The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
TSC Dynamo reaches Top 10 in Pa. Youth Soccer
What makes a youth soccer team successful?
The number of wins, right? Well, yes, that matters.
But if you ask Ed Brnardic, head coach of Towamencin Soccer Club’s (TSC) U12 boys Dynamo travel team, it’s not about the wins. It’s about team chemistry. And perseverance. And attention to detail. To Brnardic, it’s this combination of factors that make winning possible.
This year, Dynamo has the makings of one powerhouse of a soccer team. And the numbers bear this out.
Over the last three years, Dynamo has never finished lower than second place in any tournament or league play. They have been champions in a remarkable 11 out of 13 tournaments played in their age group. And when playing against older teams, they finished in first place in one tournament and took second place in two others. Lastly, they have captured two league championships, narrowly missing the Inter-County Youth Soccer League (ICSL) Elite Division Championship by one point last season.
Taken together, that impressive record was strong enough to catapult Dynamo to become one of the top 10 travel teams in all of Pennsylvania, based on youth soccer rankings this week. The team now sits among the very best teams in the Keystone State — which includes the youth academy teams for the Philadelphia Union.
“It’s an exciting time for the players to play – and the parents to witness,” said Brnardic. “It’s rewarding to see these kids play at this level, and have fun at the same time.”
The Dynamo team was actually formed back in 2015, but some of the original players were aged-out because of the U.S. Soccer age rule change after the first season. This year, they are carrying 14 players, many of whom have been on the team for the last 3 years.
So what makes his players special? What does Brnardic look for in a soccer player?
“The first thing we look for is talent,” he said. “The second thing is soccer IQ. The third, and most important thing, is whether the player is coachable or not.”
“Obviously, talent is required to be successful,” he was quick to add. “But we’ve beaten a number of really talented teams because we had more chemistry than they did. The number of dramatic comebacks that this team has experienced is un-describable. Those comebacks were possible because our team didn’t fall apart when we were down.”
Does he have a winning formula?
“We don’t do anything special,” said Brnardic. “As Johan Cryuff (Dutch professional soccer player and coach) one said, ‘Soccer is simple, but it is difficult to play simple.’ On Dynamo, we pay attention to detail and strive for perfection.”
Brnardic says he is amazed at the skill levels of some of the players. “We have a handful of kids on the team that can juggle over 100 times consecutively. And we have two kids that can juggle over 1,000 times. Currently, the individual high score for juggling stands at 2,092.”
He also mentioned that many of the Dynamo players excel in other sports as well, including lacrosse, wrestling, tennis, hockey, baseball and track. In fact, one player is a CYO Cross-Country National Champion and another player is the three-time defending State Champion in wrestling.
And while he is the first person to downplay his role in his team’s success, he believes in constant learning to improve his abilities. “We accept that part of the learning process for players is to go and make mistakes and learn from those mistakes,” Brnardic said. “That’s something that coaches need to accept in themselves as well. Every year, I try to re-invent myself by attending coaching classes and clinics, reading and watching videos, as well as participating in training sessions run by other coaches to learn from them.”
Coming from a smaller soccer club, is he concerned that being in the Top 10 will go to his players heads?
“We don’t really talk much about it to the boys, mostly because we don’t want them to lose their focus,” said Brnardic. “Rankings are typically dominated by teams from the biggest clubs that play year-round soccer. So it’s a nice recognition of the quality of our play, but we are not worried about where we rank. We have always enjoyed playing the role of the underdog. Of course, that is less likely to happen now.”
“I also believe that Towamencin Soccer Club has provided us with a great opportunity for teaching kids how to play the beautiful game of soccer,” he adds. “The club has a number of amazing volunteers who promote the club, help teams get organized, and provide training and guidance.”
And now that the Dynamo team sits in the top rankings in the State, what’s next?
“Now comes the best part — tougher competition,” he smiles. “With the higher ranking, we should automatically be placed in the highest bracket of each tournament. “This past weekend, we competed against a nationally-ranked team from New Jersey, and while we lost that match, it was one of the greatest experiences the boys have had. They are looking forward to playing against more top-ranked teams — regardless of the outcome.” This story was submitted by Bill Sinn, TSC Marketing & Communication Director