Kevin Kalish enters his ninth season at Saint Louis University in 2026 after leading the Billikens back to the national stage and guiding the program to the NCAA Men’s College Cup in 2025.
Named the seventh head coach in Billiken men's soccer history in January 2018, Kalish has restored Saint Louis to national prominence while continuing the tradition of one of the sport's most storied programs. Under his leadership, the Billikens have earned four NCAA Championship appearances over the past five seasons, captured three Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season championships and three A-10 tournament titles, and consistently ranked among the nation's top teams.Â
Kalish enters the 2026 campaign with a 82-34-35 (.659) record in eight seasons at Saint Louis. Including six seasons as head coach at SIUE where he was 49-46-14 (.514), Kalish’s 14-year career coaching record stands at 131-80-49 (.598).
The 2025 campaign marked another milestone in Kalish's tenure. Saint Louis finished 13-3-8, claimed both the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Men’s College Cup for the first time in 28 years. The Billikens finished the season ranked No. 4 in the final United Soccer Coaches poll and made the program's NCAA-record 52nd NCAA Tournament appearance. Kalish earned his third A-10 Coach of the Year honor in 2025 for his efforts.
Kalish previously orchestrated one of the finest seasons in program history in 2021. The Billikens went undefeated during the regular season for the first time in 50 years, posted a 16-1-4 overall record, and became the first Atlantic 10 team since 1993 to complete conference play with a perfect record. Saint Louis captured both A-10 championships and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, at the time its deepest postseason run since 2003.
Players have flourished under Kalish’s guidance. Nine players coached by Kalish at SLU have gone on to be drafted in MLS, including five first-rounders: Max Floriani (San Jose Earthquakes), Isaiah Parker (FC Dallas), Kipp Keller (Austin FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew) and Simon Becher (Vancouver Whitecaps FC).
Additionally, the Billiken program has had unparalleled success developing elite defensive players under Kalish. Since 2019, he has coached five defenders selected in the MLS SuperDraft: Floriani, Keller, Chase Niece (FC Dallas), Chandler Vaughn (LA Galaxy) and Lennart Hein (Portland Timbers). Another defender, Mujeeb Murana, signed a homegrown contract with Houston Dynamo FC. Kalish has also coached two A-10 Defenders of the Year in Diego Konincks (who is currently playing with Chicago Fire II) and Alberto Suarez, as well as two-time A-10 Goalkeeper of the Year Jeremi Abonnel.
Before returning to his alma mater, Kalish spent 13 seasons at SIUE – seven as an assistant coach from 2001-07 and six as a head coach from 2008-13. He successfully transitioned the men’s soccer program from NCAA Division II to Division I. While he was an assistant coach at the Division II level, the Cougars made six NCAA Tournament appearances and two NCAA semifinal appearances. In his six years as head coach at SIUE, the Cougars posted a 49-46-14 record. In 2012, Kalish was named Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year and the NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year after the Cougars posted a 13-7 overall record.
A standout defender as a student-athlete, Kalish transferred to Saint Louis University in 1997 after two seasons at Connecticut. He helped lead the Billikens to the 1997 NCAA Men’s College Cup and earned Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and All-America honors in 1998. Kalish was also a two-time Academic All-American and later returned to Saint Louis as an assistant coach following his graduation.
In 2007, Kalish was inducted into the Billiken Hall of Fame. He was named to the Billiken Half-Century Team in 2009 during the celebration of 50 years of Saint Louis University soccer.
