Brotherhood: Indiana Men’s Soccer Culture Breeds Success in MLS
7/24/2022 4:12:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Early in his 2019 freshman season, Roman Celentano was low on the Indiana men's soccer depth chart.
But on October 1 of that year, head coach Todd Yeagley took a chance on the young goalkeeper, starting him against Northwestern. As Celentano went on to earn clean sheets in eight of the 14 remaining matches that year, Yeagley wouldn't regret that decision.
A sophomore defender at the time, Jack Maher had a front row seat to the start of Celentano's collegiate career, leading the IU defense alongside the new netminder.
"That's something that would have never had happened if you didn't have a guy like Coach Yeagley as the head coach because he took that big risk on his own shoulders, and we were very fortunate to reap the rewards of that," Maher said.
A Big Ten Championship double later, Maher's own performance just two seasons into his time in Bloomington caught MLS eyes. In January, he was picked No. 2 overall by Nashville SC as the club's first-ever MLS Superdraft pick. It tied the highest draft selection by an Indiana men's soccer player all-time.
Now, into his third season in the league, Maher is a regular starter in the Nashville back line and helped it to appearances the MLS Cup Playoffs in each of his first two campaigns. The club is well on its way to another in 2022.
"It's honestly our culture that we've built, and I think a lot of it stems from having a winning culture at Indiana as well," Maher said. "Personally, I know the tradition that Indiana has, I know that they expect to win each and every game, and [those are] the characteristics that I like to carry into this Nashville team.
"It's the culture that we've been able to build, and I honestly think a lot of it goes back to [and] reminds me of what was already built at Indiana."
As Maher makes noise in Music City, the next batch of Hoosiers takes note. It's a revolving door of professional prospects.
"It's an example," Celentano said. "It's something that, coming to IU, that's the plan, to go pro, because it's a historic program. So, seeing someone that I've played with make it to the league and continue to be a starting player is really something to look forward to, and it has sort of paved the way for some of us."
Jump to IU's 2020-21 season, after helping IU win the Big Ten double for a third straight year and reach the NCAA College Cup, Celentano established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in the country, conceding just six goals in 1,490 minutes of action. At the end of the next season, he became the first-ever repeat Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year while earning a career-high 11 shutouts. When he made three game-rescuing saves in a six-second span, he cemented his legendary status.
Through the example of Maher and others progressing on to careers in MLS, Celentano saw how great he could be at IU and earned it. In the 2022 MLS Superdraft, like Maher, he was picked No. 2 overall.
"Obviously at IU, family is a big part of the culture, and I think it just helped me feel welcome and be able to achieve what I could," Celentano said. "The family environment just really brings the best out of [us and we] fight for each other. It's a real brotherhood there, so I think that bond really helped us achieve things on the field and helped me progress."
FC Cincinnati first-year head coach Pat Noonan, a former Hoosier himself, was perhaps not expecting to show off the talented Celentano so early in his career, but when first-team keeper Alec Kann suffered an injury in April, the bright-eyed rookie stepped in and stepped up. Celentano hasn't missed a start in MLS play since. In his first six starts with the first team, Celentano earned three clean sheets while conceding just four goals in that span. FCC went 5-1 in those matches.
"He has a very strong character," Noonan said. "I think you could see, on the field, the qualities that he has as a goalkeeper, but it's no surprise to myself and to some of those that were able to see him [prior to the draft] that that character he has and that mentality that he has were going to translate to early success in his career. He has been given an opportunity and done a very good job of taking on a role that's very difficult as far as that position in Major League Soccer.
"We're very pleased with where Roman's at and the continued progress that he makes. You can see he has a high ceiling, and he's going to be doing special things for this club in the years to come."
Noonan himself is having success in his first season as the head man in Cincy. After the club finished 14th in the Eastern Conference last season, he has his club in contention for a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Noonan said he wants to develop a winning culture in his club. Sound familiar?
"Early on the main focus was establishing an identity of how we play, improving the culture and trying to show the belief that we have in the group of returning players [plus] the additions we brought in to slowly progress in ways where our team understands we can do special things and we can be a better version of teams from the past," Noonan said.
Noonan isn't the only former Hoosier currently serving as a head coach in MLS. Caleb Porter, a two-time MLS Cup Champion as a head coach, shares the state of Ohio with Noonan while leading the Columbus Crew. Once a player-coach relationship during their shared time at IU from 2000-03, they are now the two leading figures in the Hell is Real Derby between Columbus and Cincinnati.
