Top Pick: Murphy

FC Buffalo is extremely proud to announce the hiring of the third head coach in club history, Brendan Murphy, a choice we believe will have us contending for and winning championships well into the future.

A Western New York native who starred at Williamsville North High School, Murphy has been a highly sought-after coach at some of the premier institutions in Western New York after backstopping an unbeaten, undrawn NCAA champion in 1999 as a goalkeeper at St. Lawrence University.

“I have a passion for this game, a love for this city and I believe in the vision that this club has set forth,” said Murphy, who lives in Amherst with his wife Jessica and children Nora (1) and newborn Lincoln. “I have been following the progress of FC Buffalo closely for the last three years and I think this group of owners has been doing an outstanding job. I have seen incredible growth in the organization as well as the die-hard fan base they have helped to cultivate. Both Coach Hesch and Coach K were instrumental in building a solid foundation for this club and putting a great product out on the field for the fans to get behind every game. I see tremendous potential in this club to continue to grow and become a marquee soccer franchise centered in the City of Buffalo. I am fully committed to doing everything in my power to help push this club forward in every way.”

“In speaking with Brendan, it was clear that his work ethic and passion for both the game and City of Buffalo mirror our desired identity of this club,” said general manager Nick Mendola. “Once we spoke with others who have worked with him, we had zero question that he’s the man to lead our club to the next level with a style of soccer representative of our city and supporters.”

The new head coach expresses belief that all the ingredients are available to build a championship-contending team in short order.

“Winning takes toughness, talent, chemistry, and belief,” Murphy said. “My first and most difficult priority is to make sure those four pillars are in place.  We will value possession of the soccer ball.  We will defend to the death.  We will attack at pace.  And players will have the freedom to express themselves creatively with the ball in the right places on the field.”

During a high-rising coaching career, Murphy earned his United States Soccer Federation “A” license and worked as an assistant at the University at Buffalo, Niagara University and Buffalo State College under John Astudillo, Dermot  McGrane, Dave Hesch and Rudy Pompert. He’s been the director of coaching at Orchard Park Soccer Club and the Amherst Soccer Association in addition to working with TOPSoccer for children with disabilities and even fit in two years teaching English literature at the Park School.

“I grew up in Buffalo, I have been a Bills fan and a Sabres fan my entire life and I know that the fans are very loyal here in Buffalo,” Murphy said. “If you put your heart into what you do, they see that and they will come out in droves to support that. If you can get some wins under your belt, they will support you even more.  I plan on giving them everything I have every day I come to work and I believe the product on the field will reflect my passion.  I see a team that is on the brink of doing something special.  I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of that.  I can not wait for that first home game to be able to walk out of the tunnel with this team in front of these fans and go to battle.  We have a lot of work to do to get to that point, but I am excited about the journey and anxious to get started.”

Murphy boasts a splendid playing record that includes 41-1-0 career record at St. Lawrence and stints with the USL’s Cincinnati Riverhawks and PDL’s Kalamazoo Kingdom. Murphy also trained in England’s First Division with Millwall FC and Brentford FC.

“We will take care of the little things and we will buy into a team philosophy,” Murphy said. “I want players who will be committed to this club for the entirety of the season and who want to get better every day.  I want players who see the success of FC Buffalo as their own success.  I believe that a summer spent playing for FC Buffalo should be an experience that the players will never forget. I want to make sure they feel they are taken care of, as I know the owners and the fans do very well, and I want them to know that this will be a high level training environment for the duration of the season.  Our goal is to compete at the highest level possible and in order to do that, we need the right mentality and the right mix of players.  There is already a great core of players who have played for FC Buffalo over the last couple of years.  I am looking forward to working with them as well as adding as much talent around them as possible.”

“FC Buffalo remains as committed to winning as ever before and while we spoke to numerous qualified and solid candidates, Brendan is the unquestionably the coach to move this club forward,” Mendola said. “We are thankful for the contributions of previous coaching staffs and players. Now is the time to move forward. ‘Onward and upwards,’ as one of our players was always fond of saying.”

Interested players should contact Brendan at the address wolf@fcbuffalo.org with any questions. Try-out dates will be announced in short order. Any coaches interested in assisting the operation can also contact that email address.