It is that time where we take the tour of the W League in the USL and we take a trip down to Statesborough to catch up with our friends down at Tormenta.
He is properly hydrated. He is ready to go.
He is gassed up and ready to talk about the twenty twenty five season. Ken Brownie, the new head coach for a Tormento's USL W League franchise, Thanks for dropping by for a one v one.
We really appreciate it absolutely, John, thanks for having me.
All right.
So when and I know that your time is you know, before your time in Statesboro, you got to spend some time at USC Beaufort and you got to find out what it's like to be a lane and shark and all those kinds of things.
When you first.
Wandered in under the arch there at torment what was your first impression of the organization on the whole as you were working your way toward the women's side.
Actually, zero expectations.
I actually have a little bit longer history with Tormenta in terms of the the original leadership in terms of on the soccer side, So I had for USLW absolutely zero expectations. Just I thought it was amazing to see what Darren and Nietzche have done here in Statesboro in terms of building the stadium, the training grounds, what they've done for the first team, then how they've set up the U structure underneath it.
So super impressed.
When when my wife and I moved here back in twenty twenty for that USCB job, as you mentioned, for me, there was really only one club that I was going to work for outside of USCB, and that's that's been Tormento the whole time.
So when you then for those that follow the WA League, they know about the successes that the franchise had and and check going up to Minnesota Aurora and the you know, and going in front of that big crowd and coming home with a with a championship and and everything that has been built from day one there with the program.
With Jim Robbins departing to go be the the head women's coach up at v M, I uh, what was the process like did you sit there and raise your hand and sit there and point and go me, me, me, What was that it's like, yeah, yeah, I want this gig or what was the process like to have you take the step to be the man in charge.
I was. I tell you this, I was.
I was definitely interested, uh in getting back in on the women's side of the game. I didn't stand up and shout exactly me, me me, uh, but what might have mentioned to some leadership or some key key people, uh Darren being one of them, and Brad and I and the head of the youth club being the other, and just said, hey, listen, if you're if you're struggling, uh in terms of timing to this and in terms of timing to Jim's departure, and you know, you want to send me the details what a look so like?
I wouldn't mind looking it over at least, So couldn't be Actually, couldn't be more thrilled to be in this position. It has been a fantastic first two weeks with the team. It's just such a fun environment and the progress and the pathway that's been laid before I got here. It's just incredible. The setup we have done you. I don't know how much detail you have, but the support staff is amazing. So the professionalism of the environment is it
is probably the best environment I've ever worked in. So loving it right now.
Stylistically, how would you describe yourself as.
A coach stylistically in terms of tactics.
Well, now, tactics, emotion, the whole thing. It's like, yeah, you wander out there. Who are you when it comes to you know, the folks that you might have followed in the past, the folks that you sit there and you're up late at two or three o'clock in the morning looking at YouTube videos and sitting there going yeah, okay, yeah, I'm with this person. Who are those folks that you gravitated toward to come up with your style, whether it's emotionally, tactically all of that.
Oh wow, that's a complicated answer. Everybody from my My influence is everybody from my college coach to my father to uh the the original leader of a top Hat soccer club in Atlanta, which is one of the most famous girls youth club, Cy Strickler, you know, to to being able to work through the n s C Double A with antson Dorrance and and and and people like that, learning uh, not just from the best of but also
from their mistakes. So oftentimes when you when you participate in these coaching courses, you sit in education symposiums and a lot of the stuff these guys will tell you, or these coaches will tell you is not everything they've done right.
And I think those those those influences have.
Been huge on my life, not just the soccer side of it, but just life in general.
Uh.
Stylistically, I'm not a screamer. I'm maybe not as uh, you know, I call it Jim, mister Buddha. I'm maybe not exactly mister Buddha. I'm maybe a little bit more intense. I try to tone that down a little bit. But I'm not.
Afraid to.
Encourage the players and get after them, and we, you know, to bring the intensity and the sessions. Our goal, Our goal is simple, can we repeat what we did, you know, three or four years ago?
So how tall an order is that to try and get back to what happened three or four years ago? Considering how the landscape has changed, the game itself has evolved, all of the different markets that are now engaged in the USLW competition. I mean literally, it is coming up in a bunch of key soccer towns here and there, and here and there, and so competitions increased in both intensity and in number. And you want to go back to where you were How much of a challenge is that for Tormentedy.
