Aaran “Kiwi” Lines :: Head coach, Western New York Flash
Read up on Aaran's career and fun facts about him below...
Lines with players McCall Zerboni and Marta during the 2011 WPS season, when he became the youngest coach in WPS history to win a championship
Coaching Career:
2010 W-League Champions
2011 WPS Champions
Aaran earned his UEFA B coaching license in Germany and has helped build Buffalo's only professional soccer franchise to a national powerhouse the last three years. In 2009, he was hired as the USL W-League Buffalo Flash's head coach where he led the squad to an impressive 10-3-3 record and a trip to the second round of the playoffs. In only his second year of the league, he led the squad to an undefeated season and a W-League Championship defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in Santa Clarita, CA. Lines was named the Fieldturf 2010 Coach of the Year after the clubs outstanding season.
The WNY Flash joined Women’s Professional Soccer as an expansion club in September of 2010, and Lines was hired again to guide the club in their quest for back to back Championships. Lines led the Flash to become the first expansion team in WPS history to win the regular season and WPS Championship, posting a 13-2-3 record. The squad scored an impressive 42 goals, the most league history. Lines coached Ashlyn Harris and Whitney Engen to their first league honors, Coast Guard Goalkeeper of the Year and Defender of the Year respectively, and led five-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta to her third consecutive WPS Golden Boot.
Aaran also has earned his UEFA B coaching license in Germany and has coached various levels of youth at German and Australian soccer academies.
Playing career
International Experience:
An experienced international that has 41 appearances for his New Zealand full national team, nine with the U-23 squad, eight with the U-20 and 10 with U-17’s. Kiwi participated in the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Confederations cup with the New Zealand national team and has played full competitive international games against 5-time world champion Brazil, Germany, France, and the USA.
Club Experience:
1993-97: Moved to Germany at the age of 16 to join the SV Werder Bremen Youth team of the German Bundesliga. Played 80 games with the Werder Bremen youth team, 60 games with the reserve team and 14 matches on the first team. 1997-2000: Played 80 matches with VfL Osnabruck in the German First and Second Bundesliga 2000-02: Joined the Auckland Football Kingz (now the Wellington Phoenix) of the Australian National League for 40 games 2002: Appeared in 20 matches for Dresdener SC of the German second Bundesliga 2003: Played 30 games with Ruch Chorzow in the Polish first division 2004: Spent the season with Arka Gdynia of the Polish first division appearing in 24 matches 2005:Played 23 games for the Portland Timbers of the USL 1st Division 2006+ 2007: Appeared in over 50 matches for the Rochester Rhinos, helping lead the team to the USL 1st Division Championship in 2006.
Did you know???
- Aaran has played against world class greats such as Ronaldinho, Lothar Matheus, Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry!
- Aaran is called "kiwi" because he is from New Zealand, and their national bird is called the kiwi! Click here to see a photo of a kiwi.
- He left home at age 16 to sign professionally in Germany for one of the worlds biggest clubs, Werder Bremen.
- Aaran can speak 3 languages-English, Polish, and German. He even recieved his coaching badge in one of them-German!
- Aaran's only trip to the United States prior to his arrival in 2005 to play for the Portland Timbers was his family vacation as a child to Hawaii.
- Kiwi is here on one of the most distinguished visas a foreigner can work in America on, an O-1 Visa which is for aliens of extraordinary ability.
- Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, is the southern most capital city in the world.
- Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to reach the peak of the Mount Everest. He is a New Zealander and his face is on the $5 bill.
Can you find Kiwi in the New Zealand Starting 11?
