Men’s soccer assistant coach Danny Jarosz attempts to have the team be connected with the city of Milwaukee as they are with Marquette .
“One of my goals is to make sure that we have a Milwaukee feel on our team,” Jarosz said. “You get a big investment from the guys who have grown up around Marquette and around the city of Milwaukee.”
Jarosz is no stranger to the men’s soccer program either. His playing career with the Golden Eagles was cut short after suffering a career-ending injury during his junior year in 2017.
This kick-started his coaching career as he stayed involved with the program his senior season as a student coach.
“Coach Bennett, Sean Hughes and Marcelo Santos at the time welcomed me into the coaching staff,” Jarosz said. “They knew that I was interested in doing this as a profession. I have learned a ton from him (Louis Bennet) over the last couple of years being his assistant coach and just how to operate a high level college soccer program. He’s always willing to share his ideas and is concerned with the development of his assistant coaches.”
Now in his third season as one of head coach Louis Bennett’s assistant coaches, Jarosz said he looks to recruit others from the Milwaukee area to play for Marquette.
“Alex Mirsberger is a big example of that kind of kid who’s kind come in and over five years here has really developed and reached his potential and given his all to it,” Jarosz said.
Mirsberger, a fifth-year defenseman from Brookfield, Wisconsin, said Jarosz is a coach that understands his players.
“Obviously both being from here we can connect in certain ways. We know a lot of the same people, we kind of grew up the same and we share a lot of similar interests, like cheering for Wisconsin teams. I’m kind of falling in the same route as he did because he’s still in school. He’s getting his MBA,” Mirsberger said.
He said a main part of his coaching philosophy is to have a positive impact on his players’ lives.
“I’m a small part of their journey in their four years here, but my goal is to help them reach their potential,” Jarosz said. “So hopefully with my experiences and what I’ve been through at Marquette, I can help them along their path.”
Jarosz said coaching styles are changing from how players have been coached in the past.
“I am definitely of the newer age in terms of style of coaching. I think you look at the older coaches who yelled and screamed and had a clipboard and all that stuff, but I think my style is more relationship based,” Jarosz said.
In addition to helping his players reach their potential, Mirsberger said Jarosz also helps the team live in the moment.
“Danny always tells me to enjoy every moment because it goes by so quickly, to have fun with it and that these are the best times with the team. He obviously misses playing and he says just to enjoy every moment,” Mirsberger said.
He said his style of coaching begins off the field in building connections with both players and coaches.
“Getting to know the guys is so important to see how they want to be coached and what they need to improve upon,” Jarosz said.
Mirsberger said Jarosz plays an important part of the team in multiple ways and is great at helping prepare the team for the upcoming game.
“He’s the person in charge of scouting and we always have great information on the other teams that he organizes,” Mirsberger said. “He also does a lot of administrative stuff for us. He’s always reminding us to get stuff done.”
Jarosz said he tries to create a productive environment for the players regardless of the outcome of the games.
“It is important that the guys bring that same energy and enthusiasm each and every day, regardless of what’s happened, the last week or the last month,” Jarosz said.
Jarosz’s coaching does not stop with the Golden Eagles. He is a staff coach for the Bavarian United Soccer Club out of Milwaukee, coaching U15 and U16 boys as well as the college-aged majors team that competes in the Midwest Premier League.
He said there is a difference in coaching different levels and ages of players.
“There’s still parts of the game where even at the college level, guys can improve upon their game. Higher levels or at the college level, it becomes a lot more detail-oriented,” Jarosz said. “Whereas in the younger ages you’re still kind of coaching the bigger ideas.”
Even with three years under his belt with the Golden Eagles, Jarosz said he is always looking to improve, and states he is only beginning his coaching career.
“Learning every day is something that I love to do and I know that I am nowhere near where I will be at the end of my career in terms of being a coach, ” Jarosz said. “The biggest thing that I’ve learned is probably how difficult it is to win college soccer games. You can have everything prepared well, you can play very well and at the end of the day, the ball just doesn’t bounce your way.”
This story was written by Catherine Fink, she can be reached at [email protected].