Massive, Absolutely massive.
I can't say our expectations is to come in here and roll over everybody and win every game and absolutely win a National CHAMPIONSHP. We're gonna have to work at it, and we have to put it in and put in the time on the training field, and we're going to have to have some fortune along the way as well, some incredible opponents within our own conference, and as you mentioned, like the growth of the game for with the USL Super League plus the teams that have expanded into the.
USLW it's a super tall order. We also don't have.
You know, we have some amazing players, but I couldn't speak highly enough of you know, City Martinez and Goal in the original lineup, er and Amy Andrews up top. So we've got some big shoes to fill.
When you know, and I know that when you are a head coach or you know you're in a position of stature, you always want to embrace the kind of challenge that is there. And in Tormentous case, it is maintaining that level of excellence and going back to where it was when you were getting the championship, when you're trying to prepare a roster for a.
Season in the W League.
How much of a challenge is that because you're trying to you know, hit the ground running at seventy five miles an hour, and because you really can't kind of, you know, blend your way into a season because by the time you think you might have blended your way in, you're at the tail into the regular season and you're trying to sit there and do math to figure out what you might need to do to get into season
three in the playoffs. So what's it like, roster assembly trying to get something where you know you've got to have it and you've got to have it like right at ground zero to make sure that you can get to a postseason and chase the title.
Uh And and this year being the timing of Jim's departure for vmis you left us even in a more hectic situation in terms of as someone that roster. But uh, again, the support staff here at Torments is excellent, So Sam Jones, the assistant coach, there's tons of connections across across the country.
Uh.
I have to till my hat to Jim as well, because Jim was still very helpful in the transition period, helping connect us with players that he had already previously recruited, getting some of that talent back.
But you're you're not wrong.
It's it's a short two weeks in terms of training leading into your first game and trying to have all your all your players and all your all your thoughts and all your tactics ready for that that first match. And there's there's teams again in our conference. I think Carolina has sent uh, you know, put on quite a
performance the other night against Fusion. I think I think the Ascent also have some you know, players in camp already for their Super League teams, so they're you know, we're we're definitely against it.
Ten on the board for Carolina Ascent in their ten to three win. And just so folks know, this season, you're in the South Atlantic Division, so it's Carolina Ascent, Charlotte Eagles, North Carolina Fusion. You encourage you twenty threes, South Carolina United, Bantams and Wake FC. When you look at this division, you mentioned the challenge obviously with a scent at the top of the ladder immediately out of the blocks, But when you look at this division on
the whole. What speaks out to you about the talent level and the challenges that are here this year.
Oh, quality of the players that these teams have, but also the quality of the organizations that are supporting them. So I think that Charlotte Eagles have been around since I was a kid, so they they're not to be taken lightly a cent obviously at the top of the Super League right now and have a massive roster, excellent coaching staff, good organization NC Courage before they were Courage in their n CFC and thirty years ago Castle Like they've been one of the monster youth clubs in the
entire country. So they've got an incredible support system. So we are we are certainly hoping to finish at the top, you know, so we can get into playoffs, but we've we've got some work to do, especially against those top end teams.
And I mean it's I know that it's it's a fun challenge, But at the same time, when it comes to the coaching pedigree and challenges, how much of a different challenge is this? Considering that you're trying to jam all of this stuff into this short space, you don't
there's not a lot of build up. It's not like, you know, you're playing one hundred and sixty two games in Major League Baseball or something and you can you know, you have a game against the Pirates in the middle of July that you can sit there and maybe, you know, bring up a pitcher from the minor leagues. I mean literally, you've got to hit this, right, I mean, this is this is no messing around territory.
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely is not. I'll tell you that.
The most impressive thing to me so far by the players we are able to recruit in and again credit to Sam Jones, credit to Jim Robbins, Uh than than other connections like this. The soccer community is much smaller than you think it is, and that the players we've been able to bring in uh have really, as you just said, hit the ground running. They've they've meshed so well together. We're really excited about Saturday. I can't say enough about the the the intensity and the focus of the players
that we have here. Like most of the players that we've cruited in are are truly looking to go to the next level.
Uh.
Their aspiration isn't just to play with us at the w League. It's it's it's to continue to move on to get to the Super League. Players that want to go play in the Premier League with Newcastle and Amy Andrews and this and that like these, the players that we have are are are the reason we're.
Going to have the success.
