Marco Island Resident Named FC Naples Coach

FC Naples has a coach, and Marco Island has a major connection with it. When the soccer team, Collier County’s first professional sports team, takes the field next March, the head coach standing on the sidelines will be Matt Poland, who lives on Marco Island and has coached the Marco Island Academy (MIA) varsity soccer squads. 

FC Naples CEO Roberto Moreno provided a sneak peek to the Coastal Breeze, and the opportunity to interview Poland, before the official announcement of his hiring, a sit-down with the two in the skybox above the team’s competition pitch at Paradise Coast Sports Complex (PCSC) on a recent morning.

Poland, 32, who goes by the nickname “Gaffa,” picked up during a coaching stint in Finland after a knee injury ended his pro playing career, has made Marco Island his base for the last 13 years. The season in the European soccer leagues in which he was playing and then coaching, running from February to October, dovetailed neatly with the MIA team’s season on Marco, he said, allowing him to remain immersed in soccer year round. 

Moreno, who was committed to conducting a nationwide or worldwide search for his head coach, said he found the perfect candidate right in the team’s backyard. 

“We met at the kickoff party on January 27, and I immediately felt something good in my gut. That day, we talked more about life - values – philosophy, and not so much X’s and O’s. This team needs to represent the community. We will win on the field, but winning off the field is non-negotiable,” said Moreno. “Wins and losses come and go – and don’t get me wrong, we will win, but we will not compromise our values.” 

“I live and breathe soccer,” said Poland. “All of Collier County can support this team and come together under one banner” – the blue and gold of FC Naples. Matt lives on Marco Island with his wife Rebecca, a nurse at NCH. 

Before being tapped to lead FC Naples, Poland’s most recent coaching experience was another startup organization, at Chicago House A.C., joining as an assistant before taking over as head coach and amassing a win/loss/tie record of 23-8-7 over two-plus seasons, including a 15-game unbeaten streak.

Poland was also head coach of the Naples United FC semi-pro squad, where his team was ranked fourth in the country. But the way Marco Island got to know him best as a soccer coach was when he helmed the boys’ soccer team at MIA, and then the boys’ and girls’ teams. The boys won their conference both years and made it to sectionals for the first and only time in school history, and the girls won their conference and made it to sectionals for just the second time in the school’s history.

Marco Island city councilor, Sweet Annie’s ice cream parlor owner, and MIA dad Darrin Palumbo coached alongside Poland and spoke strongly of his admiration and respect for the young coach. 

“Matt is an excellent coach, and he could back it up with his talent as a player. We’re lucky to have him,” said Palumbo. “I truly think he is exceptional. He’ll be able to hone that team. He brought true soccer knowledge to Marco Island.

“I can’t find a bad quality in him. I quickly found out he is a true student of the game. He devised plans and shared them with the kids for how a small school plays against a school with four times as many students to draw from.” 

“Gaffa” Poland, born in Rochester, Minnesota, was coming to Marco Island with his parents long before he ever considered coaching here. He played four years varsity soccer for Taylor University in Indiana as a center defender, where he earned a BS in exercise science, and after graduating, went pro with Sporting Kristina in Finland. During the 2016-17 seasons, he played and captained Sweden’s Savsjo FF. In 2018, he returned to Sporting Kristina, donning the captain’s armband before sustaining a knee injury that ended his playing career. In 2019, he transitioned to head coach at Sporting Kristina, adding sporting director to his responsibilities. 

Poland said that for FC Naples, they will be casting their net wide, with international players trying out, and also holding open tryouts that will give local soccer players the chance to make the team. A specific date has not been announced, but tryouts are expected to take place early in September. 

The Naples USL-1 team is one of five expansion franchises, augmenting the dozen existing clubs in the league. Current locations range from Statesboro, Georgia, to Spokane, Washington, along with Charlotte, North Carolina, Fresno, California, and Greenville, South Carolina. In addition to Naples, expansion teams will be located in Portland, Maine, Brooklyn, Santa Barbara, California and Sherman, Texas. 

Much like the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels under the Minnesota Twins in Major League Baseball, USL-1 is what would be considered a minor league or feeder league, with MLS, or Major League Soccer, the big league in the United States. South Florida has seen a surge of interest in soccer since the signing of Lionel Messi, the world’s top player, to the Inter Miami MLS team. 

At FC Naples, Poland promised to put a game on the field that is enjoyable to watch. 

“Soccer is entertainment. We will be creative and entertaining, playing on our front foot,” he said. 

“We have extensive connections in Europe and South America,” said Moreno. “Naples is amazing – it’s so diverse. We’re looking at everyone.” 

Professional soccer is big, it’s local, and it’s coming closer every month. Mark your calendar for next March for “a kick in the grass,” and go to the FC Naples website at fcnaples.com to reserve your season tickets.