Maine coach quits over false Olympic claim

YARMOUTH, Maine -- A boys' soccer coach at a Yarmouth prep school has resigned following a newspaper report that disproved his claim that he played on the U.S. Olympic team in 1984.

The headmaster of North Yarmouth Academy, Peter Mertz, announced Thursday that coach Josh Muscadin was stepping down as the school's director of auxiliary programs. Mertz said Muscadin's resignation was in the best interest of the southern Maine academy, but Mertz added that the school is grateful for Muscadin's many contributions to the school.

Muscadin coached for three years at NYA and guided the Panthers to the 2005 state Class C boys' soccer championship in his first season at the school.

The same year, Muscadin told a reporter from the Portland Press Herald that he had played in the 1984 Summer Olympics as a member of the U.S. men's soccer team. His claim also had been published in the Bangor Daily News and in the Bergen (N.J.) Record.

While preparing a story on Muscadin's experience at the 1984 Olympics last week, the Press Herald was unable to find Muscadin's name in statistics or on rosters of the 1984 U.S. Olympic men's soccer team. Further research was conducted to verify if Muscadin was part of the Olympic squad, and the Portland newspaper reported Wednesday that Muscadin's claim to have been an Olympian were unsubstantiated.

Muscadin could not be reached for comment Thursday and the school declined further comment, saying Muscadin's resignation was "a private personnel matter."

A former NYA player called Muscadin a "great coach" and said he never heard his Olympic claims.

"I had no idea he was saying he was on the Olympic team," said James Hansel, a 2006 NYA graduate who played one season for Muscadin. "He never talked to us about it.

"I absolutely understand if he was making claims like that people would be upset. He had no choice but to resign or be fired," said Hansel, a North Yarmouth resident who will be a junior at Hamilton (N.Y.) College.

The United States Soccer Federation has no record of Muscadin ever appearing in Olympic competition or with the men's national team, and some members of the 1984 Olympic team said they had no knowledge of Muscadin.

Muscadin said Tuesday he was a member of a practice squad that trained with the U.S. Olympic team, but 1984 team member Jeff Hooker said there was no such practice squad that tr