New Company
Tampa Bay United Rowdies
New Position
Director of Technical Development
New Company Website
Former Company
Indiana Fire Juniors
Former Position
Technical director
The Tampa Bay United Rowdies (TBUR), the youth affiliate soccer program for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, today announced the selection of the Director of Technical Development for the soccer club’s boys teams. Brian Johnson will lead the club in this new position and will oversee the boy’s competitive development programs. Johnson will be responsible for developing the curriculum for a technical standard of shared vision and philosophy, establishing coaching implementation, and creating player development methodology that will further enhance and develop the TBU playing style. Johnson brings significant United States National Team, NCAA Division I, and MLS coaching experience, a passionate commitment to player achievement, and a track record of success at technical development for youth athletes.
“The hiring of Brian Johnson marks a new day for TBU as we strive to become the best soccer club in the country,” said Anthony Latronica, Sporting Director of TBU. “Brian has demonstrated a commitment to inspiring teams to achieve excellence in a way that provides young athletes the opportunities to take their play to the next level. We are excited to have him aboard and look forward to his positive influence in our soccer community.”
Johnson comes to TBUR most recently from the Indiana Fire Juniors in Westfield, IN, where he was responsible for the selection and management of technical staff & the execution of all technical areas: Recreational, Youth, Travel, ECNL & DA. In the role, Johnson collaborated with the Chicago Fire Director of Player Development & Academy Director to develop synergies and objectives between MLS and IFJ affiliates. He was also the Technical Advisor for the Mid-America Division and U-14 Youth National Team Head Coach for U.S. SOCCER in Carmel, IN, responsible for all technical elements of the clubs in the Mid-America Division of the U.S. Development Academy League, player identification for the US U-14, U-15, U-17, U-18 & U-20 National Teams and scouting for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
He coached for five years in the MLS for Real Salt Lake and has NCAA Div 1 coaching experience. He was the Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach for two NCAA DIV 1 schools, West Virginia University and Ohio State University, leading to an NCAA 2nd round and an NCAA quarterfinals run under his leadership. Johnson contributed to the development of the student-athletes, including 8 of which were selected in the MLS draft from his NCAA Div 1 team.
While his experience as a coach is immense, Johnson also achieved recognition as an elite soccer player and has played the sport since he was a youth. He was on the United States National Team: U-23 National Team (1994-1996) Full-time resident, Pan American Games-Argentina, U-20 National Team (1992-1994) CONCACAF Qualifier- Canada, U-20 Youth World Cup-Australia, U-18 National Team (1990-1992), Other international matches played in: Belgium, France, England, Holland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Bolivia, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and Egypt. He played in NCAA Division 1 school, California State University Fresno, and was a four-year starter and team captain. He was a first-round draft pick in 1996 for the Kansas City Wizards and a member of the Wizards MLS Cup Championship team in 2001.
Johnson holds coaching licensures in the United States Soccer Federation- National ‘A’ License and the United States Soccer Federation- Technical Director License.
Says Johnson, “I couldn’t be happier to be joining Tampa Bay United as Director of Technical Development. This is an exciting time at TBUR and I am looking forward to providing the support and guidance to develop a player-enhanced environment where the game understanding improves and on-field decision making gets even better. The technical development of players and coaching helps young athletes achieve their aspirations and goals. In my prior position, 99% of our elite players went on to play collegiate soccer. I look forward to helping these teams unlock their potential for achieving great things and working with such a stellar soccer club.”
Johnson will begin the position in January of 2020, leading the organization's' broad depth of competitive boys’ soccer teams in three areas: Developmental Academy, Elite Competitive National League, and Competitive teams in the U13-U19 age ranges.
“Tampa Bay United has the potential to become one of the best clubs in the country with our depth of programming in Elite, Competitive, and Recreational sides of the sport. With the addition of Johnson’s technical expertise, we are looking forward to taking this club to the next level in 2020,” says Latronica.
“We would like to thank our newest sponsor. Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Properties Group, for taking care of Brian and his family’s relocation needs as they transition here to Tampa. The organization makes quarterly contributions to our Play It Forward Campaign helping players and families in need of financial assistance.”
