In 2011, a soccer team in Myrtle Beach, SC launched in the NPSL. This year, the Myrtle Beach Mutiny moved over to the PDL, and I got the opportunity to talk with their General Manager Pat Piscitelli about where the team has been, and where the team is going.

Hey Pat, thanks for doing this. We’ve asked some of the other teams this, so I’ll start by asking, what would you say is the vision of the Myrtle Beach Mutiny?

We are really in this for the development of the players. We want to win, but most importantly we want them to leave Myrtle Beach as better soccer players, as well as better people, than when they got here. Our players go to a lot of youth practices as well as many community events. We feel it’s important that our youth players have people to look up to.

Mutiny Players line up with Coast FA youth players before a game last season. (Photo Credit: Paul Morin)

This year, we are putting a couple of our youth players onto our PDL team ranging in age from 15 to 17. They are going to see how we do things day to day, and see what it’s like to train at the next level. We think it’s really important for their development. Those kids are going to be steps ahead of everybody.

We want to have that reputation. We want people to know that if that player came from Myrtle Beach, that means they can play.

We are also really focused on them growing as people. We do outreach programs with Miracle League, Boys and Girls Club of America, and other local charitable events. We feel focusing on players growing both on and off the field will lead to having a good team as well.

Why did the team move from the NPSL to the PDL this season?

There were multiple factors, but a major one was geographical. We really wanted to have local rivalries. We have Wilmington Hammerheads 45 minutes away, SC United Bantams 2 hours away, and the Charlotte Eagles are relatively close too.

Also, I have no problem saying we have one of the toughest conferences in the country. We’ve had a lot of quality additions this year along with the great teams that were already in the conference. The level of competition is high, and the margin of error is low with only the top 2 of 11 teams in the conference making the playoffs this season.

The only issue with this year’s South Atlantic Conference is that the schedule is not very balanced. We don’t play Peach Tree City, Nashville, Johnson City, or even SC United Bantams. I really wish we did, especially our in-state rival. But we will have the Highway 17 Derby with Wilmington.

Another great benefit with joining the PDL is it has given us the opportunity to partner with the Charleston Battery. Now we can say we offer soccer at every level from 4 years old to playing with the Mutiny with the possibility of being connected to Charleston. That’s huge for us.

One of our players, Ryan Arambula, is already playing with them. Ryan started out playing soccer for Coast FA as a youth player, and we look forward to seeing more of our guys move on there in the future.

How long have you personally been with the Mutiny?

Since the beginning. Six years ago, the team was founded by a man named Trym Hogner from Norway. Trym hired me to be the goalkeeper coach. After the first season, I moved into the front office and still did some coaching. After the second season, he sold the team to Coast FA, the youth club here in the area, and I’ve been running the day-to-day operations ever since.

So before Myrtle Beach you were a goalkeeper coach, and a goalkeeper as well?

Yeah, I grew up in Jersey. I played club soccer for a team called the Middletown Express. I ended up going to college down at Mars Hill College where I played for Coach Chris Crist. After that, I played with the SC Shamrocks for a year. Then I got my MBA at Wingate University, who I am proud to say just won the national championship this past year. At Wingate, I coached under Gary Hamill. Coach Hamill and I have known each other for about 25 years, he recruited me in high school.

How important is the US Open cup for the team?

Well, we aren’t in it this year. We did qualify, but because we switched leagues we can’t compete in it this year. That said we are still really looking forward to the Open Cup this year. We are really happy for the Dynamo, Eagles, and Bantams who did get in.

We still promote the tournament because we know people who are in it, and they have earned it. We have to help each other out if we want to grow the game in our area. We want more people to know about the tournament, and get excited for such an important cup.

What’s the atmosphere like at a Mutiny game?

It’s great! We currently play at Ashley Booth Field which has 300 seats, but a lot of standing room. The fans are right on top of the action, roughly 6 feet off the line. We have a drumline from the local band come and play right behind the visiting bench. They play different songs depending on what’s going on in the game.

My friend Seth from Tobacco Road hates coming here. He always asks me for some Advil after the game. We have a great partner that gives out noisemakers at every game. We have a great support staff from our local sponsors that help do a lot for us as well.

Local drumline helps provide great atmosphere for fans, and headaches for visiting teams. (Photo Credit: Paul Morin)

What would you consider a successful first season in the PDL?

We want to have a positive product on the field. We want to compete at the highest level possible. It would be an honor to represent our conference in the eastern playoffs. We feel if we develop our players with the coaches we have on staff, the results will take care of themselves.

Coach Kyle Russell and Coach Ross Morgan walking onto the pitch. (Photo Credit: Paul Morin)

We have an excellent coaching staff here. Our head coach is Kyle Russell, who is the associate head coach at Coastal Carolina University. We also have two great assistant coaches in Ross Morgan from Coast FA and Kyle Timm from Coastal Carolina University. We have developed a great relationship with Coastal Carolina’s coaching staff, and we are really excited with how that is growing.

What would you like to see off the field?

Off the field, We want to get more people involved. We have a good product both on and off the field. We know we aren’t a big market team. We are a hard working, grassroots team that has dedicated people who want to grow the team, and the game of soccer in our area.

The other main thing off the field is we want our players to leave a little more mature. We want them to get involved in their community. Some of them connect with the community with host families they may stay with.

Another great thing that has happened in just our 6 years of existence, we have had 15 to 20 Mutiny players stay in the area after playing with the team, and then coach for Coast FA. You can’t put a price tag on that. Them buying into our community, developing our community, and giving back to our community, all because of what they experienced in a three month season. We want to be the best at what we do.

Anything else you want readers to know?

Yes! We are hosting a major youth tournament the last two weekends in April. It’s called the Coast Spring Classic. We will have about 500 teams coming to Myrtle Beach. The teams are from all over the Carolinas, and we have teams from 7 other states. It’s the largest youth tournament in South Carolina.

To learn more about the tournament, visit their website (linked here).