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Texas Southern head soccer coach Lindsay Vera has completed her coaching staff for the 2021 spring season with the addition of former SWAC head coach Abe Garcia and TSU alumnus Cameron Flowers.
A former head coach at Prairie View A&M, Garcia was the second head coach in program history and built the program from ground up as he led the Lady Panthers to the SWAC Tournament in each of his 10 seasons as head coach. García's teams have made six appearances in the semifinals, two championship match appearances, and one NCAA Tournament appearance.
Active in the community, Garcia is a part of the South Texas Youth Soccer Association ODP staff. The function of ODP is the identification, selection, and opportunity for development of the state's top players through high-level training and competition. Garcia also represented the country of El Salvador in 2015 as head coach of the World Minifootball Federation World Cup, a top-level indoor soccer event in which he led them to a quarterfinal round finish. García was a four-year starter at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas and led his team to its first conference tournament in school history in 2004 the American Southwest Conference Championship game in 2006.
"I have known Coach Garcia for many years," said Vera. "He is well-versed in the SWAC and I have no doubt his experience will make me a better head coach. Even further, he is very personable which goes a long way with the student-athletes. He is competitive and understands the goal of this program and what it takes to reach the highest level. His enthusiasm and love for the game sets him apart from other coaches in this conference. I am absolutely thrilled to have him on our side."
Flowers is an up-and-coming coach with significant international experience as both a player and administrator.
In 2017, he was awarded the opportunity to represent his country as a member of The Bahamas Youth National Beach Soccer Team which won a bronze medal at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games. Additionally, in 2018 he completed an internship with The Bahamas Football Association, where he performed administrative duties in preparation for many camps such as ECNL. Cameron also holds his U.S. Soccer Federation E and F licenses as well as a license in attacking principles. During his undergraduate career, he received a B.S. in Kinesiology and served as the Executive Vice President of the Student Government Association here at TSU
"Coach Flowers and I began working together as he was completing his undergrad at TSU," said Vera. "He is organized, professional, and a natural leader. His obsession with the sport pushes the staff to new levels of creativity. Cameron is exactly the type of coach I've needed and, since he arrived, the team has shown him nothing but respect and appreciation. I am looking forward to seeing how he will continue contributing to our success."
The team is slated to start its 2021 season at the University of Houston on Feb. 10 with its first SWAC contest slated for Friday, Feb. 26 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Courtesy: TSU Athletics