Announced by Brooklyn College Director of Athletics, Erik Smiles, Nathan Bell has been appointed new Head Coach of the BC Men’s Soccer program. Bringing a wealth of coaching and training experience to Brooklyn, Bell will takeover at the helm of a program that finished with a 4-2-1 conference record last season and made an appearance in the CUNYAC Championship semifinals.
“Nate has had experience coaching at the Division I, II and III levels and played major roles in rebuilding all these programs through his recruiting network and on the field skill in player development and X and O’s,” Smiles would comment. “That combination really sold me as a coach who can take this program to the next level with the goal of winning a conference championship.”
No stranger to the collegiate game, Bell last served as a top-assistant at Division I Long Island University from 2014-2017 where the team achieved immediate success upon his arrival. In 2014, the team qualified for the NEC Tournament for the first time in a decade. The 2015 squad made an even bigger leap by winning the regular season title with an undefeated conference record, with the Blackbirds only the third team to do so in the NEC’s 30-year history. That same team would go on to play in the NCAA Tournament and was narrowly defeated in penalty kicks by Rutgers University. By 2016, the program had become a perennial power, winning 10+ matches for the second straight season, defeating a nationally-ranked team, and boasting the third highest scoring offense in the nation. In his final season at LIU-Brooklyn, the team advanced to the NEC Championship Tournament final.
“I am honored and thrilled to represent Brooklyn College as the new Head Men’s Soccer Coach,” Bell commented. “I appreciate the trust AD Smiles and the rest of the Athletics Staff, and I am excited about working every day to develop Brooklyn College Men’s Soccer into not only a perennial power in the CUNY, but also a force in the region and country.”
Very active on the recruiting season, Bell helped recruit and mentor, two NEC Players of the Year, a Defender of the Year, 13 First Team All-NEC players, six Second Team performers, a pair of Rookies of the Year, and ten NEC All-Rookie Team selections.
Prior to his time at LIU-Brooklyn, Bell had his first experience as Head Coach in the CUNYAC at John Jay while also coaching the youth academy of the New York Red Bulls. Bell has also been an assistant coach for the Division II Dominican University women’s team and an assistant coach at Tomkins Cortland Community College.
Earning a master’s degree Sport Psychology, Bell taught graduate level courses in the concentration at LIU-Brooklyn. He is the founder and current President of Brooklyn United Academy, which is the borough’s largest and highest level youth soccer club.
