Hot Stove Action

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

After the significant Senior class Wheaton just graduated (two have already signed pro contracts - including one in the MLS), Brandt is much needed there and he will undoubtedly have an immediate and considerable positive impact on this team.  I don't think anyone has ever argued his playing prowess - he is an excellent player.

From watching him during his time at Messiah he was a very strong player for that team even with all the talent they had. He definitely stood out then and may very well be the best player on the Wheaton roster this upcoming season. 

[Mr.Right]

Some interesting Messiah related news:

- Nick Thompson comes out  of retirement to play for his old coach Dave Brandt at Pittsburgh Riverhounds

- Danny Brandt resurfaces at Wheaton (IL) to play for Jake DeClute.

Well the Brandt to Pittsburgh rumor that had been circulating the past few years finally came true. I just do not understand it. Navy might be one of the top 10 coaching jobs in the country because of the pay and BENEFITS. You are set for life. What are Brandt's goals in coaching? Did he give up on Navy to quickly after realizing it might be a struggle to win consistently? Does his massive ego need to and must get to the PRO game? The league that he has joined is a couple bad investments away from FOLDING. Any insights on this would be helpful to realize why he jumped "ship".

As far as his son, this kid is some player and I like his game but what on earth is going on with all the schools and the jumping around. D3 to D1 to D2 back to D3...Insights ti this also would be of interest

If you think Navy might be "one of the top 10 coaching jobs in the country" then my guess is you have never spent significant time at a military academy.  It might pay well as you have highlighted, but it is very different from other NCAA soccer programs in so many ways.  And I'm also guessing that a Coach the caliber of Dave Brandt has much more that he wants to accomplish than just being "set for life".

Navy is a top 10 PAYING job in the country including benefits..Other coaches in the best leagues make plenty more money at the end of the day because of camps..I understand that it would be very different from other NCAA schools and I am assuming Brandt did as well when he left from Messiah. Unfortunately a coach of Brandt's caliber was not able to succeed at Navy..So he thew in the towel.Again the USL is the USL...If you think this will be his springboard to MLS I would be happy to give you 1000 to 1 odds (minimum $200 bet) that he does not.

[D3soccerwatcher]

Some interesting Messiah related news:

- Nick Thompson comes out  of retirement to play for his old coach Dave Brandt at Pittsburgh Riverhounds

- Danny Brandt resurfaces at Wheaton (IL) to play for Jake DeClute.

Well the Brandt to Pittsburgh rumor that had been circulating the past few years finally came true. I just do not understand it. Navy might be one of the top 10 coaching jobs in the country because of the pay and BENEFITS. You are set for life. What are Brandt's goals in coaching? Did he give up on Navy to quickly after realizing it might be a struggle to win consistently? Does his massive ego need to and must get to the PRO game? The league that he has joined is a couple bad investments away from FOLDING. Any insights on this would be helpful to realize why he jumped "ship".

As far as his son, this kid is some player and I like his game but what on earth is going on with all the schools and the jumping around. D3 to D1 to D2 back to D3...Insights ti this also would be of interest

If you think Navy might be "one of the top 10 coaching jobs in the country" then my guess is you have never spent significant time at a military academy.  It might pay well as you have highlighted, but it is very different from other NCAA soccer programs in so many ways.  And I'm also guessing that a Coach the caliber of Dave Brandt has much more that he wants to accomplish than just being "set for life".

Navy is a top 10 PAYING job in the country including benefits..Other coaches in the best leagues make plenty more money at the end of the day because of camps..I understand that it would be very different from other NCAA schools and I am assuming Brandt did as well when he left from Messiah. Unfortunately a coach of Brandt's caliber was not able to succeed at Navy..So he thew in the towel.Again the USL is the USL...If you think this will be his springboard to MLS I would be happy to give you 1000 to 1 odds (minimum $200 bet) that he does not.

At the time of his departure from Navy, Dave Brandt, was the winningest active coach in Division I men's soccer and four-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Coach of the Year.

And here is a recap of Brandt's success AT NAVY...

