Written by Jake Tiger
Four months after its valiant championship win over Iona, the Ryder men's soccer team rolled into another weekly meeting in March, this time greeted with a slide show with a picture of a quaint mansion — fountains, columns and all.
“How many of you guys want to buy this?” asked head coach Chad Dornberger, prompting most of the team to raise their hands. “How many of you know the process of purchasing this?”
Every hand flowed down.
The presentation, titled “How to Buy a House,” was one of five offseason meetings in a series Dornberger calls “Cultural Fridays,” where each session teaches emerging adults a lesson about football and maturity.
Dornberger's team-building philosophy is the foundation of what the players describe as a “brotherhood,” as the coach believes culture is the key to building fearsome teams, successful individuals who continue to win long after they leave Raider.
“I feel like I'm letting them down if it's just about football,” Dornberger said. “It's not a four-year decision; It's a 40-year decision if you're going to play with me, because I want to prepare you for life.
“He's on to something”
Raider announced Dornberger as the next head coach of men's soccer in January 2023 following the retirement of former Raider coach, Charlie Inverso, who led the Bronx to three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships during his 36-year tenure.
In Inverso's final season, Raider finished 3-8-6 and it looked like Dornberger was inheriting a team heading back toward a rebuild, but Dornberger, a perennial winner, lifted the Broncos to 12-4-4 en route to a gutsy MAAC tournament victory in his first season .
Dornberger's coaching journey began in 2008 — two years after graduating from college — when he landed his first coaching job at his Division II alma mater, the University of Charleston.
He took over the team after a dismal 0-17 season. After just two seasons, Dornberger's Golden Eagles were 19-4-0 with a perfect record in conference play.
When Dornberger was an assistant coach at Penn State in 2014, he helped the Nittany Lions to a 10-0-1 start, the best in program history.
Midfielder Luke Kirilenko said: “Coach Chad’s philosophy is worth studying.” “He's onto something.”
Dornberger has always found ways to win, he does this by being a coach and mentor to his players, and believes it is the team environment that makes the difference.
“From my experience at the Division I level, everyone is good, every team is talented,” Dornberger said. “The biggest difference is who plays together and who has the culture.”
“Our culture was our advantage”
Dornberger wants his guys to win at everything, whether it's on the field or in the housing market.
Since taking over Inverso, Durnberger has treated his new team to a number of unique bonding activities, including miniature golf, bowling, and a pool party at the house Durnberger bought after taking the job at Rider (and after teaching himself how to buy a home appliance).
He was sure to point out that he crushed everyone at miniature golf.
“Those are the little things that I feel help grow a culture of brotherhood,” Dornberger said. “They go a long way with these guys communicating and being together … and being able to win a MAAC championship.”
The other four “Culture Fridays” explored ways a team can build healthy habits, be a better teammate, and overcome adversity.
Young midfielder Kevin Peprah recalls a moment from “Culture Friday” in which Dornberger compared the team to a pit crew changing a tire on a Formula 1 car, dozens of people working together in a cohesive unit.
“It was just a big focus on brotherhood and how close we are to each other as a group,” Peprah said. “The lessons and what we gain from them, it goes deeper than just football. You can apply it to life itself.”
Dornberger said the final 'Culture Friday' had a special impact on the team, as it asked them to reflect on all that football had given them.
The team came together as they all acknowledged how much the game has given them, whether it was lifelong friends, education abroad or the coveted MAAC championship.
“We were a more cohesive group than a lot of the teams we played against,” Kirilenko said. “Our culture was our advantage.”
After taking a 2-1 lead over top-seeded Iona with 16 seconds left in the MAAC final on Nov. 9, Raider goalie Adam Salama prepared for the most important penalty kick of his life, one that the save would make the Bronx champion after he completely missed. Postseason a year ago.
The opposing Gael fired a perfectly placed shot towards the bottom right corner of the goal, but with arms outstretched, Salama deflected the ball up and over the goal, sending the ball out of bounds as time expired.
“I had complete confidence in Adam,” Dornberger said after the game. “I knew he would be up for it.”
As Iona's players collapsed onto the turf, fingers clutching their hair in despair, the Dornberger brothers piled Salama into a triumphant pile of cranberries.
Teams can't get any tighter than that.
