Meet Your Coach: Matt Lavinder
Meet Your Coach: Matt Lavinder FC DALLAS TRI·MONDAY, MAY 15, 201743 Reads
One of the most accomplished coaches in the FC Dallas TRI family is Matt Lavinder. Coach Matt is a native of the TriCities and began his coaching career while he was in graduate school as an assistant for the Duke University women’s team and with a high level club team in Durham, NC. Since returning to northeast Tennessee to become the men’s soccer coach at King College, (now King University), his alma mater, Matt has been involved in growing youth soccer in the region.
Coach Matt Lavinder speaks to his U13 girls team at half-time.
Developing a soccer culture in this area that reflected the best philosophies from cultures around the world is a passion for
Coach Matt. He says, “A few of us coaches at King and Milligan spent a decade trying to build a new youth soccer culture in the TRI based on the latest philosophies in player development from around the world. In addition to coaches like Louis Thorpe and Marty Shirley, we had international players like Declan Jogi, Simone Marriotti, James Macklin, Travis Fravel, Godfrey Mugishu and Brian Okumu who contributed immensely in those early years to make it a global effort right here in the Tri-Cities.
Coach Matt with his son Corey.
In addition to coaches like Louis Thorpe and Marty Shirley, we had international players like
Declan Jogi, Simone Marriotti, James Macklin, Travis Fravel, Godfrey Mugishu and Brian Okumu who contributed immensely in those early years to make it a global effort right here in the Tri-Cities.
Coach Matt is now an entrepreneur in the real estate business, and has turned his skill toward coaching youth players. The reason he believes sports are an important opportunity for children is truly player centered.
Coach Matt's team receives their finalist medals from the Overmountain Cup
Coach Matt explains, “I'm an entrepreneur in my other life and I think successful people need to have self - belief to make tough decisions under pressure, resiliency to overcome adversity, and courage to be true to themselves. Too much of our middle class American culture is over protective and cheats our kids out of learning to be courageous and resilient in adversity. Parents too often make decisions for them to protect them from adversity, so our kids rarely have the chance to develop self belief. I see the game as a training ground for life. It's one of the few places our kids can experience adversity and learn to overcome it. It's a player's game, so players at the highest level have learned to trust themselves to make their own decisions. Robots can play other sports, but not this one. It is a game of improvisation fueled by player decisions.”
U14 Girls Team 2017 Overmountain Cup Finalists
Which Team(s) Do You Coach Coached premier boys and girls at the high school level, but next fall l’ll be coaching the u11 girls. I'm looking forward to coaching a younger team after several years with high school players. Do You Have Any Licenses or Coaching Credentials? USSF A License NSCAA Premier Diploma USSF National GK License USSF National Youth License USSF A Renewal in Madrid What Goals Do You Have for Your Team? I'm more process than goal driven when coaching kids. I try to create a fun, challenging, and positive environment that develops every individual into a footballer who can make her own good decisions on the field and life.
What is Your Favorite Soccer Memory? A few years ago, I was in my first season coaching a u13 girls team after coaching boys for a long time. They reached the final and it went to penalty kicks. Normally, very few players have the confidence to want to take a penalty. Most college players avoid eye contact because they don't want the pressure. There was so much confidence on this little team that everyone wanted a penalty. We won and it was great to be around a group that age with so much confidence in themselves that every one of them wanted the ball. Why Do You Enjoy Being a Coach? All those guys [mentioned above] have carried the original vision with them and are still coaching all over the world. Many of them remain my best friends. It eventually grew here through mergers with like minded people like Chad Craft, Warren Austin, and Sam Pulitzer, resulting in what is now FC Dallas TRI. But, for me, it's much bigger than this club because the original vision is alive as far away as Ireland, Uganda, and Kansas City. What is Your Favorite Quote? "Find a way or make one." - Hannibal Why FC Dallas TRI? The best coaches train players to make their own decisions and take responsibility for indecision. Watching kids grow in confidence to make their own decisions, under immense pressure, is the beautiful part of this game. The original vision behind this club was to create an environment where that magic can happen and we have fought against the prevailing American youth sports' win first, coach centered culture every step of the way.
