A taste of home in Philadelphia

THE fourth annual meeting of the North American Scottish Coaches Association (NASCA) swings into action in Philadelphia on Friday January 19 next year and I am thrilled to have been asked onto the Q and A panel.

Facing the questions will be Scottish Football Association Director of Coaching Jim Fleeting, New York Red Bulls Academy Director and former St Mirren Academy chief David Longwell and ex-Scotland women's national team player Vicky Hall who is now Technical Director of Gunston SC.

I am honoured to be part of this event which runs from 1130am-1pm in room 109B at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia and very grateful that my forward-thinking club North Toronto Nitros have supported me attending.

My soccer adventure in Canada so far has been an incredible experience and I look forward to sharing that with the audience and trading stories with the near 200 Scottish coaches who are now living and working in the Beautiful Game in North America.

I know NASCA organiser Eric McAleer from his brilliant work bringing teams from the USA and Canada to Europe for tours.

My teams often provided opposition for the top-level youth sides he deals with through his company World Strides Excel Sports.

Former pro player Eric, who captained Scotland Under-16s in the Toulon Tournament Final in 1985 when they lost 1-0 to Russia in extra-time, is a standard bearer for Scots working in the North American soccer industry.

Yet he clearly still has a hankering for home every now and again, our gathering next year is sponsored by Tunnock's Teacakes!

TWO SCOTS ABROAD...I coached Brett Molloy at Lowland League side BSC Glasgow, now he is living the American dream and coaching with Mount Olive SC in New Jersey. A true success story