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ROYAL OAK — Oakland County Football Club is turning to a familiar face in the Michigan soccer community to lead the squad in the 2023 season.
Brian Doyle will take over the head coaching position for OCFC while Vinnie Vasilevski, OCFC’s head coach last season, will be promoted to general manager.
“His resume, in my opinion, is second to none,” Vasilevski said. “Honestly, if he was younger, we probably would’ve missed out on him. He’s coached some of the best youth players to the college ranks.”
Serving as the director of coaching for the Michigan Wolves-Hawks Soccer Club from 2001-2015, Doyle won seven national championships and numerous state titles during his tenure.
Doyle was previously with Royal Oak Football Club as the director of the club’s academy teams from 2019 to 2020, and was also the director of coaching for the Michigan Rush Soccer Club from 2015 to 2018.
A key selling point for Doyle was his familiarity with Vasilevski, who played under Doyle in 2006 with the Michigan Wolves-Hawks Soccer Club and won a state championship.
“It was about Vinnie and about his passion,” Doyle said. “I met the owners, and they shared his passion; they’re really great guys.”
Doyle will be a vital addition to a team that finished fourth in the standings and showed promise last year, but was hindered by an 0-3 start to the season.
OCFC was outscored 11-0 in their first three matchups, but would end the season 6-7-1 with a goal differential of +4.
The transition will be smooth from a roster perspective with many players from the 2022 team returning, but Doyle said there will be a point of emphasis schematically.
“I’m a great believer of having a style of play no matter what system you play,” Doyle said. “I want the marriage between attractive football, but effective football.”
Doyle, who grew up in Connecticut, has an extensive soccer background.
Doyle served as an assistant coach for Southern Connecticut State University (1978-1979) and Dartmouth College (1980-1981), but received his first head coaching job from Cleveland State University.
Serving as the head coach from 1982 to 1986, Doyle earned Mid-Continent Coach of the Year honors in 1984 and 1986 as Cleveland State captured regular season conference championships in both years.
Doyle would serve as an assistant coach at the University of Maine (1989-1990) and Boston University (1991-1992) before rejoining Cleveland State as head coach from 1993-2000, earning Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year in 1993.
Practices will begin in April for OCFC, and Doyle said there’s work to be done from now until then.
“When the time is to go, I’ll be ready to go,” Doyle said.
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