Force FC Coaching Staff

 

Director of Player and Coach Development – Brendan Lawler   

brendan.lawler@manhattan.edu  

Girls 2007 (U17) Head Coach / Girls 2008 (U16) Head Coach

Girls 2009 (U15) Assistant Coach / Girls 2006-05 (U19) Ass Coach

  • Coach Brendan Lawler is in his 13 year as the Head Coach of the Manhattan College Women's Soccer Team (Division I) and has  rejuvenated the Jaspers' program through strong local recruiting in the tri-state area and is the winningest coach in school history.  

  • Coach Lawler has led the Jaspers to two MAAC Championship game appearances over the last five years and was the 2015 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Coach of The Year.

  • Coach Lawler brings 18 years of collegiate coaching experience to the turf, including previous collegiate coaching stints at Army West Point and Marist College.

  • Coach Lawler has been a member of the goalkeeping coaching staff for the United States Soccer Federation Region I Olympic Development Program since 2007. Working within the Town of Wallkill Soccer Club in Middletown, NY for five years, Lawler was the head coach of the girl's under-18 Red Devils premier team. Since 2005, Lawler also served as a girls Olympic Development Program head coach within Eastern New York Youth Soccer.

  • At the high school level, Coach Lawler was the head girls varsity coach at Pine Bush from 2003-2005, leading the program to the school's first-ever Section IX Championship in his last season.

  • Coach Lawler played Division I soccer and graduated cum laude from Saint Peter's, earning a degree in political science with minors in secondary education and history in 2002.

  • Coach Lawler holds a United States Soccer Federation A License and a NSCAA Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma with distinguished pass and serves as a coach for the organization's Goalkeeping Academy.

  • Coach Lawler is charged with technical oversight of all teams and coaches within the club and has worked closely with the club to create a Player Development Curriculum.  Coach Lawler also currently coaches our Force FC girls U15s and U16s as well as running the clubs functional training for the U14 and up players.  

Additional Coaches & Trainers within Force FC:

Michael Eckberg 

eckbergm@newpaltz.edu  Girls 2006 & 2009 Head Coach

  • This year Coach Mike begins his sixth season at the helm of the SUNY New Paltz Women's Soccer program.  (Division III)  Prior to being named the head coach at SUNY New Paltz, Coach Mike served as an assistant coach at Division I Towson University and prior to that was an assistant at Penn State where the Nittany Lions reached the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament.  While at Southwest Minnesota University in 2013, Coach Mike served as the recruiting coordinator for their program.
  • In addition to Coach Mike's collegiate experience he brings with him years of club experience.  In the past Coach Mike worked with the Minnesota Olympic Development Program as well as the Syracuse Development Academy (SDA), not to mention the countless number of youth camps and smaller organizations throughout the years before coming on board with Force FC.  
  • Coach Mike holds a USSF B License, a NSCAA National License and a NSCAA Goalkeeping Level III diploma.
  • Coach Mike currently coaches our Force FC girls U15 and U19  girls teams, while assisting with teams throughout the club.   Coach Mike is an invaluable resource when it comes to assisting our players with the college recruitment process.  Being immersed in the college coaching space for years, Coach Mike brings vast knowledge and resources to the table to help our players find the college that fits them best - both athletically and academically.  


Michael Morgante   

mam@ardenconsulting.net  

  • NSCAA Advanced National License
  • USSF National Youth License
  • USSF E License
  • Former D1 player. 
  • Coach Morgante was the head coach and then manager/asst. coach of the Force FC G2004 NL team since the team started at U7.  With Coach Morgante's vast coaching experience, he now serves the club helping out with teams as needed. 

John Duffell 

 jduffell@gmail.com:  Girls 2006 (U18) Assistant Coach

Girls 2009 (U15) Assistant Coach

  • Coach John has been coaching in the club for close to 15 years, starting when the first Force team (Force 1999) first started as U7 players.  Coach John is credited with the great success to the 1999 Force team and the fact that a majority of the girls went on to continue their athletics at the collegiate level.  Coach John coached the Force FC girls 2002 team since U9 and saw that group have overwhelming success, again sending over 65% of the squad into the collegiate soccer ranks with girls playing in the Division I, II and III levels.  Coach John currently coaches our Force FC girls 2006 team and girls 2009 team.  