On July 17, the two coaches met in the derby for the first time. At the same time, it was a reunion for Celentano and another former teammate, Aidan Morris, a Columbus homegrown selection also in that 2019 season. The next weekend, Noonan and Celentano would host another former Hoosier in Cincy, Jack Maher. These reunions are not rare in a league filled with Hoosiers.
"That's one of the big reasons why I went to Indiana," Maher said. "Because I would play with players that would one day be in the league. You look at Andrew Gutman, Justin Rennicks, Griffin Dorsey, Mason Toye, […] I mean the list goes on and on."
Noonan said the many Hoosiers around the league is a result of the program's sustained success.
"I think [Todd Yeagley] continues to do a great job of producing talent and preparing athletes for the professional game," he said. "So, it's no surprise that you see so many IU faces across Major League Soccer that are having success.
"You talk about the Tradition of Excellence and how that translates not just to the field, but the professional game and life. There are a lot of good characters that come out of that university that are part of Major League Soccer, and it's always nice to catch up and have some small talk about our memories from our days at IU."
In Saturday (July 23) night's matchup between Nashville SC and FC Cincinnati, Maher's club took the early advantage in the seventh minute. Celentano made a fantastic save on Nashville's first attempt, sticking out his right leg to stop Dave Romney's short-range header on goal, but there was nothing the keeper could be expected to do as the ball ricocheted along the goal line to Nashville's Teal Bunbury, who converted for the opening goal.
FC Cincinnati came out aggressive in the second half and was able to equalize seven minutes in from a Brandon Vazquez header. For the rest of the match, Celentano and Maher helped limit attacking opportunities. The match ended in a 1-1 draw and a share of the points between the Hoosiers and their clubs.
With the final whistle came a change in atmosphere. Moments before, Celentano and Maher were competing against each other, pushing their teams for a winning goal. With full-time expired, it was a return to the ordinary; friends brought together through IU.
Making their way from opposite ends of the pitch, Celentano and Maher met at midfield, hugged and exchanged jerseys. Then, they made their way over to the stands to greet members of this fall's team; Brett Bebej, Luke Boha, Jansen Miller, Lawson Redmon and Jack's brother, Joey Maher, had made the short trip from Bloomington to support their fellow Hoosiers. It was a family reunion in TQL Stadium.
"It's the perks of going to an Indiana," Maher said, "That you're going to run into friends, you're going to run into guys that you feel like are your family, are your brothers. And being able to do that week in and week out just speaks to the success of the program."
But on October 1 of that year, head coach Todd Yeagley took a chance on the young goalkeeper, starting him against Northwestern. As Celentano went on to earn clean sheets in eight of the 14 remaining matches that year, Yeagley wouldn't regret that decision.
A sophomore defender at the time, Jack Maher had a front row seat to the start of Celentano's collegiate career, leading the IU defense alongside the new netminder.
"That's something that would have never had happened if you didn't have a guy like Coach Yeagley as the head coach because he took that big risk on his own shoulders, and we were very fortunate to reap the rewards of that," Maher said.
A Big Ten Championship double later, Maher's own performance just two seasons into his time in Bloomington caught MLS eyes. In January, he was picked No. 2 overall by Nashville SC as the club's first-ever MLS Superdraft pick. It tied the highest draft selection by an Indiana men's soccer player all-time.
Now, into his third season in the league, Maher is a regular starter in the Nashville back line and helped it to appearances the MLS Cup Playoffs in each of his first two campaigns. The club is well on its way to another in 2022.
"It's honestly our culture that we've built, and I think a lot of it stems from having a winning culture at Indiana as well," Maher said. "Personally, I know the tradition that Indiana has, I know that they expect to win each and every game, and [those are] the characteristics that I like to carry into this Nashville team.
"It's the culture that we've been able to build, and I honestly think a lot of it goes back to [and] reminds me of what was already built at Indiana."
As Maher makes noise in Music City, the next batch of Hoosiers takes note. It's a revolving door of professional prospects.
"It's an example," Celentano said. "It's something that, coming to IU, that's the plan, to go pro, because it's a historic program. So, seeing someone that I've played with make it to the league and continue to be a starting player is really something to look forward to, and it has sort of paved the way for some of us."
Jump to IU's 2020-21 season, after helping IU win the Big Ten double for a third straight year and reach the NCAA College Cup, Celentano established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in the country, conceding just six goals in 1,490 minutes of action. At the end of the next season, he became the first-ever repeat Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year while earning a career-high 11 shutouts. When he made three game-rescuing saves in a six-second span, he cemented his legendary status.
