Gbandi named coach, replaces retired Reid
Chris Gbandi, who won the 2000 Hermann Trophy and led the UConn men’s soccer team to its third NCAA National Championship that season, will serve as UConn’s next head men’s soccer coach, director of athletics David Benedict announced in a press release on Friday.
Gbandi replaces his former coach, Ray Reid, who stepped down last month to spend more time with his parents. Gbandi becomes the ninth head coach in program history, and the third since 1969.
“I am so excited that Chris is coming home,” Reid said in a release. “Chris is an outstanding head coach, and an even better person who will serve as a tremendous leader and role model for our student- athletes. Winning is in his DNA, and we are extremely fortunate that he will be leading this program into the future. I cannot wait to watch his team play.
Gbandi has spent the past six years as head men’s soccer coach at Northeastern, where he led the team to to an 11-6-2 record this past season. Prior to his time at Northeastern, Gbandi was the associate head coach at Dartmouth from 2014-16, an assistant coach at Holy Cross from 2012-14, and served on Reid’s staff at UConn from 2011-12. Those teams posted a 58-33-10 record during his tenure as an assistant coach.
“My family and I would like to thank David Benedict and the search committee for putting their trust in me to lead this legendary program,” Gbandi said. “This is certainly a dream come true for me to be given the opportunity to return to my alma mater and to build upon the legacy that my mentor Ray Reid has established. UConn soccer has a rich history of success, and my goal is to recruit and develop the best student-athletes at a world class institution that will ultimately bring another National Championship to Storrs.”
During his coaching career, Gbandi has helped lead his teams to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2011 appearance with UConn. Additionally, Gbandi has coached two NSCAA-All Americans, one NSCAA-All Atlantic Region Team player, and 10 All-Conference Team honorees.
“Chris Gbandi is one of the finest players in the history of our soccer program,” Benedict said in a release. “But that ability pales in comparison to his caliber as a person and leader of young men. Our men’s soccer program is rich in tradition, and a source of pride for our university community and the state of Connecticut. UConn soccer is equipped for success and Chris is the right man to lead us into a bright future.
“Chris has achieved everything as a player that the young men on our current team, as well as prospects we will recruit in the future, want to accomplish. His ability to relate and communicate what it takes to achieve these levels of success will provide him a unique ability to hold individuals accountable to a standard that will translate to team and individual success. ”
Gbandi was a key member of the UConn men’s soccer team from 1998-2001. A four-year letterman, Gbandi helped lead UConn to four straight Big East regular season titles, as well as the the 1999 Big East tournament title. He was named the 1998 Big East Rookie of the Year, a three-time Big East Defender of the Year, earned Big East First Team selections in each of his four season with three All-America selections. He was the Hermann trophy recipient as college soccer’s top male player in 2000 and a finalist for the honor in 1999 and 2001.
Gbandi was a highly decorated player. The first overall pick in the 2002 MLS super draft, he played eight years professionally for FC Dallas, Miami FC, and the FK Haugesund of the Norwegian Division. Gbandi also made an appearance for the Liberian National team in 2004 and was awarded FC Dallas Defender of the Year in 2006.