Benjamin Ziemer

Benjamin Ziemer
Personal information
Place of birth Sebastopol, California, United States
Team information
Current team
 Ethiopia U17 (manager)
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Fresno State Bulldogs
Santa Rosa Junior College
1990–1991 Sonoma State Seawolves (6+)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Westfalia Herne
North Bay Breakers
Juventus SC
Managerial career
2004–2011 Sonoma State Seawolves (assistant)
2007–2011 Sonoma County Sol
2012–2013 United States U14 (assistant)
2012–2014 United States U15 (assistant)
2018–2019 Sacramento Republic (assistant)
2022–2024 Sonoma State Seawolves (assistant)
2025– Ethiopia U17
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Benjamin Ziemer is an American soccer manager and former player who is currently the head coach of the Ethiopia under-17 national team.

He is also the president of the NorCal Premier Soccer League,[1] which is part of US Club Soccer.

Early life and playing career

Born in Sebastopol, California, Zeimer went to Analy High School.[2] Growing up, he supported the San Jose Earthquakes in the NASL.[3]

In college, Zeimer represented the Fresno State Bulldogs and Santa Rosa Junior College in men's soccer, before transferring to Sonoma State University in 1990, where he played for the Seawolves.[4] He, alongside his brothers, were part of the Seawolves team that reached the final of the 1991 NCAA Division II men's soccer tournament, where they lost to Florida Tech Panthers.[2][5]

After leaving Sonoma State, he joined German fourth division side Westfalia Herne, where he played for two seasons. Following his time in Germany, he returned to the United States with North Bay Breakers and Juventus SC.[5]

Managerial career

Ziemer started as an assistant manager at the Sonoma State Seawolves, where he worked for seven years between 2004 and 2011.[1][5] In 2007, he was also appointed the manager of Sonoma County Sol, where he helped them win the National Premier Soccer League play-offs in the 2009 season.[2] Later on, he served as the assistant manager of the United States' under-14 and under-15 teams, under head coach Hugo Pérez, where he worked alongside players like Christian Pulisic, Haji Wright, Tyler Adams, and Jonathan González.[1][6][3]

Afterwards, he worked as a coach for the academy of Sacramento Republic FC, where he was awarded the Development Academy West Conference U-18 Coach of the Year in 2016.[1][6] He also worked as an assistant manager at the club between 2018 and 2019 under Simon Elliott.[7] In 2022, he rejoined the Sonoma State Seawolves as an assistant manager.[5]

In September 2025, Ziemer was appointed as the manager of the Ethiopia under-17 national team.[6] He helped them qualify for the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, their first since 2003,[8] where they finished third in their group due to goals scored and lost a 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup play-off match against Mozambique after a penalty shootout.[9]

Personal life

He has three brothers, Andrew, Christopher, and Marcus, who were all soccer players. Marcus died on March 18, 2026, at the age of 63, following a major head injury after he crashed while riding an electric scooter.[10]

Ziemer cited Hugo Pérez, Peter Reynaud, and Dutch coach Frans Hoek as some of his coaching role models.[3] In 2015, he was inducted into the Sonoma State University Athletics Hall of Fame.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Board of Directors: NorCal Premier". norcalpremier.com. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Benjamin Ziemer (2015)". Sonoma State University Athletics. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Woitalla, Mike (28 September 2017). "A coach's life: Benjamin Ziemer combines backyard brotherhood experience with worldwide lessons". Soccer America. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  4. ↑ "Ben Ziemer to coach Sonoma Academy boys soccer". The Press Democrat. 5 June 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Benjamin Ziemer - Assistant Men's Soccer Coach - Staff Directory". Sonoma State University Athletics. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Ethiopian Federation Appoints American Coach Ziemer To Lead U-17 Side". The Reporter (Ethiopia). 20 September 2025. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  7. ↑ "Republic FC Parts Ways with Coaches Simon Elliott and Benjamin Ziemer Following 2019 Season". Sacramento Republic FC. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Ethiopia Qualifies For U-17 AFCON After 22 Year Wait | The Reporter Ethiopia". The Reporter (Ethiopia). 6 December 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "Mozambique beat Ethiopia on penalties to qualify for U-17 World Cup". CAF Online. 23 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  10. ↑ Castañeda, Carlos E. (18 March 2026). "Longtime Sonoma State soccer coach Marcus Ziemer, eldest of Bay Area brothers coaching dynasty, dies in Germany - CBS San Francisco". CBS News.
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