Missouri State

Former Missouri State soccer standout Phil Woods returned to his alma mater in July of 2019 as an assistant coach for the Bears.

In his first three years in Springfield, the Bears won three-straight MVC regular-season titles and two MVC Tournament championships as Woods and the MSU coaches were named MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2019, 2020-21 and 2021. Most recently, he was part of the coaching staff that received All-Region Coaching Staff of the Year Honors from the NSCAA.

Woods, a native of Sheffield, England, played four years for the Bears from 2013 to 2016 and was part of two regular-season Missouri Valley Conference championship squads. He earned MVC Scholar-Athlete first-team honors in 2015 and 2016 and was a three-time recipient of the MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award.

He earned his undergraduate degree in Business and Entertainment Management in May of 2017.

Woods then spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons as a graduate assistant at Tulsa where he earned his Masters in Business Administration in the spring of 2019.

Before returning to MSU, Woods completed the UEFAB coaching certification and licensing.

Born in Enfield, London, Woods played for Rotherham United F.C., England Championship, as a youth team and reserve player. He is the son of Chris and Mary Woods of Sheffield and has a brother, James, who took the gold medal in the Big Air competition at the Winter X Games XXI.

Woods and former MSU golfer Caroline Boone were married July 4, 2019. Their first child, Fletcher, was born in June 2021.