Jim Bertelsen has been the Director of Coaching and Player Development for La Crescent Youth Soccer Association/Mississippi Valley Storm Soccer Club since 2015.  Born in St. Paul, MN, he has coached club and high school soccer.

Bertelsen holds an NSSF Coaching License.  He was an assistant coach for the La Crosse Central High school Boys soccer team for 6 seasons and girls assistant coach for 5 seasons.

Bertelsen, who has coached club soccer at MVS since 2011, has taken two club teams to MYSA state tournaments, winning the State Championship in 2012. Between club and high school, he has had a handful of former players go on to play at the collegiate level.  As a player, Bertelsen was a midfielder for Mankato State University, where he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering and Mathematics.

Bertelsen’s vision for LYSA/MVS is to cultivate player development by training coaches to teach both the mental and physical side of sports. The goal is to promote a strong team mentality for both recreational and competitive soccer. He will work with recreational coaches to teach age-appropriate practice plans while also setting standards and a vision for the competitive summer league teams.