SAMI NEDJAR, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR EAST COUNTY (EC)

Sami Nedjar grew up in Oahu and Southern California, playing soccer all four years of high school, achieving varsity letters and leading the team in scoring. He then played club soccer at the University of Southern California, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (with a dual emphasis in Marketing and Entrepreneurship). While in college, Sami started coaching, first at USC with the women's club team, followed by Occidental College's women's Division III team. Nedjar has three years of coaching experience with women's four-year college, and five years of coaching experience with men's four-year college (San Diego State University's men's team). Nedjar also coached for five seasons at the junior college level, leading Cuyamaca College to two conference championships. He was named Pacific Coach Conference Coach of the Year twice. Two of Cuyamaca's teams finished at the end of the season's top 20 rankings.

Sami was the lead coach for seventeen seasons of high school varsity soccer with Oceanside High School (boys) and Granite Hills High School (boys and girls). In his first stint at GHHS, his boy's team went on a 66-game unbeaten streak which currently stands as the second-longest streak in San Diego County history. His teams have won nine league championships and four straight CIF San Diego Section Championships. In 2003, the Eagles finished the season at 28 wins, 0 losses, and 3 ties and ended the winter season ranked #1 in the nation.

Sami was named CIF Coach of the year in 2004, inducted into the San Diego High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006, and into the Granite Hills Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. He resumed coaching at GHHS in 2021, and has more than thirty years of Club Soccer coaching and directing experience. Sami has been director of coaching at Hotspurs USA and San Diego United. He led numerous teams to Coast Soccer League, San Diego Developmental Academy, and Presidio League championships. Nedjar coached teams to numerous tournament championships including two state cup titles, four Surf Cup championships, and three ALBION Cup titles. Along the way, he has helped over 100 players to attain their dream of playing college soccer. Sami was named National Youth Soccer Coach of the year and Cal South Coach of the Year in 2000.

In addition to high school and collegiate coaching, Sami also coached several Olympic Development Program soccer teams for Cal South, leading them to win regional and national titles. As an instructor for So Cal and Cal South, Sami works with coaches in 9v9, 11v11, and D courses. He has earned the A license, National Youth License, and Grass Roots Instructor License from US Soccer and the Advanced National Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now called the United Soccer Coaches). Sami is currently Advancement Director for ALBION San Diego as well as Technical Director of ALBION East County.