubs and camps throughout Central New York. He was the head coach of the Rochester Football Club, an Under-15 Premier team, in 2000 and served as an assistant for the New York State West Olympic Development Program in 1999. He directed the Advanced Player Camp for the Webster Soccer Association in 2001 and 2002 as well as serving as co-director of the Elmira College Soccer Camp in 2002 and 2003.
Tantalo played four seasons at the Rochester Institute of Technology from 1994-97. He helped the Tigers to a berth in the NCAA quarterfinals in 1994 and was named an NSCAA Regional All-American in 1995. Tantalo captained RIT as a senior in 1997. Following his collegiate career, Tantalo played professionally with the Albany Alleycats of the United Soccer Leagues’ D3 Pro League (1998) and the New York Capital District Shockers of the USL’s Premier Development League (1999).
A 1994 graduate of Gates Chili High School, Tantalo received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from RIT in 1999. He holds a NSCAA National License and a United States Soccer Federation National C License.
