A shift in leadership has enabled the Arizona State Men's Soccer Club to take to the field more freely this spring.
A change fostered by the new addition of head coach Ernando Novais and his emphasis on rebuilding the club's culture. For the Sun Devils, their head coach leads with a diverse style of play grounded in his international roots and history in Tempe.
Novais hails from Brazil but replanted his roots in Arizona, coming as an international student over twenty years ago. During his time as a student at ASU, Novais played soccer and developed a passion for coaching.
"Working with youth soccer and working in the United States, I'm trying to build different concepts," Novais said. "Not only necessarily concepts in the field, but out of the field as well."
Novais kicked off the return to his alma mater, eager to build these new concepts with the club. His new system has proven valuable, with assistant coach Tyler Khan seeing the team trust Novais and buy into his methods.
"It was a big ask for the players to change the coaching staff and change our system and structure so rapidly," Khan said. "But I think they've received it well, and (Novais') system has proven to work so far."
Khan has ties to ASU, graduating as a Sun Devil in May 2023. As a student, he played for the men's soccer club, later joining their coaching staff in August 2023. His familiarity with the club and his proximity in age allow relationships with his athletes to form easily and for him to relate to the team on a personal level.
The club's coaching staff isn't the only one working to lead this unified team, as captain Oluwaseun Babarinde sees himself as a bridge between coaches and players.
The graduate defender from Peoria, Arizona, is embracing his leadership role, aiming to be transparent with his peers and to lead by example. He's already seen the team come together by warming up to Novais and his ideas. These ideas are based on reworking the team's tactics and identity.
"The chemistry is now gelled really well," Babarinde said. "Everyone's bought into his idea and plan for this team and the entire program."
Junior goalkeeper Gregory Remy describes Novais as a "program builder" who's emphasized building team spirit.
Remy is from Tucson, Arizona, where he started playing soccer at 3 years old, extending that interest into college, where he joined the men's soccer club his freshman year.
Throughout the semester, Remy has seen a coach with a very "personal" style, one that wants his players to succeed competitively and individually. Doing so by developing them as people, and not just as players.
"(Novais) wants to build the team around our individual strengths," Remy said. "He's very focused on developing the program for the future, making it as welcoming for new players coming in."
Off the field, Novais is working to create a community that his athletes can be proud of, be accountable for and truly feel a part of. While on the field, he is reinforcing a more possessive style of play, addressing the team's urgency to reach the opponent's goal.
"I'm trying to value the ball possession a bit more," Novais said. "Try to overload the size a little bit more. Try to switch the point of attack. Concepts that are important in soccer."
Edited by Niall Rosenberg, Jack McCarthy and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at cjoneil6@asu.edu and follow @cjojournalism on X.
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Char O’Neil is a junior studying sports journalism with a minor in special events management. This is her third semester with The State Press. She has also reported for AZPreps365, Blaze Radio and Phoenix College Basketball.
