Michael Dardanes
2009 Boys, 2012 Girls Blue, 2015 Girls Maroon
Michael grew up playing for some of the premier clubs in the midwest. Chicagoland native, he played for Ajax FC, Chicago Magic, and Galaxy Soccer Club. He was honored to be a part of the Illinois ODP State team for five years in a row and a member of the Regional Pool during that time. He played internationally for Stars n’ Stripes FC for three years, was a two time champion of the USA Cup, and was a two time champion of 3v3 Nationals in Disney. In 2005, Michael signed with Kentucky Wesleyan College. Throughout his college career, he earned Student Athlete of the Year, Oak and Ivy (his school’s highest honor), and was captain of his team for three years. He holds a National D License with US Soccer.
He brings over 25 years of playing and coaching experience to Fortress FC.
Chris Cage
Email: cagerama+fortressfc@gmail.com
2011 Girls
Chris has a passion for the beautiful game and wants to help kids learn and find joy in the game as well.
He played soccer competitively through college at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. Chris holds a USSF D License.
Vily Dardanes
Vily holds a National D License with US Soccer. He has coached soccer select teams from u8 to u18 for over 10 years in the Chicagoland area. A standout basketball player from his formative years through college, Vily developed a knack for team strategy and coaching. He quickly learned the game through Uruguayan and Brazilian training both technically and tactically. He loves the game of soccer and coaching young athletes.
Chris Hooker
Email: chris.hooker77@gmail.com
2012 Girls Maroon
Chris has soccer roots that track back to West London, which is where his father is from and Chris' family lived for part of his childhood. The love for the sport continued throughout Chris' youth as he played at the club, high school, and ultimately college levels where he played at Texas Wesleyan University. Even after entering the professional ranks as a Licensed Professional Counselor, Chris' love for the sport never diminished as he played recreationally and would consume as much Premier League Soccer as possible. The opportunity to enter into coaching at the club level has been a long time goal, and he's incredibly excited to be joining the Fortress FC Team!
Chris is married, with four kids and can usually be found watching and supporting Brentford FC on the weekends, which was his father's life-long club. COYB!!
Danish Rajab
Email: danish.rajab17@gmail.com
2014 Girls
Danish has been around the game for over 20 years. He started right here in the DFW, from Recreation soccer to the Classic League. He brings a natural passion for the game and possesses a diverse background in nutrition, recovery, and injury prevention. He also brings training experience in speed/agility training and individual skill development.
Jeremiah “Jero” Sutton
Email: jero.kayak14@gmail.com
Keeper Coach
From coast-to-coast in the US as a kid and military service out of college, Jeremiah or "Jero, " has been part of the soccer community since the early 2000s. When his family first moved to the Houston area he played with the Cy-Fair Dynamos and began seriously training at the Keeper position. It quickly became his favorite, playing competitively into college. He also became a certified USSF referee for several years and coached youth teams at various active duty stations. career. He specializes in developing Keeper skills.
Andy Rusch
Email: and48011@sbcglobal.net
2010 Girls
Andy has been involved in the great game of soccer for over 10 years. He has developed a passion for the game as each of his 4 children have played, loved the sport, and found a lot of success He has coached 2 different FWYSA teams for 6 years and currently coaches Middle School Boys' Soccer at Southwest Christian School.
Doug Black
Email: flamesfc2005@gmail.com
2010 Girls, 2014 Girls
Coach Doug Black comes to Fortress FC with over 20 years of experience coaching soccer in North Texas. In addition to coaching his 3 now-grown kids (2 daughters and a son), he recently coached 2014 girls for 3 years in the FWYSA program. Coach Doug believes in the TOVO outlook and philosophy of coaching youth which is based on positivity, exploration, choices and independent thought. Making things “fun” allows a child to learn in a way that reinforces their good play and removes stigma from their mistakes. Coach Black still plays in a local Friday night men’s league. In addition to soccer, Coach Black enjoys maintaining his yard and landscape and playing Pickleball as often as possible.
Caitlin Milligan
Club Manager
From ages 4-18, Caitlin’s life revolved around soccer, though her biggest competition was often her little sister Brynn (Michael’s wife). After college, Caitlin lived around the world for a bit and received her Master’s degree in International Peace Studies. She has devoted her career to serving diverse and marginalized communities and fighting for greater equity and opportunity through educational initiatives. She is now taking a step back to spend more time with her three children and is excited for soccer to be a major part of her life again.