Veteran coach lands with Niagara 1812
Lucio Ianiero didn’t have to think twice when he was approached to be the inaugural coach of the men’s and women’s soccer teams with Niagara 1812.
Ianiero had worked with Niagara 1812 chief operating officer/operations lead Carmine Provenzano in the past, so it was an easy decision for Ianiero to follow Provenzano over the border to Buffalo.
“I knew as soon as he finished his first sentance it was something I wanted to be involved in,” Ianiero said. “I’m not going to get involved just because what was said. I need to surround myself with quality people I know I can grow with.”
Ianiero, a 57-year-old Niagara Falls resident, has an impressive soccer resume. The Brock University graduate and former Badgers men’s soccer coach is a former player on the Canadian Men’s National Team and has coaching experience in the Canadian Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League, Canadian National Soccer League and National Professional Soccer League.
Provenzano feels Ianiero is the perfect choice to lead the program.
“It allows me to just do what I need to do,” Provenzano said. “He brings the calming (influence). He’s a teacher, that’s what he does. To have a guy with his credentials and the credibility he brings and the passion he brings for the game, it’s second to none.”
Ianiero feels it its vital to have one coach lead both expansion teams. The men’s team will play in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) while the women’s team will play in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL), both standards-based amateur leagues.
“For the program to have an identity, it’s good to have the coach have the opportunity to coach both teams so the style of play is the same. It’s easier for the program to create a playing identity,” Ianiero said.
Ianiero said his coaching style will vary depending on the team.
“The difference is in the genders,” he said. “You can’t say the same things to both teams. It’s dealing with people differently and knowing which buttons to push.
“You just have to understand they are different and you have to coach differently.”
Ianiero feels it is vital to evolve as a coach.
“I’m definitely different than I was 25 years ago in terms of just the philosophy,” he said. “Every year you grow and learn something new and you try and pick up something different at different coaching courses or just watching the games through a coach’s eye rather than a player’s eye. You just pick up things.”
Ianiero has high hopes for the Niagara 1812 program.
“It’s an opportunity we have had put on the table in front of us and Carm has done a tremendous job getting it from the ground level to where we’re at now,” Ianiero said. “We still have room to grow and we’re looking forward to seeing what the program can bring to kids in this area that have not had the opportunity to play outside the region.
“I’m excited to jump into this and see where these teams go.”
The Niagara women will play their first game on the road in Rochester May 12. Their home opener is May 22 at D’Youville University, located in just south of the Peace Bridge in Buffalo.
The men dropped a 3-2 exhibition match recently.
“It was exciting for us to see the guys out there,” Provenzano said.
Provenzano said the rosters have been filled with Canadians and that interest in the program is high.
“Response has been good,” he said. “The league speaks for itself. People want to play in that league so we got a lot of response. People from Ottawa and all over, even Texas, because of the league and because they know it, they want to play in it.”
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