One of the most accomplished coaches in the FC Dallas TRI family is Matt Lavinder. Coach Matt is a native of the TriCities and began his coaching career while he was in graduate school as an assistant for the Duke University women’s team and with a high level club team in Durham, NC. Since returning to northeast Tennessee to become the men’s soccer coach at King College, (now King University), his alma mater, Matt has been involved in growing youth soccer in the region.
Coach Matt Lavinder speaks to his U13 girls team at half-time.
Developing a soccer culture in this area that reflected the best philosophies from cultures around the world is a passion for
Coach Matt. He says, “A few of us coaches at King and Milligan spent a decade trying to build a new youth soccer culture in the TRI based on the latest philosophies in player development from around the world. In addition to coaches like Louis Thorpe and Marty Shirley, we had international players like Declan Jogi, Simone Marriotti, James Macklin, Travis Fravel, Godfrey Mugishu and Brian Okumu who contributed immensely in those early years to make it a global effort right here in the Tri-Cities.
Coach Matt with his son Corey.
In addition to coaches like Louis Thorpe and Marty Shirley, we had international players like
Declan Jogi, Simone Marriotti, James Macklin, Travis Fravel, Godfrey Mugishu and Brian Okumu who contributed immensely in those early years to make it a global effort right here in the Tri-Cities.
Coach Matt is now an entrepreneur in the real estate business, and has turned his skill toward coaching youth players. The reason he believes sports are an important opportunity for children is truly player centered.
Coach Matt's team receives their finalist medals from the Overmountain Cup
Coach Matt explains, “I'm an entrepreneur in my other life and I think successful people need to have self - belief to make tough decisions under pressure, resiliency to overcome adversity, and courage to be true to themselves. Too much of our middle class American culture is over protective and cheats our kids out of learning to be courageous and resilient in adversity. Parents too often make decisions for them to protect them from adversity, so our kids rarely have the chance to develop self belief. I see the game as a training ground for life. It's one of the few places our kids can experience adversity and learn to overcome it. It's a player's game, so players at the highest level have learned to trust themselves to make their own decisions. Robots can play other sports, but not this one. It is a game of improvisation fueled by player decisions.”
U14 Girls Team 2017 Overmountain Cup Finalists
Which Team(s) Do You Coach Coached premier boys and girls at the high school level, but next fall l’ll be coaching the u11 girls. I'm looking forward to coaching a younger team after several years with high school players. Do You Have Any Licenses or Coaching Credentials? USSF A License NSCAA Premier Diploma USSF National GK License USSF National Youth License USSF A Renewal in Madrid What Goals Do You Have for Your Team? I'm more process than goal driven when coaching kids. I try to create a fun, challenging, and positive environment that develops every individual into a footballer who can make her own good decisions on the field and life.
What is Your Favorite Soccer Memory? A few years ago, I was in my first season coaching a u13 girls team after coaching boys for a long time. They reached the final and it went to penalty kicks. Normally, very few players have the confidence to want to take a penalty. Most college players avoid eye contact because they don't want the pressure. There was so much confidence on this little team that everyone wanted a penalty. We won and it was great to be around a group that age with so much confidence in themselves that every one of them wanted the ball. Why Do You Enjoy Being a Coach? All those guys [mentioned above] have carried the original vision with them and are still coaching all over the world. Many of them remain my best friends. It eventually grew here through mergers with like minded people like Chad Craft, Warren Austin, and Sam Pulitzer, resulting in what is now FC Dallas TRI. But, for me, it's much bigger than this club because the original vision is alive as far away as Ireland, Uganda, and Kansas City. What is Your Favorite Quote? "Find a way or make one." - Hannibal Why FC Dallas TRI? The best coaches train players to make their own decisions and take responsibility for indecision. Watching kids grow in confidence to make their own decisions, under immense pressure, is the beautiful part of this game. The original vision behind this club was to create an environment where that magic can happen and we have fought against the prevailing American youth sports' win first, coach centered culture every step of the way.
