Barons Head Coach Called up to MLS
June 10, 2002 - USL Second Division (USL-2)
South Jersey Barons News Release
The South Jersey Barons have announced that they have entered into an arrangement to allow Technical Director and Barons Head Coach Matt Driver to take the position of assistant coach for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.
Upon the appointment of Steve Nicol as the interim Head Coach of the MLS New England Revolution, the Barons were contacting regarding the availability of Matt Driver to assist in the first team coaching duties as assistant to Steve Nicol and have encouraged the move.
"Matt's dedication to the sport and to the Barons and his hard work developing his coaching abilities has paid off and Matt Deserves the opportunity to work with New England" stated Club President Cliff Simmons."
"We have developed a solid and deep organization over the last seven years that will allow Matt to pursue this opportunity while still maintaining a careful watch over the day-to-day operations of the Barons. The groundwork has been laid for another successful summer for the D3 (men), W-League (women) and Y-League (boys and girls) along with various camp and training programs and Matt will be able to oversee those activities while assisting in New England" Simmons commented, "and the growing youth club is managed on a day to day basis by several volunteers and the Director of Youth Services, Dan Christian, therefore we do not expect anything to miss a beat."
This opportunity came as the South Jersey Barons/Banshees Youth Academy completed one of its most successful weekends ever capturing 4 tournament championships, 1 runner up finish and 3 semi finalist appearances out of 9 youth teams competing over Memorial Day Weekend.
"This has been a memorable weekend for our organization and myself" Driver commented "and I look forward to many more. The Barons have always supported both the players and coaches in furthering his abilities and this is another example, to have the opportunity to work within the MLS is a great opportunity for me as a coach but also for the organization as it will further its national recognition."
Driver stated that he plans to help Steve Nicol and the New England Revolution in any way he can, focusing his duties on coaching and preparation of the first team but insists that his work with the Barons is not complete and has every intention of continuing that work for the foreseeable future.
"As the people who know this club know, Cliff and I had a vision to help develop soccer to another level inn South Jersey and to put all South Jersey Players further up the food chain. We have got that momentum going and we will not stop. We have the backing of many community and business leaders and are on the verge of breaking ground on a facility that will help us accomplish our goals. I plan on being here to see this through and hopefully involvement with an elite organization like New England will assist in the process."
New England Revolution has struggled so far this season and Steve Nicol was appointed as interim replacement for Fernado Clavijo. Steve Nicol has a long and accomplished career as a player for both Liverpool, England and the Scottish national team before moving on to coach in the A-League for the Boston Bulldogs. Nicol feels that Driver will provide the assistance he needs to pull the Revolution up in the MLS standings. In the interim, assistant coaches Sam Maira and Jim Harvey will fill the coaching duties for the Barons D3 team while everything else in the organization continues as usual. Driver will be in contact on a daily basis with the organization and will spend time at the Barons Atco office on a weekly basis.
Simmons stated, "We are all very excited and wish Matt the best as we know any success he has will only enhance what we are trying to do here in South Jersey. Any time you can create a relationship with another level in the sport you do it."
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USL Second Division Stories from June 10, 2002
- Barons Head Coach Called up to MLS - South Jersey Barons
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