Marcus DiBernardo enters his 16th season with the Monroe Mustangs men's soccer program in 2023, having won three national championships as a Monroe College soccer head coach. He comes into 2023 with an overall record at Monroe College of 181-34-17 (.817) through 15 seasons.
DiBernardo led the Mustangs back to national prominence in 2022. Despite being upset in the East District Championship, Monroe entered the 2022 NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Championship as the No. 3 seed with an at-large selection. Monroe's Pool Play opener against No. 10 Angelina College went scoreless through 110 minutes, requiring penalty kicks to determine a winner. The Mustangs won the PKs, 4-2. The Mustangs then fell behind, 2-0, to No. 6 Jefferson College in the final matchup of the Pool Play round, but managed to storm back with three unanswered goals to pick up the victory and advance to the semifinals. The Mustangs faced off with No. 8 Cowley College in the semifinals, allowing a goal to the Tigers in the second minute of the game. The Mustangs came back once again with two goals by Tony Yeboah later in the first half, and held on for the 2-1 victory to advance to the final. The Championship game against No. 7 Arizona Western College went scoreless into halftime, but Diego Batista capitalized on a penalty-kick opportunity early in the second half to take a 1-0 lead. Tony Yeboah followed that in the 79th minute to give Monroe a 2-0 lead, eventually holding that score to claim the 2022 NJCAA National Championship, the program's second in four years.
Following that National Championship in 2022, DiBernardo and his staff were named the 2022 United Soccer Coaches Men's National Coaching Staff of the Year. The Mustangs landed three athletes on the 2022 United Soccer Coaches Junior College Division I Men's All-America Team, including Player of the Year Diego Batista. Another four Mustangs were selected to the 2022 NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer All-America Team.
DiBernardo's men's soccer team ran the gauntlet in 2019, going a perfect 18-0 en route to the program's first-ever NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. The Mustangs won the 2019 Region XV Championship before making quick work of the East District Championship Tournament, ranking No. 1 in the NJCAA throughout the entire regular season and postseason and qualifying as the top seed for the 2019 NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Championship tournament. The Mustangs ran through pool play with a pair of 4-0 wins over Muskegon Community College and Iowa Western Community College, before also shutting out Illinois Central College in the semifinals. Monroe battled against Eastern Florida State College in the national title game, but a penalty-kick goal by Tobias Pellio with five minutes to play to capture a 2-1 victory and the Mustangs' first title in program history.
DiBernardo pulled off a feat that many would view as impossible in 2018. Coaching both the men's and women's soccer programs, he steered both teams toward national prominence. The women's team did not lose a single game, going 16-0-1 to claim its second-ever NJCAA Div. I Women's Soccer Championship, while the men's team made a run to the NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Championship semifinal before falling in a close matchup to eventual champion Pima Community College.
Over the past 14 years, Coach DiBernardo has led the Mustang men to an impressive record of 167-33-14 (.813). The Mustangs have won 9 Region championships (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021), six District Titles (2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019), and appeared in seven NJCAA National Tournaments, including four National Finals, finally ending the team's championship woes with a National Championship victory in 2019.
The Mustangs have also produced numerous All-Americans with Coach DiBernardo at the helm. Coach DiBernardo also earned the NSCAA Coach of the Year award in 2012 for coaching the Mustangs to a 14-2-1 season while only allowing 10 goals all season. The Mustangs have also been ranked in the NJCAA Div. I Top-20 for each the past eight years, and earned the number one ranking in 2011, as well as 2017. DiBernardo and his assistant coaches were also awarded the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Women's Soccer Coaching Staff of the Year award. In 2019, after capturing the program's first national title, DiBernardo and his coaching staff was named the United Soccer Coaches Men's Soccer Coaching Staff of the Year.
Under DiBernardo, the program has sent nearly 100 student-athletes on scholarships to NCAA schools such as the Ohio State University, NC State University, the University of Connecticut, Syracuse University, CSU Bakersfield, Creighton University, SUNY Albany, Grand Canyon University and many more. The program has also turned out many excellent professional players, and is expected to continue doing so in the future.
Coach DiBernardo began his coaching career as a teenager, coaching in the local soccer club that his father had founded. He later moved on to a successful playing and coaching career at Central Connecticut State University, a member of NCAA Division I and the Northeast Conference. After his time at CCSU, Coach DiBernardo led numerous high school and club teams to earn titles throughout Connecticut and New York. He holds a United States Soccer Federation Coaches License, NSCAA National, Advanced and Premier Diplomas, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education with a minor in Athletic Coaching.
Coach DiBernardo’s view on the game is simple: “Soccer is like a great orchestra; in order to make beautiful music, it must be a completely synchronized effort from the entire group. The players that make up the group must understand that the team is the priority, and not the individual."
