After more than a decade of playing professionally as a goalkeeper, St. Thomas men’s soccer assistant coach Cody Cropper traded gloves for a clipboard — something he says came as naturally as calling plays in the locker room like he did for so long as a player.
“I would see established professionals help the younger ones, and I kind of naturally fell into that category of players,” Cropper explained. “When I retired, I thought that coaching would enable me to stay within soccer but have time to transition.”
Cropper played in Major League Soccer and the English Premier League. Cropper joined Southampton whilst in the English Premier League in 2012 and left in 2015. He also played for a number seven teams in the US Major League Soccer from 2016-2023. He said the biggest difference between the two leagues is their style of play.
“The MLS is very athletic — it’s transitional, up and down like hockey or basketball,” he said. “In England, the game is more technical and slower in transition. Bringing that experience here helps me understand who I’m working with — their strengths, weaknesses and how to get the most out of each player.”
When Cropper came to St. Thomas in 2022, he saw the job as a challenge and an opportunity.
“It was a project,” he said. “We were a Division III power moving up to Division I, and there was space to grow exponentially. And it was home.”
Along with his role at St. Thomas, Cropper is also the goalkeeper coach for the Minnesota Aurora.
“The Aurora is a summer team, and St. Thomas competes in the spring and fall,” he said. “They don’t overlap as much, which allows me to give my all to each. The respect between both head coaches made that an option.”
Head coach Jon Lowery, said Cropper’s professional background, especially his experience in the Premier League, has had a profound influence on St. Thomas players.
“When you have someone with Cody’s experience, it’s rare,” he said. “He’s done a really good job of tailoring that experience and making it bite-size for college athletes. Players have grown through his influence in how they train, take care of their bodies and take care of themselves on and off the field.”
Transitioning from being a player to a coach did not go without problems, particularly adjusting to a post-playing professional mindset.
“Soccer was all I knew for 10 to 15 years. My brain was ready to transition — I just had to figure out what’s next.”
Cropper wanted to stay close to professional soccer while still having a break from playing, which led him to decide to be a college coach. He wanted to help the younger generation while still having those baseline, important skills that are needed to progress on to professional play.
He said coaching philosophy begins with one very simple principle.
“Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals,” he explained. “That’s what made me last so long in the game. My dad and my coaches in England pounded that into me, and now I try to drill it into my players.”
To Cropper, success as a coach is not so much about drills or strategy — it’s about relationships.
“The best managers understand personalities,” he said . “They get a group of young men or women to believe in what you’re trying to do. That only happens if you understand who you’re working with.”
That philosophy carries over into how he adapts his coaching to different players and levels.
“Last summer with Aurora, I realized that although there are physical and mental variations between men and women, the desire and will to learn is just the same,” he said. “Women push themselves more and question more — they use hard work over pure talent.”
Looking ahead, Cropper has clear ambitions for St. Thomas.
“My goal is for us to be a Summit League competitor and eventually a national contender,” he said. “It’s going to take patience, consistency and growth, but that’s what I’m committed to.”
He also envisions a bright future for soccer — and women’s sports — in Minnesota.
“I’d love to have a women’s pro soccer team here,” he said. “The attendance we received at Aurora was incredible — thousands of fans for each game. Women’s pro sports are as exciting and as competitive.”
And while he continues to shape players from goal line to touchline, Cropper’s approach is rooted in the skills that once defined his own playing life — both on and off the field.
“He sees the game at a really deep level,” Lowery said. “Our goalkeepers — (Moritz Krenc, Cameron Olszewski and Nathaniel Moore) — have all become more technically sound under his watch. But it goes beyond that. He talks to forwards about what shoulder to start on or how to disguise movement in attack — things you can’t learn from a book, only from years as a pro.”
Caroline Raleigh can be reached at rale6166@stthomas.edu.
