At this time 20 years ago, Brian Maisonneuve was in the midst of a World Cup run with the United States National Team.
A 25-year-old midfielder at the time, Maisonneuve reached the peak of the sport. Not only did he make the United States Men's National Team roster, he appeared in all three of the team's 1998 World Cup matches, starting in two of them.
20 years later, Maisonneuve now begins a new challenge. The longtime player and assistant is now tasked with leading a team of his own as he takes over as the head coach of the Ohio State men's soccer team.
Maisonneuve comes to Columbus through Indiana University, where he played during his college years and served as an assistant up until last season, helping lead Indiana to the 2012 NCAA title and a runner-up finish in 2017, as well as the 2010 Big Ten regular season title and the 2013 Big Ten Tournament championship.
He may be a Hoosier, but he certainly is not without his Columbus ties.
Maisonneuve was a founding member of the Columbus Crew and played for the Club for nine seasons between 1996 and 2004. He views his move to Ohio State not just as a new opportunity, but as a sort of homecoming.
"The city of Columbus has always been really special to my wife and I,” Maisonneuve said during his introductory press conference back in May. “When we left, I can remember my wife saying, ‘If we ever have the chance to get back to the city of Columbus, let’s do it.’”
That opportunity arose with the retirement of longtime Buckeye head coach John Bluem, and Maisonneuve jumped at it.
With his first-ever head coaching job, Maisonneuve is now tasked with mending a Buckeye team that's suffered back-to-back losing seasons. With the way those seasons have gone, the key emphasis for Maisonneuve will likely be on the offensive end, as Ohio State has struggled to find the back of the net of late.
The Buckeyes were shut out in eight games last season – more than twice as many times as they scored multiple goals – and managed just three goals in their final 10 games, getting outscored by a total of 19 over that span.
Maisonneuve hopes to bring strong, attacking soccer back to Columbus by emphasizing versatility and adaptivity as well as tactical aggressiveness.
“The key word for me would be effective soccer,” Maisonneuve said. “If we can out-possess teams, we’ll do it. If we’re not possessing on the day and we need to get some wide service in, we’ll do it. If they’re holding a high line and we need to find some space in behind, we’ll do it. Whatever is on, I’d like to say my players tactically will be able to figure it out, so it’ll be tough to stop offensively."
Unfortunately, most of that work will have to wait until the players arrive back on campus in the fall. Due to NCAA rules, Maisonneuve can only have limited interactions with his new players and can't work with them or see them on the field in until August.
“A lot of the relationships will be built on the phone and in whatever contact I’m allowed to have with them, but it will be limited,” Maisonneuve said. “It’s not easy because you want to get at it. Any time a new coach takes over they’re ready to go — and believe me I am ready to go. I was just talking to the group, I was ready to get on the field and get training.”
It's not an ideal situation for a first-year head coach, but Maisonneuve is excited nonetheless. He's optimistic not only that he'll have a competitive team this season, but that the future Ohio State men's soccer program is strong, and that the Buckeyes will be a soccer power for years to come.
“I’m really looking forward to continuing to build on the success that he had here and take this program to new levels,” Maisonneuve said. “I think with the resources here in Columbus with this athletic department, I think the sky’s the limit for this program.”
