IN THIS ISSUE

• 🤝 Introduction: Soccer in WV

• 🇩🇪 NYC: Come hang with the champs

• 👨‍🎓 Soccer Thought Leader: WVU’s Dan Stratford

• ⚽️ Soccer Jobs: Brand new jobs in soccer

• 📊 Poll: Do you believe…?

INTRODUCTION

My brother Nolan (that’s him above) and I grew up on a farm in rural West Virginia. True story.

We played soccer at the highest level possible, including both ODP (Olympic Development Program) and travel club ball that took us all over the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, but West Virginia was far from a soccer hotbed.

While the sport still has a ways to go, there has been a lot of progress in recent years. The two biggest collegiate men’s programs in the state - West Virginia University and Marshall University - have emerged as national powerhouses.

Marshall has now made the NCAA Tournament for six consecutive seasons (2019-2023) and shocked the world by winning the NCAA National Championship in 2020.

And, last year, WVU made the College Cup semifinals and, this year, is undefeated and ranked #1 in the country.

Today, we’re thrilled to bring you a conversation with one of the men who is having a significant impact on the growth of the world’s game in the hills of West Virginia.

WV is a single state in a big ol’ country, but it’s a reminder of how soccer’s increasing popularity extends into all regions of America.

-Kyle Sheldon, Co-Founder & CEO

SOCCER THOUGHT LEADER: WVU HEAD COACH DAN STRATFORD

“You have to be willing to screw it up, rip it up, and throw it away and start again at times. And you have to be willing to constantly evolve with an open mind.”

I was early in my career as part of D.C. United’s communications team when a gregarious Englishman named Dan Stratford was drafted by the Black-and-Red in the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft.

Dan only spent one season in DC but he made quite the impression on the locker room and club - he was easygoing, quick to laugh, and extremely likable. His on-field career took him to Scotland and England for a few years but he soon made his way back to his alma mater West Virginia University where he started as a volunteer assistant coach (more on that below).

I followed Dan’s coaching career from afar and watched as he had incredible success at his first head coaching gig at the University of Charleston (WV). He led Charleston to no one but two (!) DII National Championships before securing the Head Coach role at WVU. And the Mountaineers have found similar success - making it to the NCAA College Cup semifinals last year (falling 1-0 to the eventual champs, Clemson) and now as the #1 ranked team in the country - the first time in the university’s history it has held the top spot.

It was awesome to reconnect with Dan for the conversation below. He’s thoughtful, smart, and laser focused on culture building.

I know you’ll take a ton from his experience.

-Kyle Sheldon, Co-Founder and CEO

Questions and answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity (and any emphasis below is ours, fyi!)

PATHWAY: Dan, if you would, please share your soccer origin story - obviously you have roots in the UK, but what was your first connection to football?

DAN: It was very much my father's influence - my earliest memories are going and watching him play. He was a semi-professional player. He was at Crystal Palace until he was 19. He probably has the stereotypical story within England, which is you start at a club somewhere, you have trials, you're close, and then you find your path and you find a career. So my dad was a teacher, a coach himself, a UEFA licensed coach, he worked at Tottenham's Academy, Crystal Palace's Academy, worked with England school's FA set up, as well at the U-18 level.

So, it was just around me all of the time. My version of fun was going into the park and getting to play soccer with my dad. The only difference was it always involved cones, structure, set up - it was training. It wasn't a kick-about, or just kick the ball around and just shoot on the goal. It was always very, very structured. 

Probably the coolest story I have with my dad was just before I joined Fulham's Academy, I would've been 17-years old. I was playing for a local semi-professional team - my dad had retired the year before from that same team and I had played in the Saturday game and then went in to Fulham on the Monday for an extended trial with the team. On the Tuesday night, that same semi-pro team had a game and someone didn't get to the game and my dad got called in to play. He was 47 years old at the time. So they did a news article, which had me in the starting lineup on the Saturday and then my dad in the starting lineup on Tuesday.

