Brandon Turner
Chelsea Piers Field House Brooklyn
Who or what inspired you to pursue coaching?
My inspiration started at home with my mom, dad, brother, and sister, along with teachers and coaches who believed in me long before I believed in myself. Through both basketball and soccer, I experienced firsthand how a coach can change the direction of someone’s life, not only by developing players, but by building confidence, belonging, purpose, and hope.
The game became more than a competition for me. Soccer became a universal language that connected people from different backgrounds, cultures, and communities. It taught me resilience through adversity, discipline through failure, and joy through shared experiences.
Coaching allows me to give that same feeling back to others. Every session is an opportunity to impact a child, support a family, strengthen a community, and remind players that they matter far beyond the scoreboard. My purpose is to help create environments where people feel seen, valued, encouraged, and inspired through the game at every stage of life while helping bring joy, accessibility, and connection back into sports.
How has being a United Soccer Coaches member benefited you?
Being part of United Soccer Coaches has connected me to a global community of educators, leaders, and mentors who share the belief that the game can positively impact lives.
The organization has provided meaningful education, resources, relationships, and opportunities that have helped shape not only my coaching philosophy, but also my understanding of the human side of player development. It has reinforced the importance of building environments centered around empathy, mental health awareness, inclusion, creativity, and lifelong learning.
The connections and conversations through the coaching community continue to inspire me to think bigger about how we can collectively make the game healthier, more accessible, and more joyful for future generations across all levels of play.
What do you feel has been the hardest part of coaching?
One of the hardest parts of coaching is understanding that every player carries a different story, struggle, dream, and responsibility beyond the field. Players are not robots; they are human beings navigating school, family, pressure, confidence, identity, mental health, injury, recovery, and life itself.
I believe mental health must be at the top of our agenda in player development. Before players can fully perform, they need to feel safe, supported, heard, and valued as people. The modern game asks a lot of athletes physically, emotionally, and socially, and coaches have a responsibility to create environments where players can speak openly, grow confidently, and receive support during difficult moments.
Injury especially can become one of the loneliest experiences for athletes. During recovery, players often need emotional support, patience, encouragement, and human connection just as much as physical rehabilitation. That is why I believe in incorporating practices like yoga, breathing work, mindfulness, mobility, and recovery education into development environments. These tools help players reconnect mentally and physically while creating healthier long-term relationships with the game.
Coaching is about continuing to uplift and guide players through every phase of their journey — whether they are thriving, struggling, recovering, or rediscovering themselves. The goal should always be to create healthier, more affordable, and more compassionate pathways where players can continue loving the game for life.
How do you measure success with your team?
Success goes far beyond wins and losses for me. Success is measured by the relationships built, the confidence developed, and the sense of belonging players carry with them long after the session ends.
It is seeing players smile when they arrive because they feel safe, supported, and excited to learn. It is watching players encourage one another through adversity, celebrate growth, and continue participating in the game at every age and level.
I also measure success by the emotional well-being of the players. If players leave an environment with stronger confidence, healthier habits, positive memories, and a lasting love for the game; even through challenges or injury; then we are doing something meaningful.
The greatest feeling is when former players reconnect years later and speak about how the environment, lessons, and relationships positively impacted their lives beyond soccer. If the game helped shape better people, stronger communities, and healthier lives while bringing joy back into sports, then that is true success.
If applicable, what has been your favorite United Soccer Coaches education course and why?
The Director of Coaching Course has been especially impactful because it challenged me to think beyond tactics and sessions and focus more deeply on leadership, culture, communication, mentorship, mental health awareness, and long-term player development.
The course reinforced that coaching is not only about developing better athletes; it is about developing better people and creating environments where players, families, and coaches can grow together in healthy and sustainable ways. It emphasized empathy, accountability, education, and care for the complete human experience within the game while helping coaches think about how we can restore joy, accessibility, and lifelong connection to soccer for all communities.