MANHATTAN BEACH — He says he plans to become a pilot after his soccer career.
But Devon Charles is flying high now.
The fifth-year soccer coach Kingsborough Community College got off the runway with a perfect 5-0 start this season, following a campaign where the Wave won a school-record 10 matches and were City University of New York Athletic Conference runners-up and a semifinalist in Region XV.
“Our level of training makes us good,” said Charles, who played for the Trinidad and Tobago national team. “We train at a very high level and this creates competition with our players.”
That Charles ended up at Kingsborough Community College may be one of the greatest coups in their sports annals.
“My father was already here in the United States,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle, “And I wanted to play soccer here.”
The marriage has been nothing short of amazing.
After he finished four years of secondary school at Fatima College, he packed his soccer cleats for the school on Oriental Boulevard, and, as a player, he was a CUNYAC All-Star.
He has taken his knowledge of the game from player to coach. And Charles quickly admits he is not at all surprised at the success he has had with the Wave.
“These players have made sacrifices,” he said, “That is what must be done when you are a student-athlete; at any school. We sacrifice to accomplish our goals; and not just in practice.”
His roster is loaded with locals from the borough, with Brooklyn Tech grad – and sophomore – Rony Theodore – leading the club with 12 goals. Fellow Brooklynite Kirill Syroegin is the club’s goalkeeper.
But sprinkled on that roster is Arturo Vilmond, from the Republic of Haiti, Damerio Dabriel, from Kingston, St. Vincent Grammar School; Jurendi Richardson, St. John’s, Antigua; Clare Hall Secondary School; Jamie Penny, St. George’s Grenada, and walk-on Maksym Cholovsky, from Ukraine.
“Recruitment is certainly part of our success,” Charles said, “And my first year or so it was difficult. I was always looking for players.”
Not so now, he says.
“Now, kids are reaching out to us. They see our success and want to be a part of it,” Charles said. “Our former players have always helped us spread the word.”
This season the Wave is ranked in the top 10 nationally. “I am a little surprised with the early success,” the coach said, “But our goal has always been to keep winning. And my job is to keep focused on that goal.”
As a player, Charles was an assistant captain at St. Mary’s College where he led his team in goals in back-to-back seasons — 2016-2017. He was an All-Star in that ’17 season.
As for the talent on his squad at Kingsborough he quickly points out, “We had more talent where I played my soccer; and that is simply because everyone as kids grows up playing the sport. That is not always the case here in the states. We just had more players. And stronger players.”
But the one thing those Wave players do have – Devon Charles as their coach. And the pilot is truly flying high.
Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle., He may be reached at: [email protected] X: @AndyFurmanFSR.
