Keith Bleyer was elevated to North Central's new Manager of Soccer Operations in April of 2026. He will assume head coaching duties of both the Men's and Women's Soccer programs at North Central University.
In his second season, Bleyer guided the men's soccer program through continued growth in 2025, participating in their second-straight NCCAA North Regional semifinal. The program's progress was further reflected in its individual accolades, with four players earning UMAC postseason honors and six receiving NCCAA recognition.
In his first season at the helm, Coach Bleyer led the youngest team in the UMAC (no seniors) to seven overall victories, and the team advanced to the NCCAA Division II North Region Championship game with an upset of the event's top seed in the semifinals.
He joined the Rams in March of 2024 after spending seven years in the Seattle area leading both college and club teams. Most recently, he was a head coach at Green River College, where he relaunched the women's program after a two-year hiatus, recruiting over 20 players in a six-month period. Bleyer led the Gators to ten wins over two seasons and saw eight players on his squad selected for All-NWAC honors. Bleyer has also served as a director and head coach of top teams at three large Seattle-area clubs: Valor Soccer, Pacific Northwest, and ISC Gunners. He has also led squads and managed clubs in Oregon and Colorado.
Since arriving in Minnesota, Bleyer has served as a Head Coach for the top team in a long-standing semi-professional UPSL club called FC Minneapolis and has led multiple teams for Manitou FC, a youth soccer club based in White Bear Lake.
Bleyer holds the highest certifications offered to coaches, including a US Soccer National A Coaching License (earned on three separate occasions) and United Soccer Coaches National Premier and Director of Coaching Diplomas.
As a player, he was a member of the Under-16 USA Youth National Team pool and was named one of the nation's 'Top 50' prep recruits by Soccer America magazine. Bleyer went on to play NCAA Division 1 soccer at Santa Clara (CA) University and graduated with a BA degree in Communications. He was also a radio and TV broadcaster for Major League Soccer teams for nearly twenty years, most recently as a radio analyst for the Portland Timbers.
Keith has been married to his wife Kelly since 1996 and they are the parents of twins Lauren and Evan (a former NCAA soccer student-athlete).
