ABOUT US | United States | Nations United Soccer

Mission Statement

Nations United Soccer is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to help refugee and immigrant children and teens overcome adversity through soccer.

Who We Are

Mary Karol Taylor

Founder & Director

Mary Karol has taught at South Jr. High in Boise, Idaho for 22 years, teaching English and Reading. She is currently South’s school librarian. Nations United FC was established in 2016 after conversations with two of her refugee students revealed their deep love of soccer and their lack of opportunities to play.

Abdi Osman
Coach U-17

Hey! My name is Osman! I am a 25 year old former refugee from Somali. My family and I traveled here in 2008, 4 years later I applied and received my citizenship. I have been married for 2 years to my wife, Lusacia. I am currently an escrow agent for Idaho Housing and Finance, and a Delta ramp agent. As a former high school soccer player and current indoor league player, I was eager to get involved with coaching for Nations United. I have thoroughly enjoyed helping these kids sharpen their skills over the last two seasons! I am honored to be the head coach this season, and look forward to the duration of our season.

Moses Muyumbe Mukengezi
Coach U-19

Moses Mukengezi was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and developed his passion for soccer by playing in the streets with his siblings and friends. In 2007, Moses and his family moved to Boise. One of the first things he did was find a soccer field and luckily enough Idaho Rush Soccer Club had teams playing at those fields. He played soccer for Idaho Rush and Boise High School until graduating and moving on to play at Treasure Valley Community College for 2 years. After coming back to Boise to complete his bachelor’s degree in sociology at Boise State University. Nations United gives him the opportunity to combine his two passions of soccer and helping the refugee community while sharing his passion for soccer with kids that are just like he was.

Kent F. Ivanoff

Accomplished and professionally trained youth soccer coach focused on individual player technical development while using youth sports as a medium for teaching young people lifelong lessons on the rewards of teamwork, fair play, training to compete (grit) and competing to win (regardless of whether being ahead or behind when the final whistle blows).

Jessica Oaks

Coach U-14 Girls

Jessica grew up playing soccer here in the Boise area. She played club with Les Bois United which has since merged into FC Nova, and also played varsity 4 years at Boise High School. Jessica’s freshman year of college she attended Seattle Pacific University on a soccer scholarship, however, her sophomore year she decided to leave the soccer field and pursue her dream of learning Spanish and traveling. She studied abroad in San Sebastian, Spain where she was immersed in Spanish and futbol culture. Today, apart from working with Nations United, Jessica works as a Spanish teacher at Hillside Junior High. Nations United gives Jessica the opportunity to engage in 3 of her biggest passions: engaging with other cultures, working with young adults, and soccer.

Chynna Woodruff
Coach U-10 Girls

Chynna was raised on the island of Maui and started playing soccer at a young age. She was selected to play on the Hawaii State team for the Olympic Development Program and played varsity soccer as a freshman for her high school. After moving to Boise she played for Borah High School.

While in college earning her Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology (Minor in Health) she spent several years coaching youth soccer. As the proud daughter of an immigrant, Chynna is grateful for the opportunity to give back and share her love for the game.

Ray Hohenleitner

Hello, I’m Ray. I’ve been helping coach with Nations United since 2021. I love working with kids to find a positive outlet for their energy and foster a sense of camaraderie and teamwork. I think of coaching as my way of giving back to a community that has given me so much. I am a Boise native, small business owner, husband, outdoor enthusiast, animal lover and overall positive thinker. You can see me on any given Saturday morning joking around with and cheering on the team, GO NATIONS UNITED!

Kenji Wright
Coach U-10 and U-12 Boys

Kenji is a local carpenter who owns his own remodeling business in Boise. He is married and has two sons. Since early childhood Kenji has enjoyed playing soccer. He was able to meet many people, visit interesting places, and learn life lessons that extended beyond the field. He wants all kids to have an equal opportunity to play organized soccer and develop their soccer skills, while learning to be part of a team and a community.

Beth Gross
U12 Girls Coach

Beth has been playing soccer since she was about 4 years old in New York, New Jersey and California and even played on a boys team in high school (they were NJ state champs her freshman year!). Playing on indoor and rec teams through college at UC Davis and while living in San Francisco, she was excited to coach both her son’s and daughter’s soccer teams for years. Beth recently moved to Boise 3 years ago and became involved with Nations United through her volunteer work with the International Rescue Committee and is thrilled to continue sharing her love of soccer with her U12 Girls team. Beth works for Yahoo in Business Development and lives with her husband, and 2 children who are studying at BSU.

TEAMS