Wisconsin Soccer Central

For the second time in as many weeks, a Wisconsin soccer coach was named the nation's best.

Milwaukee's Xavier Rico was announced as the U.S. Youth Soccer Boys Competitive Coach of the Year for 2015 at the organization's annual Awards Gala on Friday in Baltimore. He's the first Wisconsin coach to claim the national honor in its 24-year history.

A native of Monterrey, Mexico, Rico was selected for the award after leading three SC Waukesha teams to Wisconsin State Championship titles last season: Under-13 and Under-17 boys and Under-17 girls. The Under-13 boys team went on to advance to the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II final last spring.

Rico now coaches Under-10 and Under-11 boys teams at Delafield-based Strike FC Wisconsin, and also conducts training sessions for other age groups. Connecticut's Ryan Renauld (Region I), Texas' Scott Dymond (Region III) and California's Enrique Garcia (Region IV) joined Rico as the finalists for the award.

Last week, Schofield D.C. Everest's Lucas Kollross was named the 2014-15 National Girls Soccer Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations Coaches Association.