Men's Soccer: Johnson Joins Coaching Staff
March 08, 2010 04:25 PM | General
March 8, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University men’s soccer coach Marlon LeBlanc has announced the hiring of Brian “BJ” Johnson as an assistant coach today. Johnson spent the last five seasons with Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Real Salt Lake.
"I am very pleased to add Brian to my staff,” LeBlanc says. "In an indirect way, our recruiting class got even better today as far as I am concerned. Brian is a tremendous young coach, he is a proven winner, and he will certainly bring a culture of success to our program. He shares the same values and goals that we have set for our student-athletes and WVU soccer. Not only will he be a tremendous asset on the field, but even more importantly, he will be a great resource for our players off the field in all facet of the their lives.
"It is my goal to build WVU soccer into one the top programs in America. Certainly adding Brian is yet another step in that direction, and on behalf of the program, I am excited to welcome him, his wife, Ashley, and their children, Haley and Tate, to the Mountaineer family."
This past season, Real Salt Lake won the 2009 MLS Cup championship. Prior to reaching the league’s title match, the team won the Eastern Conference and the Carolina Challenge Cup, a preseason four team round-robin tournament. Additionally, Johnson assisted the team in capturing the Rocky Mountain Cup twice (2008 and 2009).
Joining Real Salt Lake as an assistant coach in January of 2005, Johnson was named the technical director and was placed in charge of the team’s youth academy. While there, he also was tabbed head coach of Real Salt Lake’s reserve team. Under his tutelage, Real Salt Lake’s Youth Academy won the 2008 SUM U-17 Cup. He also helped develop Danny Mwanga, a striker for the Real Salt Lake’s U-18 squad. Mwanga was the first overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.
Johnson’s responsibilities with the club consisted of scouting college and youth national team talent, match analysis, and he was the co-director for all functions involving team training, directing and scouting.
“I’m really excited to return to college soccer,” Johnson says. “The future of the program at WVU looks bright and the support it receives from the athletic department and University looks great.”
Before his time at Real Salt Lake, Johnson served as an assistant coach for two years at Ohio State (2003-04). While there, the Buckeyes reached the 2004 NCAA quarterfinals. He was a key component in recruiting, training, tactics and scouting. Johnson also oversaw the team’s academic monitoring, was in charge of team travel and helped run the youth soccer camps.
Prior to becoming a coach, Johnson spent time as a professional player from 1997-2002. For five seasons (1997-2001), he played for MLS’ Kansas City Wizards. As the seventh overall pick in the 1997 draft, he appeared in 67 career matches, starting 34. A defensive midfielder, he tallied a goal and eight assists with the Wizards and was part of the 2000 MLS Cup championship team. Johnson spent one season (2002) with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer Leagues.
A Livermore, Calif., native, Johnson was a soccer standout at Fresno State. Not only did he earn All-America honors in 1996, but Johnson also was a three-time all-Far West and all-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation selection. He garnered all-Western Athletic Conference honors in 1996.
Johnson earned a bachelor of arts degree in liberal studies from Excelsior College in 2004.
He and his wife, Ashley, have a daughter, Haley (9), and a son, Tate (4).