"Brandt led the Naval Academy men's soccer team to perhaps their greatest stretch of two-year play in the program's history from 2013 to 2014. During this stretch, his team won a combined 27 matches – tied for the highest two-year win total in the program's history.

In 2013, Brandt led the team on a 15-game winning streak after starting the season 1-3-2, eventually reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament and national ranking of No. 25 in the country. The 16 victories were a program record, the nine conference wins were a Patriot League single-season record, and the program's NCAA appearance was the first since 1988 and victory in the tournament the first since 1971. Brandt was named Patriot League Coach of the Year, NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year for the club's accomplishments.

The 2014 season followed a similar path, with the team finishing 11-4-5 and spending three weeks ranked in the NSCAA Top-25 Poll. Navy had considerable success against nationally ranked opponents, compiling a 2-0-1 record, which included a home victory over No. 10 Maryland. They finished the season on an 11-game unbeaten streak (7-0-4) to earn the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and conference-leading marks in both scoring offense and goals-against average."

Of course, we won't even get into what Brandt did at Messiah.  That would take an entire book to chronicle his success there.  Actually, there already has been a book written about that...I highly recommend it.

[D3soccerwatcher]

O'Donohue is an interesting choice for Navy. Personally, I thought he made a mistake to leave a D3 Head Coaching role at Stevens with a lot of success to go to UCONN to be Ray Reid's lackey. I was wrong as he was young enough to make the move and wanted to be a D1 head coach. For all his faults Ray Reid has plenty of connections and is a great name to throw down as a reference. I remember O'Donohue to be a screamer at Stevens when I saw them live in 2008 at Babson in the NCAA's and they played a classic NCAA game v RPI in the 1st round. They went down early and he was screaming at his players, the ref and even Adam Clinton the RPI coach who is no slouch himself in terms of screaming. I came away impressed with the game but thought O'Donohue was a bit immature. Maybe that was an anomaly.

Stevens never "went down early" in that game against RPI in 2008.  Indeed, Stevens won the match 1-0 with about 2:00 remaining in regulation.  Might want to check your "facts".  Stevens made it all the way to the National Final that year where they were defeated by Messiah in what was one of the most brilliant (and gusty) coaching moves in D3 tournament history by then Messiah head coach Dave Brandt.

[jknezek]

Again the USL is the USL...If you think this will be his springboard to MLS I would be happy to give you 1000 to 1 odds (minimum $200 bet) that he does not.

And what would your odds have been had he stayed at Navy? Mine would be even worse. There are only 20 some odd MLS head coaching jobs. Of course he's a long shot for any of them and pretty much no shot as head coach of a USL team unless it's a team that gets bought into MLS, which is extremely unlikely at the Riverhounds. But he's less of a longshot to become a MLS assistant working in close contact with MLS coaches and the Columbus Crew at the Riverhounds than at Navy.

Again, I have no idea if he wants to be a MLS coach. But that's how this move makes sense to me. He can always go back to a college position. No one in DIII would turn him away and I'm guessing with his Navy record, short of blowing up the Riverhounds or getting caught in a crime, most mid-level DI teams would take a hard look at him.

[Mr.Right]

Im sorry but Brandt would never be an assistant at any level, even MLS. I have never met the guy but a coach at his age and with his ego would never relinquish being a Head Coach to be someone's assistant. Brandt had the reputation among his peers of being a guy who wanted total control over everything within his program and would rarely delegate his assistants to run practice or trust his assistants in recruiting players.

[jknezek]

Im sorry but Brandt would never be an assistant at any level, even MLS. I have never met the guy but a coach at his age and with his ego would never relinquish being a Head Coach to be someone's assistant. Brandt had the reputation among his peers of being a guy who wanted total control over everything within his program and would rarely delegate his assistants to run practice or trust his assistants in recruiting players.

Well then he's not going anywhere further up the pro chain. You aren't going to jump from USL to MLS head coach unless the team takes an Orlando type leap. FC Cincinnati might be looking along those lines with their attendance, but if that happens they will ride John Harkes. Like I said, he can always go back to college.

[Saint of Old]

My 2 cents after having played against Coach Brandt's team and admiring him from afar.

