[2][4] He later moved back to the United States and attended UCLA, where he later played for their soccer team, where he was a captain and his performances were lauded.
[5] On February 1, 1998, the Columbus Crew selected Theslof in the 1998 MLS College Draft, but he was released during the 1998 season without playing a first team game due to a severe achilles injury.
Nick moved to the Orange County Waves for the 2000-2003 USL A-League seasons where he was head coach and manager.
[7][8] Theslof began his coaching career as Dr. Jay Martin's assistant at Ohio Wesleyan University between 1998 and 2000, winning the NCAA Division III national title in 1998.
[9][10] Following his stay at Ohio Wesleyan, Theslof became head coach of the Orange County Blue Star,[11] a team of the American Premier Development League and spent time with Juergen Klinsmann who enjoyed Amateur Soccer in Southern California.