How new USC soccer coach Tony Annan plans to build on Mark Berson’s foundation
Shane Beamer isn’t the only coach hoping to reinvigorate football at South Carolina.
New USC men’s soccer coach Tony Annan made a similar promise in his introductory news conference Tuesday, vowing to bring “an exciting brand of football” to Columbia. Originally from Newcastle, England, Annan can’t help calling the sport of soccer what the rest of the world calls it.
But don’t let his English accent fool you.
“I’ll start by saying I’m American,” Annan said Tuesday. “I’ve been here nearly 26 years, so I’ve lived here longer than I lived in the U.K.”
After playing professionally for English club West Bromwich Albion in 1991, Annan (pronounced Ann-in) moved stateside and played college soccer at Life University in Marietta, Georgia. In the years since, he’s established himself as a soccer force in the state of Georgia, most recently working for Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United franchise.
Hired last week, Annan is South Carolina’s choice to replace the retired Mark Berson — the coach who founded the Gamecocks men’s soccer program 43 years ago. Though not easy to replace the only coach in a team’s history, Annan has already received a blessing from the man himself, with Berson calling Annan after the hire was announced.
Annan plans to honor the foundation Berson created at USC, while adding a jolt of excitement with his own unique, aggressive style.
“Mark’s been a very big influence in my career over the years,” Annan said. “I’ve known him a long time. It was nice to be endorsed by him and get the congratulatory call from him. The first day I stepped foot on the campus at Carolina, I felt the energy. And the support at the university was something that I hadn’t felt for a very long time in all aspects of football which I’ve been in. And that was probably part one (of why I came to USC).
“And part two is the potential for the program to be great, the potential to win, the opportunity to build something on top of the tradition that’s already been put there by coach Berson, the tradition that I would like to continue but obviously take in a new direction.”
In much the same way that Berson built the USC program from scratch, Annan has been instrumental in the growth of youth soccer in Georgia. In his 25 years of coaching, he’s directed both Concorde Fire and Norcross Soccer — two youth programs that included thousands of players.
He was the fifth employee hired by Atlanta United when the franchise launched in 2015, helping build Atlanta United’s development academy and serving as its director. Players in the academy are developed from a young age to either join the pro ranks or earn college scholarships. In Annan’s tenure as director, 10 players signed professional deals and more than 80 have earned college scholarships.
Annan said he and Berson first connected more than a decade ago, when several of Annan’s Georgia-based players chose to play soccer for the Gamecocks. Annan said he intends to “redirect that pipeline” back to the USC men’s team, which has just one Georgia native on its current roster. The new coach plans to leverage his MLS connections and his wide network both in America and overseas.
“I don’t think from a recruitment standpoint I’m any worse off than anybody else,” Annan said. “In fact, I feel like I’m in a better position with my network, especially in the States.
“But I also want as many South Carolina players on the team as I can get, because I believe in that. Just like we did in Atlanta, the heartbeat of your team is guys who understand where you’re from.”
With the Gamecocks coming off an 8-7-1 season in 2020-21, Annan said his first step is building a culture that “develops players and develops humans” and emphasizes discipline and accountability. He knows there’s work to do in catching up to in-state rival Clemson, which enters the 2021 NCAA men’s soccer tournament as the No. 1 seed. But he’s up to the challenge.
“I have a very close relationship with a lot of the guys at that other school, but they are now ‘the other school,’ ” Annan said. “They are now my rival, and I am a competitor, and I’m an intense competitor, and I don’t intend them to sit on top of the hill for long.”
