Podcast: UMass’ Fran O’Leary on maintaining success while joining a new league

UMass men's head coach Fran O'Leary joined 'The Goal' podcast. (UMass Athletics)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is UMass men’s soccer head coach Fran O’Leary.

The veteran coach took over the UMass program prior to the 2015 campaign. O’Leary has experience at multiple levels of collegiate soccer and has spent time coaching at the professional level as well.

Entering his 11th season for the Minutemen, O’Leary led Massachusetts to a 13-4-5 overall record in 2024, including the program’s first Elite Eight appearance since 2007. This year, UMass will play as a member of the Summit League for the first time, after previously being part of the Atlantic-10. The team’s season opener is Aug. 21 against Siena.

O’Leary joined hosts Matt Langone and Matt Doherty to discuss last year’s success, what he expects from his program this season, and how he has tried to build the program over the years.

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Here are some highlights from our discussion:

On where UMass is at as it prepares for the 2025 campaign:

O’Leary: “I think we’re in a pretty good place. It was a fantastic season for us (last year). Particularly, in terms of scholarships, we’re a little less funded than a lot of our peers and managed in many ways to overachieve. I think we finished second in the country with 10 clean sheets — we return the vast majority of our back four and our goalkeeper. So, I think that’s going to be an area that we’ve got well under control. Further up the field, we lost some players, namely (forward) Alec Hughes (Glastonbury, Conn.), who got drafted in the (MLS) first round.”

On the rise of New England college soccer with the likes of Vermont, New Hampshire and Amherst College having postseason success:

O’Leary: “They’re all great schools with terrific coaches. I think it’s a pretty simple formula, and there happens to be a lot of very good players in New England.”

On joining the Summit League:

O’Leary: “I think it’s a challenge in a way that we’ve got to get used to flying on a Friday — a three or four hour flight on a Friday, play on a Saturday and hop back on a plane and maybe get ready for a midweek non-conference game after it. So, it’s going to be a new experience. It’s going to be exciting. In one way, it’s a very competitive league, but there’s seven teams in the league, so if you can finish in the top four you’re already in a conference semifinal and you’re then within touching distance of a conference title and an automatic (NCAA Tournament) bid.”

On what a freshman’s mindset should be entering a college program:

O’Leary: “I think the first thing they have to do is make sure they protect what they got. They’ve worked awfully hard, the parents have invested, they’ve invested time and effort in their academics. So, in May when they know they’re going to be a college player, they’ve got to protect that. They’ve got to behave themselves over the next few months, because being admitted in May doesn’t guarantee you arriving on campus in August if you get into trouble. That’s the very first thing. Athletically, I think what you’re trying to do is play at a good level. Obviously, take care of your conditioning, and just also watch games.”

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