I went on to Fulham and got through Fulham's Academy and into their reserve team and get some exposure to the first team there as well. And yeah, just like many others, it didn't work out for a professional contract at 19 years old. And yeah, lo and behold found myself at West Virginia - and now have come full circle. 

PATHWAY: I love the background with your dad - you can see how it all started. If I can, I’d like to fast forward a little bit and touch on your pro career - You get drafted by and play for D.C. United, you then go on to play in Scotland and UK for a few years and then you become a volunteer assistant coach at West Virginia University - tell us about the transition between your playing career to your coaching career and what went into that decision.  

DAN: Yeah, a lot. I suppose it was interesting - I was playing up in Scotland at Inverness [Caledonian Thistle]. And the season has started really well for me, perhaps not so well for the team. And then when I was out of the team, coincidence or otherwise, the team's results picked up a little bit and I was on the outside looking in, on a one year contract, and I got a call the head coach at West Virginia at the time, Marlon LeBlanc, and there was an opening on the staff. He was interested in hiring me - and I had basically told him I just didn't feel like I was quite ready to give up on playing just yet. I was quite aware that I made mistakes in my professional career, if you like, and I needed to know whether I was good enough as a pro. If I did everything and I still wasn't where I needed to be, then no problem. I could make peace with a decision to walk away from it. 

And that started at DC - I think I got off to a great start at DC United; but then made some mistakes in how I handled certain situations and how I responded to those situations and always often make fun of myself. If you ever watched Eastbound and Down with Kenny Powers. That show came out exactly the same time. I went back to West Virginia after D.C. United to be a PE teacher and just six months earlier I was playing in the CONCACAF Champions League and playing for D.C. United. I had to go back and finish my degree. I still had two more semesters worth of school to finish my degree. It was an incredibly humbling experience to be wiping the snot off a kindergarten kid and not even a year earlier being a pro in the MLS. 

So, I was aware then that there were mistakes I'd made and shortcomings in my approach to things that I needed to improve and I needed to know. I didn't feel like if I'd have walked away at that point, I would've really truly done myself justice to know whether I was ultimately good enough to have an extended career in the game. And as I said, the timing of when the job got offered to me, I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to walk away just yet.

So, fast forward a year later - I’m at different club, but this time there is no full-time position at WVU. The only position at this time is as a volunteer; fortunately, I had the opportunity to enter a graduate assistant position within the phys ed department. So I came back as a teacher again, I came back and taught at a pre-K through eighth grade at Morgantown Learning Academy, a private school. And I did that for a year under the promise that there might be a full-time position available and, if and when that full-time position came available, it would be mine to take.

I didn't have to wait too long. But yeah, it was pretty humbling. The thing that stood out from the conversation I had with Marlon LeBlanc - He said, “where do you see yourself in 10 years?” And this is true story. I had said to him, “I quite like the idea of your job.” [laughs]

It took me 11 years [to become head coach at WVU], so I was a year behind schedule. 

PATHWAY: That’s a good segue - let’s jump to your years as a Head Coach - first with Charleston and now with WVU.  You had relatively quick success at both programs, culminating in two national championship at Charleston University and, as of this past week, the first ever #1 national ranking in the history of WVU men’s Soccer.  What steps did you take to quickly build a winning standard? 

DAN: I learned an incredible amount in the three years that I was a pro player - both of what to do and what not to do. And I think it's so valuable that I would often sit there as a player that was sometimes picked [to play], sometimes not. Often struggling with why I'm not in the team or what do I have to do to get myself in the team - and not having those answers and not always getting a clear understanding of what those answers were.

That was a big part of my professional career and that led to the question, well, if I was my coach, if I was coaching me, what would I need? What did I need in those moments? So, I think I was developing a philosophy perhaps without necessarily realizing that I was doing that at the time. I also had an incredible experience as an assistant coach for Chris Grassie, who's now at Marshall University, and working for him for three years - that helped shape and refine some of those opinions. 

