Bio

John Saleska finished up his sixth season as the head coach of Concordia Wisconsin’s men’s soccer team in 2024. He previously served as the lead assistant coach with the team from 2015-2018 and was named head coach prior to the 2019 season. 

In 2024, the men's soccer team would see Jeremy Munoz, under the guidance of Saleska, receive  All-NACC Honorable Mention honors as well as Sam Butterfield earned CSC Academic All-District accolades. Meanwhile, 2023 saw Alishan Sharipov be named to the All-NACC Second Team.

In 2022, the Falcons claimed a share of the NACC regular season title with a conference record of 6-2-4 and an overall record of 9-4-5. Six members of Saleska’s 2022 squad earned All-NACC honors while Gilberto Gomez claimed CSC Academic All-District honors.

The season before, in 2021, Coach Saleska and the Falcons continued their winning ways and finished with a 9-8-1 record and another trip to the NACC Tournament. 

The Falcons claimed the NACC North Division title in the 2020-21 season. The Falcons boasted a record of 6-2-1 and won the title with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win at MSOE to claim the top spot in the North Division. Sam Runyan was the NACC North Division Defensive Player of the Year and Manuel Brito was the NACC North Division Freshman of the Year.

In his inaugural year as head coach, the Falcons went 13-5-1 overall and made the NACC Tournament.

After spending time with both the Men's and Women's programs for several seasons, John Saleska transitioned to a role just with the Concordia University Wisconsin Men's Soccer program in 2015, serving as the lead assistant to his father, Tom.

The move to have Saleska work with just the men's program certainly paid dividends. The Falcons won two NACC Regular Season Championships in three seasons, posting 9-1 league records in both 2015 and 2017. 

Saleska was hired as the full-time Director of Soccer Operations for both the men's and women's soccer programs in March 2012 before transitioning to being an assistant with just the men's program in 2015. He previously served as the graduate assistant coach and played four years for the Falcons, three as the starting right back. His playing resume includes three consecutive conference championships and back-to-back second-round appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to that, he was a three-year varsity defender at West Bend East High School and part of that school's first-ever Little 10 championship squad. He most recently played for FC Brewers in the Majors division of the Wisconsin Adult Soccer Association.

In addition to coaching with the Falcons, Saleska is the U12 boys Pre-MLS Next Coach and Academy Director for the Bavarian United Soccer Club out of Milwaukee. In 2015 and 2018 he captured Wisconsin State Cups and led his Bavarian SC team to the Midwest Regional Semifinals in 2016. Saleska holds USC Advanced National and USSF 'B' coaching licenses. 

Saleska's coaching experience includes three years coaching both boys and girls at West Bend United SC, a year coaching girls soccer at Milwaukee Lutheran High School, and three years as the boys and girls varsity assistant at Homestead High School. 

Saleska is married to Tara and the couple has four sons: Owen, Micah, Luke and Josiah.