Through the example of Maher and others progressing on to careers in MLS, Celentano saw how great he could be at IU and earned it. In the 2022 MLS Superdraft, like Maher, he was picked No. 2 overall.
"Obviously at IU, family is a big part of the culture, and I think it just helped me feel welcome and be able to achieve what I could," Celentano said. "The family environment just really brings the best out of [us and we] fight for each other. It's a real brotherhood there, so I think that bond really helped us achieve things on the field and helped me progress."
FC Cincinnati first-year head coach Pat Noonan, a former Hoosier himself, was perhaps not expecting to show off the talented Celentano so early in his career, but when first-team keeper Alec Kann suffered an injury in April, the bright-eyed rookie stepped in and stepped up. Celentano hasn't missed a start in MLS play since. In his first six starts with the first team, Celentano earned three clean sheets while conceding just four goals in that span. FCC went 5-1 in those matches.
"He has a very strong character," Noonan said. "I think you could see, on the field, the qualities that he has as a goalkeeper, but it's no surprise to myself and to some of those that were able to see him [prior to the draft] that that character he has and that mentality that he has were going to translate to early success in his career. He has been given an opportunity and done a very good job of taking on a role that's very difficult as far as that position in Major League Soccer.
"We're very pleased with where Roman's at and the continued progress that he makes. You can see he has a high ceiling, and he's going to be doing special things for this club in the years to come."
Noonan himself is having success in his first season as the head man in Cincy. After the club finished 14th in the Eastern Conference last season, he has his club in contention for a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Noonan said he wants to develop a winning culture in his club. Sound familiar?
"Early on the main focus was establishing an identity of how we play, improving the culture and trying to show the belief that we have in the group of returning players [plus] the additions we brought in to slowly progress in ways where our team understands we can do special things and we can be a better version of teams from the past," Noonan said.
Noonan isn't the only former Hoosier currently serving as a head coach in MLS. Caleb Porter, a two-time MLS Cup Champion as a head coach, shares the state of Ohio with Noonan while leading the Columbus Crew. Once a player-coach relationship during their shared time at IU from 2000-03, they are now the two leading figures in the Hell is Real Derby between Columbus and Cincinnati.
On July 17, the two coaches met in the derby for the first time. At the same time, it was a reunion for Celentano and another former teammate, Aidan Morris, a Columbus homegrown selection also in that 2019 season. The next weekend, Noonan and Celentano would host another former Hoosier in Cincy, Jack Maher. These reunions are not rare in a league filled with Hoosiers.
"That's one of the big reasons why I went to Indiana," Maher said. "Because I would play with players that would one day be in the league. You look at Andrew Gutman, Justin Rennicks, Griffin Dorsey, Mason Toye, […] I mean the list goes on and on."
Noonan said the many Hoosiers around the league is a result of the program's sustained success.
"I think [Todd Yeagley] continues to do a great job of producing talent and preparing athletes for the professional game," he said. "So, it's no surprise that you see so many IU faces across Major League Soccer that are having success.
"You talk about the Tradition of Excellence and how that translates not just to the field, but the professional game and life. There are a lot of good characters that come out of that university that are part of Major League Soccer, and it's always nice to catch up and have some small talk about our memories from our days at IU."
In Saturday (July 23) night's matchup between Nashville SC and FC Cincinnati, Maher's club took the early advantage in the seventh minute. Celentano made a fantastic save on Nashville's first attempt, sticking out his right leg to stop Dave Romney's short-range header on goal, but there was nothing the keeper could be expected to do as the ball ricocheted along the goal line to Nashville's Teal Bunbury, who converted for the opening goal.
FC Cincinnati came out aggressive in the second half and was able to equalize seven minutes in from a Brandon Vazquez header. For the rest of the match, Celentano and Maher helped limit attacking opportunities. The match ended in a 1-1 draw and a share of the points between the Hoosiers and their clubs.
With the final whistle came a change in atmosphere. Moments before, Celentano and Maher were competing against each other, pushing their teams for a winning goal. With full-time expired, it was a return to the ordinary; friends brought together through IU.
Making their way from opposite ends of the pitch, Celentano and Maher met at midfield, hugged and exchanged jerseys. Then, they made their way over to the stands to greet members of this fall's team; Brett Bebej, Luke Boha, Jansen Miller, Lawson Redmon and Jack's brother, Joey Maher, had made the short trip from Bloomington to support their fellow Hoosiers. It was a family reunion in TQL Stadium.
"It's the perks of going to an Indiana," Maher said, "That you're going to run into friends, you're going to run into guys that you feel like are your family, are your brothers. And being able to do that week in and week out just speaks to the success of the program."
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
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