New England Soccer Journal

  • Login
  • Logout
  • Subscribe
  • Dashboard
Subscribe
College

Fran O’Leary has UMass men’s soccer on the rise

By Jonathan SigalAugust 24, 2018

Fran O'Leary is entering his fourth year of leading the Minutemen. (courtesy photo)

When Fran O’Leary was hired by the University of Massachusetts in 2015, he recalls it as the chance to build something “exciting.”

The Minutemen, six months removed from longtime coach Sam Koch passing away, were coming off five straight losing seasons. In 2014, under interim coach Devin O’Neill, UMass went 3-14-1, not winning until their sixth game.

The job was a reclamation project of sorts for O’Leary, an NCAA coaching veteran coming off a stint with MLS side Toronto FC. Previous stops included Division 1 programs Dartmouth and George Mason, as well as Bowdoin in Division 3.

“We knew what we had with a great state for soccer, a great institution on the rise, but we had challenges,” O’Leary said. “We were bottom of the league, didn't have the largest scholarship budget, so we set out to make it a great experience and try to make the players better. We weren’t getting ready-made players, but we got guys who wanted to get better”

Tags: A-10, Ben Brewster, Casey Hamill, Fran O'Leary, Minutemen, UMass

Subscribe to finish reading this story

SUBSCRIBE

Members login below

Register
Forgot Password?

Related Articles

D1 Men: NESJ announces Preseason Best XI

Ahead of the 2018 college season, New England Soccer Journal has named its Preseason Best XI. The team – which includes one goalkeeper, three defenders,…
Read More

Boys DA: 6 New England natives to watch for outside the region

The youth development model in Major League Soccer is approaching – or has arguably already arrived at – a destination that’s commonplace in global soccer.…
Read More

D1 Men: Top New England natives playing outside the region

New England is home to 21 men’s soccer programs at the Division 1 level, and many of the region’s top players dream of playing for…
Read More

NESJ Insider Newsletter

  • Subscribe
  • Seamans Media, Inc.
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2022 Seamans Media, Inc. • All Rights Reserved

Contact Us!

Please write a brief description and someone will get back to you shortly!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.