Logic tells us that if some of the best D3 players can make the jump to the MLS, then 'arguably' the best ever D3 Coach can do the same.

There are three (3) requirements needed for both Players and Coaches to make the jump.
Coach B has the first 2.
Requisite Skill
Persona

If he gets the luck he will be there.

Now the man has as many rings as Michael Jordan, so regardless he is at Legend/Icon status.

lets wait and see.

Is it August yet Boyz??

[D3soccerwatcher]

Im sorry but Brandt would never be an assistant at any level, even MLS. I have never met the guy but a coach at his age and with his ego would never relinquish being a Head Coach to be someone's assistant. Brandt had the reputation among his peers of being a guy who wanted total control over everything within his program and would rarely delegate his assistants to run practice or trust his assistants in recruiting players.

Mr Right,

You are confusing strong leadership and success with "ego".  And you are confusing a willingness to take responsibility for those things that are controllable and to be accountable for the the outcomes with someone "who wanted total control over everything".  I would suggest you take the time to read "The Messiah Method" which is a much more factual account of Brandt's ability and successes than your opinion.  I think you will find something in that book very compelling...that is that great coaching isn't just about X' and O's (although that is important) but it is also very much about leadership at the top of the organization.  And as the book points out, that is one of the secrets to Brandt's success.  Certainly Brandt will bring that same leadership and coaching prowess to the pro ranks.  One thing I've seen over the years watching Brandt is that success follows him everywhere he goes.  And I'm sure his success will continue and it will be fun to watch it unfold.  I for one, am very pleased to see a former successful D3 coach succeed at higher levels, and trust that most on these boards feel exactly the same way.

[PaulNewman]

Im sorry but Brandt would never be an assistant at any level, even MLS. I have never met the guy but a coach at his age and with his ego would never relinquish being a Head Coach to be someone's assistant. Brandt had the reputation among his peers of being a guy who wanted total control over everything within his program and would rarely delegate his assistants to run practice or trust his assistants in recruiting players.

Mr Right,

You are confusing strong leadership and success with "ego".  And you are confusing a willingness to take responsibility for those things that are controllable and to be accountable for the the outcomes with someone "who wanted total control over everything".  I would suggest you take the time to read "The Messiah Method" which is a much more factual account of Brandt's ability and successes than your opinion.  I think you will find something in that book very compelling...that is that great coaching isn't just about X' and O's (although that is important) but it is also very much about leadership at the top of the organization.  And as the book points out, that is one of the secrets to Brandt's success.  Certainly Brandt will bring that same leadership and coaching prowess to the pro ranks.  One thing I've seen over the years watching Brandt is that success follows him everywhere he goes.  And I'm sure his success will continue and it will be fun to watch it unfold.  I for one, am very pleased to see a former successful D3 coach succeed at higher levels, and trust that most on these boards feel exactly the same way.

Sort of understand the devotion but let's not go overboard.  After all of his sterling and reportedly remarkable career, he is (at what age?) coaching the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.  Sort of doubt he's on the radar of Sir Alex or Jose Mourinho.  And if he has some transcendent leadership skills maybe he should be running for public office and not coaching at all.

[jknezek]

I think at this point the most problematic point is Pittsburgh is 2-11-4 and sitting second to last in the Eastern Conference of USL. Their -13 gf/ga is second worst in the conference and they are 1-7-1 since he took over. So while the team started 1-4-3 averaging around .75 points per game, they are worse, averaging .44 points per game, after he took over. First half season is obviously nothing to judge a coach on, but it's pretty clear he isn't working miracles with what he has so far.

[D3soccerwatcher]

I think at this point the most problematic point is Pittsburgh is 2-11-4 and sitting second to last in the Eastern Conference of USL. Their -13 gf/ga is second worst in the conference and they are 1-7-1 since he took over. So while the team started 1-4-3 averaging around .75 points per game, they are worse, averaging .44 points per game, after he took over. First half season is obviously nothing to judge a coach on, but it's pretty clear he isn't working miracles with what he has so far.