The biggest thing was that I was very clear on at both programs was I always wanted to feel like I was honest with the players. I think there's a way to deliver your message that can still be very, very constructive and get players on board in that regard. But one thing I would say I craved as a player was an honest answer and feedback.

Whether it was that you didn't get feedback at all and it would then almost feel as though you weren't important enough; it was a kind of disregard. Or maybe the answers was misleading, embellished, or they would avoid it so they didn’t have to give the real honest answer. And I felt victim of a few of those examples. 

So, it is arguably the biggest core value within our structure and within my structure both at Charleston and at West Virginia. Everything has to run on trust and everything has to run with a level of honesty with your players that I anticipate and can come to terms with the fact that I'm probably going to tell them some things that they don't want to hear or they don't like to hear.  And sometimes that's quite healthy. 

What I would hate for a player to ever think of me was that I, at any point in their time with me, that I was misleading or I wasn't honest. That might mean they didn't like everything I had to say, but I hope that a player will never walk away from a conversation and think to themselves, “well he disrespected me because he just wasn't honest with me in the first place.” I really, really believe that the best way to develop a strong culture, the most responsible or the most influential aspect of the culture is the people within the environment.

PATHWAY: Would you mind going deeper on how you’ve build that culture within the team structure?

DAN: I've been fortunate to go from a Division II program which was relatively humble in terms of facilities, resources, and budget, but we had such a great culture there. And now I'm fortunate to be in a situation where we are an elite Division I environment in terms of facility; we have, for example, one of the best locker rooms in all of Division I men's soccer right now, a $700,000 facility. But it's yet to win me a game. And, inevitably, the players will normalize those things, it doesn't matter. 

They will normalize those things and when all the materialistic things and the things that money can buy are removed, what’s really left is the influence on the environment and the type of culture you're trying to create. I would argue coming from WVU as an assistant coach to move to Charleston was almost like an underdog mentality - I had a kind of roll your sleeves up, you've really got to get to work because there's less that is provided for the players and more that we are responsible for as a staff. And that kind of breeding ground and early in my career was exactly what I needed.

PATHWAY: I want to ask you about recruitment because it’s so important to eventual on-field success; what are the qualities or characteristics that you look for in the recruiting process?

DAN: Yeah, that's been a huge piece. We're quite fortunate within college soccer in that we operate in a global market. We are literally everywhere in the world to find these players. There's not a lack of talent anywhere domestically or abroad. This allows us to be quite selective with identifying not just good players but good people. And I think that's so important in tying it back to the core values.

I would say our recruiting strategy is incredibly honest and incredibly transparent. I think it's very, very important to have a really clear understanding of what your identity is as a program in terms of the type of culture and environment that you're trying to create and to do your absolute best as a coach within the recruiting process to articulate that - to be able to show that in as many ways as possible.

And I think we have done a really, really good job of being very honest with what players can expect - not once in my coaching career have I ever forecast what a player is going to do [in the future], that they’ll break right into the team or that their minutes are going to increase throughout their time in the program. The reality is I have absolutely no clue what each individual's development process is going to be. 

So, within our recruitment process, we developed three very, very simple guarantees. And I do think we try to under promise and overdeliver in the recruiting phase. Our three guarantees are really simple. One, I can guarantee the players that there will be competition for their place on the team. Two, I can guarantee that there'll be no politics in who plays and no pre-scripted hierarchy. If they're the best man for the job, great, you're going to play and you're going to have an influence on the program. And then the third and final guarantee is that as a staff, in terms of the type of environment and the professionalism and positivity surrounding our environment, we're going to continue to aspire to be the best that we can possibly be. And the rest is somewhat in their hands - it is somewhat up to them.

I'm very, very careful to not say something or share something that I simply don't know to be true at that point. So I often think that the players sometimes are a little bit underwhelmed by that aspect of our recruiting philosophy and our strategy, but then I observe the player’s body language; and if it is like, “yeah, let's go for it. I'm up for this - I'll show you. I'll prove it to you.” So we almost recruit in a way that indicates that there's still more they have to show us. There's still more they have to prove to us.  

