A captain on the pitch is like a general on the battlefield.
Carter Poe should know all about that leadership position, serving as a team captain for both Duquesne University and AFC Cleveland.
The midfielder played in 79 games and made 52 starts over his career with the Dukes, while leading the Royals to a Great Lakes Conference Championship last year.
Now that his collegiate playing career is over, Poe has turned to the next logical step in his journey in the beautiful game, coaching.
The Chesterland, Ohio native had loads of coaching experience that led to his recent hiring as an assistant men’s soccer coach at the University of Mount Union, a D-III program that is on the rise in the always competitive OAC Conference.
Poe trained players at Force Indoor Sports, ran summer programs for Solon HS, worked camps in the offseason, and served in the Cleveland Soccer Academy system. He also worked in AFC Cleveland’s youth development program, providing free camps and clinics to youth players from across NE Ohio.
But being a captain did more than anything else to help prepare him for his first collegiate coaching job.
“I think being a captain really grooms you for the coaching world because it puts you in a leadership position,” Poe stated. “As a result, you get experience serving others and setting the tone for the rest of the team, which is a large part of what a coach does.”
But that doesn’t mean that the transition from player to coach is going to be simple. Poe is literally months removed from his time as a collegiate player, but he is wise enough to know that his new position will have its own challenges.
“I think being on the coaching side of things is definitely eye-opening. I think a lot of the time players think they know what coaching is like and how to coach just because they played, but that is in fact not the case. But for me the transition into coaching has been a bit more natural because I studied education in school, and a coach is simply a teacher who teaches a sport. That being said, there is still a lot for me to learn, and I’m excited about that.”
He has had good mentors to learn from, including AFC Cleveland head coach Andy Hoggarth and assistant Aaron McGuiness as well as his new boss, MU head coach Nick Stirrett. All three have experience at the D-III level with Hoggarth and Stirrett spending additional time as D-I coaches recently.
“Having spent two seasons working with Carter at AFC Cleveland, I feel that it was always going to be a natural progression for Carter to enter into the world of coaching,” Hoggarth added. “Every interaction that I have had with Carter has been positive and he has always demonstrated both his knowledge and love for the game. Any program that can add Carter to it is going to benefit and I believe we will see that both at Mount Union during the college season and in the NPSL next year as Carter becomes part of our coaching staff.”
But his influences don’t stop there, but rather they go back to his family.
“I think the biggest influences on my career as a player and a coach are my parents. They have always been the ones to encourage me and believe in me even when I didn’t believe in myself and they have shown me what true leadership looks like.”
Poe has always had the makings of a great coach. I observed this myself covering AFC Cleveland matches and events this summer. Poe was truly a natural on the pitch; his leadership and strength always shined through on and off the field. Young players always gravitated to him; he was always accommodating when it came to signing autographs, running sessions at summer camps, or just chatting with fans.
He was quality as a player and there is no reason to expect anything different as he continues his career in the coaching realm.
But what truly makes a great coach? Poe certainly has an idea of what he wants to become.
“First and foremost, I think a great coach needs to be loving and servant-like towards his players. I think often times many coaches can ‘motivate’ players through fear and threats. However, for a player to truly perform to the highest of his ability, I strongly believe that they need to feel loved. And the way that a coach makes a player feel loved is by encouraging them, supporting them, doing everything they can to develop the players personally and athletically and by setting high expectations that continually push the players to better themselves. Now players pick up on this. They can tell when a coach is authentic, hard-working, and caring, even if at times they do not agree with his decisions. And when players see this, they are willing to do anything for their coach.”
Having a strong philosophy is also key for a coach, particularly a new one.
“I like teams that are sharp on the ball and are good technically, but that also defend fiercely and aggressively. Personally I like possession-based soccer, but I believe defensive organization and pressure is equally important.”
It will be exciting how Poe and the Mount Union Purple Raiders do this season. It certainly has the makings of something big indeed. And we aren’t the only ones that think that.
“Carter was a tremendous asset to the Duquesne family during his time here,” Duquesne head men’s soccer coach Chase Brooks concluded. “His work ethic and desire to be the best will translate well from the playing side of the game to the sidelines as a coach. We wish nothing but the best to Carter and Mount Union.”
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