Sam and I are just here to to organize and put them in the right system and let them do their thing all right.
Time to brag a little bit for those that will be wandering in for the first time or might have their season tickets and they come and wandering to see the roster this year, who are some of the folks that will They will instantly gravitate hoard, whether it's offense or defense, what have you? Uh you know, it's like, oh, okay, now I know what I'm looking at with Tormento, who are we gravitating towards this year?
I've got a returner and goal in Core Brendle big times. She's great with dealing with She's obviously on the tall side, she's excellent dealing with crosses and obviously all the perfect technique in terms of shot stopping and managing our box. We've got a new player, de Linda sol In from FIU that is just has been way better in person, even more so than she was on tape. And Fyu
won their conference championship this past year. Chinatsu Kyo, that's playing going to play more in the midfield with us as a ten behind the Strikers. Super creative, great acceleration, Uh, incredibly technical. Then I think I think that our fans are going to be excited about the type of soccer we're going to play this year. So we've we've got some players up front and Constance at Gyuming and my Gier Sumier that's are going to be a force to
be reckoned with. And I think at the professional level of the game, at this level, you have to have players up top that are are difficult. You got to have them produce. So I think our fans are going to enjoy that a good bit.
Okay, So when things in a perfect world, when when things are humming along for you, how would you describe what folks are going to be seeing out out there on the pitch at at Tormentus Stadium. What's it what's it going to be looking like.
Against the ball?
You're going to see a well organized press in our system, uh, and the system that's set up for our for for the players that we have in camp to be successful, uh, to recover the ball quickly, to recover the ball higher up the field, but then also to break with skill. So we're you're not going to see us lumping balls into the box from the midfield area. You're going to see us using the ball and using our technical players to try to get in. So we're gonna we're gonna
have some flair and creativity. You're gonna see players driving the in lines, getting in the box and scoring goals.
And I know that you know you're you're you want you want folks to score goals. I know that with everybody that you've assembled, you also wanted to to get back on I feel like I should do this with my microphone, get you know, get back on defense.
But I mean, and that's this key you got.
I mean, we always get them back to this idea of making sure that everything meshes. Where in training camp do you think they are when it comes to understanding the messaging, understanding the game plan, and understanding what you are looking for them to do you and the staff are looking for them to do out there on the field. How do you think they're receiving it so far, and where do you think they are in the progress report.
I think I'll say right now, we're ninety percent there. I think the ten percent is the the implement implementation of more confidence, and that's in the final third.
Less doubt.
I think that's any new group of players that you have in any type of preseason camp, or players coming together for the first time, they don't know each other, there's always a little bit of hesitation, a little bit of doubt and the fear of making mistakes. And one thing you asked a question earlier in this interview in terms of who I am as a coach, I'm the type of coach that wants to give the players confidence.
I want them to be free to play, to use their talent, to get after the game, not worry about the mistakes, but move on and do the next thing. So I think we're about ninety percent there. We've had a great two weeks of training. I think we'll be one hundred percent there when we have that total focus of we're just gonna dominate our opponent in the final third and we're gonna we're gonna, We're gonna play without fear. The entire match and just enjoy it and enjoy each other.
How difficult is that to play without fear knowing that you're on a short runway and it's like the on ramp is short. You know you got to hop on the freeway and you've got it. You want to play fearless or as fearless as you can get away with, knowing that almost things are amplified because of that runway that you're.
On, because the window. I don't think there's another way to play, is there?
No, that's true. I'm down with that.
We're going for it. We're just going for it.
Well, how long did it take you to come up with that idea of it to be comfortable in that as a part of your coaching DNA, it's like, all right, we're gonna we're gonna do our thing and they're gonna have to adjust to us. How long did it take you as a coach to sit there and go, Yeah, this this is me and this is who I am. Stylistically, from everyone that you've been able to glean advice from.
In your career, I think maybe there's there's pieces along the way. I think there's there's certain things that are in your DNA that you've grown up with as as a player, and your your first your first couple of years of coaching, but I think really that's your your first ten years of coaching, you're at least on my side of a spend with too much ego. Then your next next five and ten years are kind of reflection
and looking back on how do I get better? And then finally as you get twenty years in where I am now or twenty five years in now, then you're really your total focus has nothing to do with you.
It's just the players.
So what impact you can have on the players in terms of getting the most out of them?
So what does it take?
I don't know, twenty five years?