If they shrink in their chair, no problem. It's not for you and it's not for us. Please don't say yes, please don't say yes to West Virginia - If you are not really buying into what I'm sharing with you, no problem. This won't work. 

And I do think that's where we've been very, very good in the last three years ultimately is to recruit the players that fit into what it is we're able to provide - ultimately the last thing I want is in the middle of September, someone walks in and says, “this is not the experience that you showed me or what I expected.” That player is not getting the best from the experience and I'm not getting the best from the player. And ultimately no one wins in that situation. So, I really do think as a long-term recruiting strategy, it's far more in your interest to be really, really transparent and honest just as we will be throughout their four years with the program as well.

PATHWAY: Woven through your answers, Dan, you both directly and then indirectly speak to the importance honesty. Would you speak to what it means for personal accountability for the players, for the staff and how important that is to what you’re doing?

DAN: The second of our four core values is exactly that - ownership and accountability is within that ownership. I think when we make those three guarantees to our players, we put it back on the player themselves to show the necessary ambition, I think is a huge piece of that. 

The resources that we have that are available to these players, they would be foolish to not take full advantage of everything that we have. I think the one unique element of the university experience, which again, so much of this is connected to the philosophy, the culture and the environment that is created at West Virginia - And I think that's where it's a little bit different to the professional game that I really value. It's not just the resources we have to help facilitate them as an athlete. It is academics, is it from a social and networking perspective, it's how they're going to grow as a young adult and that is their responsibility - we ultimately come under this umbrella of education. I work for a university before I work for an athletic department and sports team.

I really want to make sure that these players are not gaining just a great experience from a soccer perspective, but from a far more holistic approach. And they're absolutely responsible for that. 

And I would say it would be very easy in my position to just focus on the soccer side of things, but I actually think ultimately what do I see my responsibility as? It's when these players graduate four years from now or fast forward to 10 years from now and they're in an incredible position and they're so grateful for the experience that they've had at West Virginia -  and not just because they were there to play soccer. We can have an impact on their lives. It's far bigger than just the sport for sure.

PATHWAY: Last couple, Dan. Think now about an aspiring coach - what are is the one thing you would share with someone that could help put them on track to become a top coach?

DAN: Yeah, I think there has to be a real open-mindedness to what type of opportunities present themselves. I look at my pathway and think to some extent I did it the hard way. I came in as a volunteer assistant first. I then took a substantial pay cut to go from West Virginia to Charleston to find myself in environments where I really made sure I was working with people and working for people that I believed I was going to gain knowledge from. The other piece of that would be understanding that even if you perceive yourself to be in not such a great environment, if you ask yourself the right questions, it can still be just as insightful, if not more.

And it gives you this platform and opportunity to develop your philosophy and develop your identity as a coach. To some extent, as ironic as it sounds, I don’t know that there is a bad environment necessarily if you have the right mindset and the right mentality. From there, you can develop what you believe to be a good environment in your own philosophy, in your own coaching methods. And then as I said, making sure that you are really, really mindful of understanding who you are and what your identity is I think is so, so important.

I see a lot of coaches that jump back and forth between playing styles or show a lot of volatility depending on results. I think what's really, really helped me is to stick to my guns that we're very process oriented in our environment.

What was interesting was I always in the back of my mind second guess that in the sense that it was really easy for me to say, “oh, I'm a process-oriented coach” when we only lost four games out of seventy. It’s easy to say that you’re a process-oriented coach when you’re winning all the time.

2022 was actually a very valuable experience for me - we were underperforming, at one point we were 2-6-1 to start the year. So for me, it was about going to your bible, going back to your book of references; and actually doubling down on what I believe to be true and not changing or panicking because the results were not there to back up that process necessarily. 

I was really, really proud of myself through that period - ironically, that was the toughest period of my career and that period is arguably the time I'm most proud of because it reinforced that I do really believe in the core values. I do really believe in the type of identity that I expect to see and want to see within our environment.

