MIAMI (Feb. 21, 2020) – Kyle Russell has been named FIU’s new men’s soccer head coach, as announced Friday by Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment Pete Garcia. Russell becomes the eighth head coach in program history.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Kyle Russell as our new men’s soccer head coach,” Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment Pete Garcia said. “Russell will continue to grow our winning culture and great soccer tradition at FIU and lead our men’s soccer program to new heights in the future.”
Russell, who has spent the past 10 seasons as a member of the Coastal Carolina men’s soccer program, lands in Miami after serving as associate head coach of the Chanticleers from 2015-19.
“I am extremely excited to begin this new journey with FIU,” Russell said. “I want to thank Pete Garcia and Senior Associate Athletic Director Julie Berg for affording me the opportunity to coach this tremendous program. I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting with the great young men on this team and I can’t wait get started.”
During Russell’s 10-year stint with CCU, the Chanticleers posted a 147-66-27 overall record to go along with a 63-11-8 mark in conference play. Under Russell’s guidance, the Chants secured a total of 12 championship titles, including four Big South regular-season titles (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013), three Big South Tournament titles (2010, 2013, 2014), three Sun Belt Tournament titles (2016, 2017, 2019) and two Sun Belt regular-season titles (2016, 2017). Along the way, Russell helped guide the Chanticleers to nine NCAA Tournament appearances including eight-straight trips from 2010-2017, and most recently a Second Round appearance in the 2019 tourney.
Russell’s responsibilities on the CCU staff included acting as the primary recruiting coordinator, scouting prospective student-athletes, game-day preparation, video analysis, and the coordination of the Chanticleers’ defensive unit. Russell was highly involved in the recruitment of eventual All-Americans Ashton Bennett (2011, 2012), Pedro Ribeiro (2011, 2013) and Shawn McLaws (2014) — the latter of who became the first All-American selection by a Chanticleer defender since Guy Norcott in 1992. Additionally, Russell recruited NSCAA All-Region performers Justin Portillo, Uchenna Uzo, Ricky Garbanzo, Matt Risher and Ridge Robinson.
During his five-year tenure as associate head coach, Russell helped lead the Chanticleers to a 59-35-18 record while posting an 18-7-3 record in league play. During that span, Russell helped guide the Chanticleers to five NCAA Tournament victories in four different appearances, while also winning five Sun Belt trophies. In 2015, Russell helped the Chanticleers earn their highest-ever national ranking in program history as they were slotted No. 4 by both College Soccer News (CSN) and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Russell became the first-ever to earn the title of associate head coach at CCU men’s soccer in 2015 after spending the 2010-14 seasons as an assistant coach on the Chanticleer’s staff.
In his first five seasons as an assistant coach, Russell helped guide the Chanticleers to six NCAA Tournament victories in five appearances while also winning seven Big South trophies. Additionally, Russell helped the Chants to a top-25 national ranking in four consecutive seasons from 2011-14, including a then-program-high ranking of No. 5 during the latter stages of the 2013 season. Under Russell, the Chanticleers co-led the NCAA with 85 wins from 2010-14 while dominating the Big South Conference and compiling a 40-4-2 conference record.
Russell’s defensive approach heavily impacted CCU, as Chanticleer squads ranked in the top 20 percent of the NCAA in goals-against-average and shutout percentage during each season from 2010-2014. The Chants produced 48 shutouts during that span, including 12 each in the 2012 and 2013 campaigns. Russell coached four-straight Big South Defensive Players of the Year from 2010-14, while seeing 12 Chanticleer defensive players earn All-Big South honors.
Russell began his coaching career as a student volunteer assistant coach on the Chanticleers staff during the 2009 campaign, in which he helped CCU earn a Big South regular-season title while posting a 9-2-7 overall record and an undefeated 5-0-3 mark in conference play.
Prior to joining the coaching ranks at CCU, Russell spent four seasons on the pitch as a member of the Chanticleer men’s soccer team from 2005-2008.
A four-year defender, Russell drew 74 starts in 78 appearances and currently ranks ninth all-time at CCU in games played while ranking eighth all-time in games started. Russell played an instrumental role in helping CCU secure one Big South regular-season championship (2007), one Big South Tournament championship (2005), and one trip to the NCAA Tournament (2005). He earned three All-Big South selections and was tabbed to the Big South All-Tournament team three times during his playing career.
Russell went on to participate in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Combine during the summer of 2009 and the United Soccer League (USL) combine in 2010. Upon graduation, Russell played professionally with the Charleston Battery, Real Maryland and Charlotte Eagles of the USL.
A native of South Elgin, Illinois, Russell graduated from Coastal Carolina in 2009 with a degree in business management and received his master’s of business administration in 2014. He and his wife Monica married in May of 2013 and have two sons, Cruz (3 years) and Ezra (1 month).
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