Thori (Staples) Bryan

Played collegiately at North Carolina State University from 1992-1995.  While a member of the Wolfpack, she earned numerous ACC, NCAA, and Soccer America accolades.  Notably, Bryan was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1992 and was the first defender named Soccer America Magazine's Freshman of the Year.  During her time there, NC State made three NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the quarterfinals in 1995.  Thori received a call up to the US Women’s National Team in 1992 and went on to earn 64 caps for the USWNT from 1992 to 2003.  She was a member of the USWNT that placed 3rd at the Women’s World Cup in Sweden in 1995 and an alternate for the 1996 Olympic team.  In August 2002, she was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary women’s soccer team.  Thori was also a member of the Raleigh Wings from 1998-2000, helping the team to win W-League national championships in 1998 and 1999 and runner-up in 2000.   She was the only American player drafted in the first round of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) inaugural draft in December of 2000. Over the past 20+ years, Thori has also held various coaching positions in NC.  Early on, she has had stints as a camp staff coach at NC State and UNC, Adidas ESP camp, and F1 Strength & Conditioning.  She has also coached youth teams for CASL and has been a technical coach for NCFC youth through the Elite Technique program.  For the past 10 years, she has run the Thori Bryan Soccer Academy in Wake Forest, NC.  The academy provides summer soccer camps and individual and team training for youth soccer players.

Thori volunteers as an Advisory Board member for Off the Bench, an advocacy organization designed to increase female participation at the elite level in the sports of soccer, volleyball, lacrosse.  The organization’s main focus is to promote and encourage young women of color to participate in soccer, volleyball, and lacrosse.  Off the Bench also provides scholarships for middle school age girls to attend soccer camps that they might not otherwise be able to afford.