So, for young aspiring coaches, I think it's making sure they're asking the right questions to evolve in any type of environment that they might be in, good or bad. If they challenge themselves with the right types of questions, if they don't agree [with the coach], then what would they agree with? 

And then as I said, making sure they're very invested in forming that identity and almost one of the things that the processes that we go through is why won't it work? Then challenging yourself to say, okay, that's good. I do believe this. Pressure test it. If we do lose three games in a row, would I still believe it or would I go to something else? Do your best to forecast the worst case scenarios of that identity and those core values as to whether or not you would stick with them. It's inevitable.

PATHWAY: Earlier, you spoke about relationship building - if you're one of those young aspiring coaches, what kind of things should you be doing to network, build relationships, and connect to the coaching community? 

DAN: Yeah, that's a really good question. I think within the college capacity, it's quite unique. There are still these opportunities to go and work other programs’ camps at times - I have done that. I went and worked the Akron camp, for example. Similarly, you'll find yourself at these recruiting events with hundreds and hundreds of other coaches. Find those opportunities to have conversations with other coaches and pick the brains of other coaches a little bit. I do think that most coaches are quite willing to be open. I think the better the coach or the more comfortable the coach is with their identity, the more comfortable they are with sharing with others. So often when younger coaches or assistant coaches of other programs or anyone might come to me and speak to me, I have no problem sharing because I feel very, very comfortable with what my answers are.

Even now I enjoy hearing how other people do it. I think you have to be really, really open-minded. I think one aspect of my personal packet that has continued to stick with me was a Simon Sinek quote “every good business needs existential flexibility.” You have to be willing to screw it up, rip it up, and throw it away and start again at times. And you have to be willing to constantly evolve with an open mind.

The humility piece to constantly be open-minded and recognize that advice and a fresh perspective could come from a lot of different sources - it could come from your own players, it could come from your volunteer system, from a student manager, it could come from anywhere, 

PATHWAY: Final question, what is your favorite thing about working in soccer?

DAN: It’s not the wins. It’s not the wins because you rarely have the luxury to enjoy them. There's always the next game or the next season. It's almost quite sad to say it that way. I don't think anyone gets into coaching thinking that you're not going to really look forward to winning games. Now, don't get me wrong, you still get to enjoy it, but it's often brief.

But, I would say within the college capacity, it's the journey that you see the players go through. And what's even cooler about that journey is it's not just four years, it's the five years after they graduate, the 10 years after they graduate. It's so long-standing in terms of the impact you can have and the influence you can have on these players. And that ties in really, really nicely to the type of influence my dad had on me - It is about the impact that you can have over an extended period of time. 

I take a ton of pride in playing a really, really small role, but a role nonetheless in the growth of these players, the growth of these young men. You can see these guys go on and just do great things and then reflect so fondly on their experiences that you played a role in. That's the best part about coaching soccer.

You can connect with Dan on LinkedIn and X [Twitter!].

SOCCER JOBS: THE MOST INTERESTING NEW JOBS IN SOCCER

New week, new jobs in soccer. Here are a few that caught our eye:

• Head Coach - One Knoxville

• Analyst, Digital - Inter Miami CF

• Head Coach, MYNT U15 - US Soccer

• Designer & Animator - NJ/NY Gotham

• Manager, Partnership Marketing - LAFC

• Content Creator & Strategist - Columbus Crew

• Assistant Coach & Video Analyst - Brooklyn FC

• USYS Board Position, Treasurer - US Youth Soccer

• Vice President, Hospitality (FIFA World Cup) - Octagon

• Vice President, Match Day Presentation & Administration - MLS

• Manager, Corporate Partnership Development - Chicago Red Stars

ONE-CLICK POLL: DO YOU BELIEVE…?

ALSO…

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SEE YOU SOON, SOCCER FRIENDS

• Kyle Sheldon

• Nolan Sheldon