  • USSF C License

  • Former D1 player

Jay Key 

jkmckey@yahoo.com   Girls 2007 (U17) Assistant Coach

Girls 2012 (U12) Head Coach

Girls 2011 (U13) Head Coach

 

  • Coach Jay has been coaching in the club since 2012 and is currently an assistant coach for the Force FC G2007 NL team.   Coach Jay is the current head coach for the Force FC girls 2012 and girls 2011 teams.  

  • NSCAA National License

  • USSF E License

  • Former D1 player 

Kevin McGee 

kmcgee5830@gmail.com:  Boys 2008 NYCSL (U16) Head Coach, Boys 2015 (U9) Head Coach

  • Coach Kevin has been coaching in the club since 2012 and is the current head coach for the Force FC boys 2008 NYCSL team and the head coach of the Boys 2015 (U9) team..

  • USSF D License

  • USSF E License

  • Former D1 player

Liz Cassesse

  lizzib124@gmail.com  

  • USSF C License
  • Former D1 player  

Elise Fugowski:

  • NSCAA National License
  • Former D1 player
  • Former Coach/trainer for the Force FC G2007 NL team. 

Ivan Dam

ivandam98@yahoo.com:   Girls 2013 Head Coach

Boys 2014 Head Coach   /  Boys 2012 Head Coach

  • Coach Ivan has been coaching in the club since 2020 and is currently the head coach for the Force FC girls 2013 team, boys 2012 team and boys 2014 team.  
  • Coach Ivan has earned his  USSF class D license
  • Coach Ivan has over 6 years of coaching experience, working in several college ID camps (DI-DIII levels) as well has numerous youth soccer camps.  
  • Coach Ivan's teams have enjoyed great success on the field while prioritizing the development of the individual player.  
  • Coach Ivan played at the collegiate level with Saint Thomas Aquinas College (DII) and then SUNY Cortland (DIII).   While at SUNY Cortland Coach Ivan helped the team to become ranked top 5 in the nation and reaching the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament.  Coach Ivan was named to the SUNYAC All-Conference team and All-Tournament team in 2019.  

 

Jillian Villani

soccermom1905@yahoo.com   Girls 2010 Head Coach

  • Coach Jillian has been coaching youth soccer for over 5 years with the OCSC and has a vast amount of past playing experience.  Coach Jillian has obtained her USSF class D license.
  • Coach Jillian played collegiate soccer at Milligan University in Tennessee.  Named the team captain in her senior year and scored over seventy-five goals in her career at Milligan.  Coach Jillian was a 3 time All Conference player and 2 time 2nd team All American.   Coach Jillian continues to play regularly with a local women's team but now focuses her efforts on developing and training young players.  .
  • Coach Jillian is currently the head coach for our girls Force FC 2010 team. 

Monica D'Ippolito

monicadippolito@yahoo.com  Girls 2010 Assistant Coach

  • Coach Monica has 4 year experience in coaching youth players, she started coaching by being the assistant coach of the Orange County Thunder girls team for the past four seasons, serving as the team's goalie coach.   
  • Coach Monica has a vast amount of playing experience as she played three seasons at Division III Plattsburgh State, serving as their starting keeper during her sophomore and junior seasons.  Coach Monica still stays active in the sport, playing weekly for a local women's league out of New Windsor, NY while also competing in numerous co-ed tournaments throughout the winter.
  • Coach Monica is currently an assistant coach for our girls Force FC 2010 team. 

 

Chrissy Cannella

Chrissycannella17@gmail.com  Girls 2010 Assistant Coach

  • Coach Chrissy is a young and upcoming coach with a vast amount of playing experience at the highest levels.  Coach Chrissy played collegiate soccer at Marist (DI) in 2017 and then transferred to Mount Saint Mary College (DIII) in 2018.  While at Mount Saint Mary Chrissy was named 1st team All-Skyline Conference player, Second Team United Soccer Coaches All-East Region, Second Team All-ECAC, and Two Time Skyline Conference Player of the Week. Chrissy finished her college career tallying 22 goals and 5 assists.
  • As a youth player Coach Chrissy was a member of ENYSSA State Olympic Development Program from U12-U17 and selected as a Region 1 player participating in domestic and international competition. As a U13 Regional player, Chrissy was selected as a US Soccer National Team pool player.
  • Coach Chrissy is currently an assistant coach for our girls Force FC 2010 team.

