Photo credit: UVU Athletics
This season, the UVU Men’s soccer team will have a familiar face roaming the sidelines at Clyde Field. Alex Neff, former UVU standout, has come back to the program to be a part of Greg Maas’ staff as an assistant coach. An addition like this will be sure to strengthen an already solid core of coaches. Alex was a stud on the field, playing from the 2014-2016 seasons under Coach Maas.
Neff was the anchor of an incredibly solid defense during his time in green. He often played as a center-back, which always put him in the center of the action. He was tactical and his touch on the ball was one-of-a-kind. Not afraid to sacrifice his body, Neff was a master of the slide tackle. Playing center-back would regularly pit him against the opposing team’s best strikers and wingers.
In addition to being a lockdown defender, Neff was great in set pieces and coming forward in attack. He was notorious for placing screamers into the top corner off of free kicks and beautiful touches on headers off of corner kicks. This unique skill set is reminiscent of the Italian national superstar Leonardo Bonucci. Bonucci came to fame as a member of Juventus, widely known to have the best defense in the world. Leo is also a valuable asset inside the box as a scoring threat, much like Alex. This versatility can be useful as a coach. His skills and experience in Coach Maas’ system will bring value and insight to this year’s team.
When asked about the new opportunity to be an assistant coach by our friends from UVU Athletics, Alex said, “I am thrilled and beyond grateful to have the opportunity to join Coach Maas and the UVU men’s soccer staff. As a former student-athlete, I was fortunate to enjoy a great playing and academic career, and now I have the opportunity to further help this amazing program and our players establish both excellence and success well into the future.”