You can't change a culture overnight.  Nor can you get the right players onto the team overnight.  For Brandt, my guess is this will be wholesale culture change.  And for those who buy-in and can physically do what is demanded, they will remain.  After that I think there will likely be considerable change.  So I think your comments are unrealistically short sighted.  Below is an article that explains what's going on in more detail.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/soccer/2016/07/17/Dave-Brandt-brings-in-brothers-to-help-change-Riverhounds-culture/stories/201607170129

[PaulNewman]

Wanted to add to prior post which I wrote a little too quickly.

I have no doubt that Brandt is a great coach.  Let me also say up front that I know exactly zero about his long-term aspirations or whether he even has any larger aspirations.  Based on that article it sounds like he plans on being in Pittsburgh for a while so from just that point of view the MLS idea seems a little far-fetched.  But part of what I wanted to expand on is that I don't doubt Brandt could be a MLS coach, but why would it be assumed that he would want that?  I certainly wouldn't assume that nor do I assume that coaching in the MLS is some great dream for someone like him.  I bet many, like me, couldn't off the top of their heads name more than half of the coaches in the MLS.  I would also guess that someone like Jay Martin has had more than a handful of opportunities to "upgrade" over the years.  I could imagine him coaching the Columbus Crew, but why would be want to?  I wouldn't necessarily give him more stature in my mind if he moved to a MLS team or even to a big D1 program.  The legend of many of these great D3 coaches is linked to the fact that they have built and maintained proud programs over decades (Martin, the Trinity coach, Russo, Coven, what Rothert is doing, etc, etc).  I actually wonder the reverse about Brandt...instead of dreaming of MLS, does he have any regrets about leaving Messiah?  I am sure there are Messiah followers here who have some info about Brandt and about his son's transfers but I respect that they may have good reasons not to share everything here.  Regarding the Brandt the son, what I don't buy is that he left because he couldn't handle losing to Tufts or because he already had accomplished winning a title and so had nothing else left to prove.  The latter isn't the only reason someone attends college or a college, but even if that was a high motivator would one think that trying to win multiple titles at the same school would be a factor.  After bouncing around for whatever reason Brandt the son would seem to be in a good place at Wheaton and he should have a good year.

I found the article posted very interesting and have a bit different take.  I was left with an impression that he trying to recreate Messiah in Pittsburgh and I could read into that some desire to be at Messiah.  At any rate, I think that will be an interesting social experiment.  I know the Charlotte program has been heavy on Messiah grads and very Christian-oriented.  I'm assuming the Riverhounds program has not been like that.  Is that part of the culture change he's seeking?  If so, directly or even indirectly, it will be interesting to see if he can accomplish a turnaround that has worked at a passionate, mission-based college level on a professional level where the concerns of players (and what motivates them) may be different because they are at a different phase of their lives with different responsibilities and goals pulling at them.

[Shooter McGavin]

After the significant Senior class Wheaton just graduated (two have already signed pro contracts - including one in the MLS), Brandt is much needed there and he will undoubtedly have an immediate and considerable positive impact on this team.  I don't think anyone has ever argued his playing prowess - he is an excellent player.

From watching him during his time at Messiah he was a very strong player for that team even with all the talent they had. He definitely stood out then and may very well be the best player on the Wheaton roster this upcoming season.

Danny Brandt is extremely overrated as a player. He is slow, chubby, and has one go to move to beat a defender. When surrounded by great players at Messiah he looked okay, but since then there is a reason for his downward spiral from school to school. I don't expect him to have double digit goals this season at Wheaton since he couldn't even do that at Messiah. Did he even play at Palm Beach? I can't see him being productive at all next season. 5 goals and 1 assist max.

[Saint of Old]

I think there are a few of us on this board who had great college careers, and others who had amazing professional careers with just "One Go to Move".

Also, if you are playing at a premier college against good competition "double digit goals" is a very very difficult thing to achieve.

Some of us came into college thinking we would score a couple dozen years each season like in High School, but they call this Mens soccer for a reason.

Wheaton might just be "5 goals and 1 assist" from a National Championship, and he could help them get one for sure.

I think a coach in another sport and another league once said "Never underestimate the heart of a champion".

P.S.
I'm the biggest fan of your posts and knowledge shooter, but we have to disagree here.