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09/13/2017 12:00 AMEast Haven resident Ryan Harrold has been named the interim head coach of Yellowjackets’ boys’ soccer this fall, while current Head Coach Paul Comesanas is overseas on military duty as a member of the United States Army Reserve. Ryan is no stranger to the East Haven soccer scene as he’s been affiliated with the town’s youth program for several years.
“I got involved with East Haven Youth Soccer because my daughter wanted to play. Our neighbor was playing and they were friends, so we signed her and my oldest son up. I walked on the field to drop my daughter off, and the coach asked if I played the game and wanted to volunteer. About a year after, I was taking teams on my own and eventually became the vice president and then took over the presidency about six months after that,” Ryan says. “I coached everything from four-year-olds through 19-year-olds in the league. It’s been a lot of fun. I’m no longer the president, but I’m still involved as the registrar and a coach when I can.”
As a result of being involved with soccer in town, Ryan has built a rapport with many of the soccer players at the high school. That’s beneficial for Ryan in his role as interim head coach, because he has a good feel for where everyone is best suited to play on the field.
“A lot of the boys currently on the team, I coached when they were four or five, so it’s nice to see how much they progressed,” says Ryan. “We have some really great talent, and we’re looking to layer our formations. Right now, we’re looking at a 3-2-3-1-1, which is unorthodox at the high school level, but is getting more popular. With the players we have, they fit perfectly in that type of formation.”
Since Ryan is already familiar with the kids on the Easties’ roster, Athletic Director Anthony Verderame felt that he was the perfect choice to step in for Comesanas this season.
“He was a natural fit for our interim coach. Ryan knows our kids and has a wonderful reputation in the soccer community, so we jumped at the chance to bring him in,” Verderame says. “East Haven is a small, tight-knit community. He’s someone with first-hand knowledge with our kids and can hit the ground running. At the end of the day, our kids are valuable, and you always want to make sure you’re making the right decision on who you put in charge of your kids. He’s proved a successful youth coach and active member of our community.”
Ryan grew up in Texas and Florida and has played soccer throughout his life. He even played the sport while he as a member of the military in the U.S. Navy.
“I played soccer all through high school, joined the military afterward, played in the military, and got back into it once I moved up here when I started playing and coaching,” says Ryan. “When I played in high school, I was mainly a back and played defense. When I moved up here and started playing in men’s leagues, they wanted me to play forward, and that was my first experience playing forward on an organized team.”
Despite his defensive background, Ryan’s coaching philosophy is to push the ball up the field. Ryan likes to watch soccer games where goals are scored on both ends of the pitch.
“I’m a strong believer in a strong attack. I understand you can’t win if you don’t score. To me, I’d rather see a game end 5-4 than a 1-0 or 0-0 game. Scoring is exciting, and that’s what everybody wants to see,” he says. “I love seeing defenders score. If I’m capable, I’ll send everybody I can up. I think everybody that knows the game loves to see a defender score. I understand you’re going to give up some scoring opportunities and goals in that kind of offense, but I think you gain more than you lose by attacking heavy like that.”
Ryan isn’t looking to change things too much in his role as East Haven’s interim head coach. Just like Comesanas, he’s aiming to maximize the talent on his roster and put the Yellowjackets’ athletes in the best position to succeed.
“I’ve done a lot of talking with Paul over the last two years. I know he understands the game, so I’m not looking to change anything he’s already instilled in the boys. I’m looking to build on it,” says Ryan. “You don’t want to come in and force them to conform to your way. You need to conform to the players that you have. That’s the way you have to breed success.”