Samantha Trimblett

strimblett@gmail.com - Girls 2014 (U9) Head Coach

  • Coach Sam is another young and upcoming coach with a vast amount of playing experience as well as having coached locally prior to joining Force FC in 2022.  Coach Sam played collegiate soccer at The Sage Colleges (DIII) where she starred for four seasons and  was named a Co-Female Athlete of the Year, and earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors, Empire 8 First-Team All-Star recognition, and was a two-time Google Cloud Academic All-District honoree.  Coach Sam had one of the best careers of any Gator in women’s soccer history, having guided the program to the postseason in three of four seasons. She finished her career with 24 assists, 114 points, ranking second all-time, with 45 goals, third best in program history. 
  • Coach Sam is a USSF C licensed coach as well as having earning her  T1 online TOVO certificate. Her prior coaching experience was at Fox Soccer Academy, where she was a head  coach of the 2008 and 2006 boys teams and as an assistant coach at Nirvana FC.
  • Coach Sam is currently the head coach of our Force FC girls 2014 team (U10) and girls 2015/16 team (U9)
  • Coach Sam also serves as an assistant coach for the SUNY New Paltz women's soccer program.

 

Joseph Nastu

josephnastu@gmail.com Assistant Coach for Boys 2010, Boys 2011 & Boys 2008 / Club skills/functional sessions trainer

  • Coach Joe is another young and upcoming coach with a vast amount of playing experience as well as having coached locally prior to joining Force FC in 2021.  Coach Joe was an integral  member of the boys Monroe Woodbury HS State Champion team in 2019 and upon graduating that year went on to play semi-professionally in Germany, Italy and England.  Coach Joe signed his first professional contract with New Amsterdam FC of New York, signing on with FC Voluntari (Romania) and Standard Liege (Belgium) afterwards.  . 
  • Coach Joe has completed the USSF grassroots courses and has obtained  his USSF class D license.
  • Coach Joe is currently the assistant coach of our Force FC boys 2008 team, 2011 team and 2010 team. 
  • Coach Joe is also an integral trainer for the club across the age groups, as he is a consistent trainer during our Force FC club skills nights as well as an assistant trainer during our Functional training sessions.

Michael Creswick

michaelcreswick28@gmail.com

  • Coach Mike joined the Force FC coaching staff in 2021  through the collaboration and partnership with the Orange County Soccer Club, where coach Mike was working with both OCSC teams and individual players.  Coach Mike hails from Burnley, England and has an extensive playing and coaching history.
  • Playing history-  coach Mike played for numerous professional academies while growing up in England and continued playing while studying Business Management and Sports Studies at DI University.  Coach Mike moved to the USA in 2015 and continued his playing career with the Kingston Stockade FC, becoming their all time top scorer before ending his semi-professional career in 2020 with 24 goals scored.  
  • Coach Mike has coached in the youth ranks since his time overseas while in East Africa, Australia and England.   Coach Mike has been involved coaching with the OCSC since 2016 and started his own training company - MC Elite Soccer Coaching in 2020, where he works with individual and small group training.  
  • Coach Mike works within Force FC as a valued trainer for the club across the age groups, as he is a consistent trainer during our Force FC club skills nights as well as an assistant trainer during our Functional training sessions for our older players.  

All coaches and trainers in the club have a USSF or NSCAA License or are in the process of obtaining them.

  • The club sponsors coaching education and offers reimbursement of licensing fees after successful completion of the respective course. Coaching license status is monitored within the club and each coach is encouraged to obtain the highest license possible.
  • Led by our DOC, Force FC schedules regular meetings for coaches that consist of classroom and field sessions to assess technical topics and the success of current training sessions, methodologies, and plans. Since the DOC is an A Licensed USSF Instructor, we have established yearly license opportunities in our community for our coaches as well as coaches from the surrounding area.
  • We have also established a coaching mentoring program allowing young staff the opportunity to observe and learn from senior staff within the training and competition environment. All outside trainers are vetted and approved by the DOC and the Travel Education & Trainer Recruitment position.