JR: …it’s great to see Dave Brandt and Tuffy McShallenberger finally here in this ring. It’s been a tough year for Riverhounds Entertainment and to finally see these two sign this… wait… who’s that coming down the ramp? … OH MY GOD IT’S MARK STEFFENS! MARK STEFFENS! HE’S GOT A CHAIR! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! HE KNOCKED BRANDT OUT COLD! STEFFENS IS SIGNING HIS NAME ON THE CONTRACT! I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT!
After multiple reports that the Riverhounds were perusing Navy’s Dave Brandt (and some implying a deal was close) the Riverhounds announced today that former Charlotte Eagles coach Mark Steffens will be our next head coach. We go now to the reaction in the streets-
Ok ok that’s a little harsh. I have to admit it was easy to get caught up in the Dave Brandt hype once the rumors started flying around. He is a big name that would’ve made a splash in the papers. But as we saw last year big splashes doesn’t necessarily mean big success. Instead the Riverhounds have opted for a tried and true veteran of the USL. Steffens may not necessarily turn heads, but he has had a long, successful coaching career through out all levels of soccer; from high school to professional. Amazingly 2015 will be his 40th year coaching soccer. Most recently he’s had a long and mostly successful stint at an organization that didn’t necessarily have championships at the top of their priority list. Here’s some quick stats for Steffens during his time at Charlotte-
- 18 Seasons at the Charlotte Eagles
- 13 Playoff Appearances. 8 Final Appearances. 2 Cups.
- 187-133-73 (W-L-T) Note- There were no ties during the 1997-1999 USL seasons
- Overall GF- 717 | GA- 545 | GD +172
- Season Averages GF- 39.8 | GA- 30.32 | Points Per Game- 1.84
- Two time USL Coach of the Year (2004, 2008)
- Inducted into the USL Hall of Fame in 2007
Pretty good stats. Any coach that stays at the same organization for 18 seasons must be doing something right. Historically Charlotte was a strong team who only missed the playoffs once before the modern USL PRO era. It’s only within these last few seasons that they really started to tank. As evident by them dropping to the PDL this year their decline may have been due to an organizational philosophy shift more than anything Steffens could control. Charlotte was never a big spender and they gave off the impression that they cared more about their missionary work than wins. Yet Steffens was still able to take the Eagles to eight USL finals during his time there.
As I mentioned above it’s not a head turning signing if you don’t followed the USL that closely, but Steffens knows the league and what it takes to win with limited resources. Coming fresh off of bankruptcy, Steffens might just be the kind of veteran head coach the Hounds need right now.
After the initial knee jerk deflation of not snagging Brandt, call me cautiously optimistic about Steffens.
#UNLEASH
