Former Crew SC player Brian Maisonneuve named Ohio State head coach

Former Columbus Crew SC and United States men’s national team midfielder Brian Maisonneuve is the new Ohio State men’s soccer head coach. The move was announced on Monday.

“We are fortunate to add Brian Maisonneuve to our outstanding lineup of head coaches,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said in the press release. “He has competed at a high level and coached in one of the most successful collegiate programs nationally. We look forward to the opportunities our student-athletes will have under Brian’s direction.”

Maisonneuve comes to the Buckeyes from Indiana where, as an assistant coach for the last nine years, he helped guide the Hoosiers to the 2012 NCAA national championship, a NCAA runner-up finish in 2017, the 2010 Big Ten Regular Season Title and the 2013 Big Ten Tournament championship. During his tenure with IU, Maisonneuve helped Indiana to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two College Cups and four Sweet 16 appearances under head coach Todd Yeagley, another former Crew SC player.

“First of all I want to thank Gene Smith, Shaun Richard and the entire committee for giving me this incredible opportunity to lead The Ohio State University men’s soccer program,” Maisonneuve said in the press release. “My family and I are so excited to get back to Columbus and join the Buckeye family.

“I also want to thank Todd Yeagley, Fred Glass and the entire IU Athletics Department for my years in Bloomington. IU is a very special place to me. I am so thankful and appreciative for my time in Bloomington as a player and a coach. There will always be a special place in my heart for the entire Hoosier Nation.”

Maisonneuve replaces long time Ohio State head coach John Bluem, who announced his retirement in March.

“I am excited to get to work and continue to grow the Ohio State program into one of the elite soccer programs in the country,” he said. “John [Bluem] did a great job over the last 21 years and I am so honored for this opportunity. This is an incredible athletics department with tremendous resources.”

The midfielder played for the Hoosiers from 1990-1994, where he was an All-American as a junior and senior and won the Hermann Trophy -- college soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman -- in 1994. Maisonneuve was twice named Big Ten Player of the Year and finished his collegiate career with 44 goals and 22 assists, leading IU to a pair of NCAA College Cup appearances and back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles. The Warren, Michigan native was a four-time All-Big Ten selection and three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

In 1996, Maisonneuve was allocated to the Crew for the initial Major League Soccer season. Although he dealt with injuries during his professional career, Maisonneuve amassed 172 games played for the Black & Gold from 1996-2004, which remains sixth all time in club history, as well as 23 goals.

“The City of Columbus has always been like a second home for Diania and me,” he said. “We can’t wait to get back and get started.”

Maisonneuve also made 13 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team, including three in the 1998 World Cup.

Following his retirement in 2004, Maisonneuve became an assistant coach with the U.S. under-17 youth national team. He was then hired to be an assistant at the Univeristy of Louisville from 2008-2010 before leaving to join the Hoosiers staff with his former teammate.

“Our search committee conducted a very thorough national search and during that process, Brian Maisonneuve’s name continued to come up,” associate athletic director Shaun Richard said. “His experience as a player at the highest level, working with a national championship program as a coach and his high character and core values as a person made him the perfect fit for our program. I’m excited to work with Brian moving forward to execute his vision for Ohio State men’s soccer.”