UVA’s A.J. Barnold accepts full-time role with U.S. Soccer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Via University of Virginia) – University of Virginia men’s soccer director of operations, A.J. Barnold has landed a full-time role at U.S. Soccer, working closely with the United States Women’s National Team. In his new role, Barnold will be a performance analyst for the defending World Cup Champions.

Barnold joined the Virginia soccer staff prior to the 2015 season and oversaw all aspects of video editing and analysis along with the management of the overall general welfare of the Virginia men’s soccer student-athletes. Additionally, he assisted the coaching staff with day-to-day operations.

“In terms of analyzing performance data, there are not too many people in our industry with the skillset he’s acquired during his time at Virginia,” head coach George Gelnovatch said. “We’re fortunate enough to be able to utilize some of the most cutting-edge technology available in our sport and A.J. worked hard to master his craft, proving to be a real asset to our staff and student-athletes. We’re proud of him and we’re confident he’ll do an outstanding job for the U.S. Soccer.”

Barnold, who will be based in Chicago, will begin his duties with U.S. Soccer next week. He’ll work as a WNT performance analyst within the high performance department.

During his tenure in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers qualified for three-straight NCAA Tournaments. He spent six seasons as an assistant coach between Lafayette College, Muhlenberg College, and Arcadia University. Born in Olney, Md., Barnold studied psychology at Muhlenberg, and earned a Master’s in exercise and sport psychology from Temple University.

A national search for Barnold’s replacement will begin immediately.