But hey, it's it's hey, you know what, maybe maybe.
It's maybe it's quicker for some you know I I'm you know, a slow learner.
Well, but but at the same time, you know, you you want to be comfortable in your own coaching skin because you want to be the first. You want to be the first brownly you don't want to be the second so and so or the third son. So hey, yeah, you remind me of you know that that person over there. You want to be known for you and your style and your approach on the field and off. It's not just something where yeah, I'm gonna be the next Pep, I'm gonna be the next Bielsa and you know I'm
gonna do that. No, I want to be comfortable with me and I want folks to learn who I am and through what I'm trying to do.
Yeah, well, I love that you just mentioned those guys. Those are like massive influences and in the game over the past twenty years, and like love to love to learn from them.
Y Elsa is such an interesting character.
So yeah, you have to you have to have your own identity and and and part of your identity as a coach has to do with the players around you in the environment that you're in as well. You know, we're not we can't all be Pep Guardiola. And we also don't have a you know, one hundred million dollar budget to work with a year, uh in terms of you know, bringing in the players you want versus the ones you don't.
So uh.
I can't speak enough to the coaches that have influenced my life and Jim, Jim's one of them. Jim's one of them, watching watching what he's done over the past four years here.
Uh.
Sam Jones is brought a fresh, unique perspective to me, and he's been a great influence so far on the team and a slid afying factor.
So yeah, yeah, you're in a twelve match regular season sprint. Your first three are on the road. You've got three in a week, tough start, all on the road. You got to talk to the schedule maker. Man, It's like, it's like, can you can you help me out here a little bit? Uh, You're against Fusion on the road, against Charlotte on the road, against Courage on the road. Now are you going and coming back or are you staying out that whole week for team bonding?
How's that gonna work?
No, no going, going, going and coming back with some off days in between. I've got a two year old, so I can't say. The wife wouldn't give me the permission for the seven day road trip. So going and coming back and then having some off days and some training in between. So but I'm looking forward to the trips with the team. I think it's gonna be a ton of fun. But we've got to be smart for this. This this first week and a half, I think it
is a super difficult start. But we've got an nice roster and we've got really twenty six players in camp, and we think we're going to be able to use utilize that well for the for these road games.
So when when you're announcing, you know, hey, I'm a coach and we're getting a roster together, it is your phone blowing up? I mean, is it WhatsApp? Is it phone? How does this work? And is it one of those where uh, I don't know what this area code is. I don't know what this international code is. What what group have I been added to? And what's that? What's like the wildest part of the roster assembly that you've been able to come acros For me?
Personally, I don't really I don't hit a ton of social media. I'm really only on Facebook and Instagram because my wife tells me I have to be so so just to support her business. So the probably the most interesting thing in terms of the recruiting aspect is the technical technology side of it. Had contacts through WhatsApp, contacts
through Instagram messengers, contacts through Facebook messengers. So you definitely saw my social media what you call it appearances definitely add an up take for the first month and a half of recruiting.
So how much study haul have you had so far to get ready for this first match? Uh?
Not enough? Not enough.
I'm I'm a fan of video and watching video, so I but then you have these questions. I like to have all the details answered, and in terms of that, like, hey, which which players did Fusion have in their their first two matches?
You know?
Is it gonna be the same roster they we're gonna be playing against on the on the Saturday.
So I like the details.
I feel like I haven't had enough time to watch enough video, but I'll definitely be you know, between now and Saturday, six or seven hours on video and and and doing some scouting and analysis well.
As always, it's great to catch up with our friends down in State Spur looking forward to the new season there with USLW and the man who is in charge.
Uh are you gonna are you gonna sit on a Are you gonna sit on a bucket like Bielsa? Are you gonna pay? How are you stylistically gonna do this?
Uh?
I I typically stand most of the time, so maybe maybe not not quite. Urgen Klopp Uh not up and down? Not not jumping up and down here and you know, getting the fans into it, but uh maybe maybe maybe more peppish, Uh maybe maybe more Arnie Slot uh something like that.
So yeah, that that's gonna be.
It's gonna be fun to see the sprint so far in the regular season for us l W.
Coach, it's great to see you, hey, thank you for having me.
Congrats on the new gig, and we will be following what's going on with us l W.
Soon.
Catch your breath. It's gonna be a sprint. We'll be right there with you. Thanks for dropping by
Right on, John, Thank you very much, man, appreciate it.