The only coach the City Islanders have ever known, Bill Becher enters the 2010 season with an impressive 57-33-30 career regular season record. His trophy case includes the 2007 USL-2 Championship Trophy and the 2005 USL-2 Coach of the Year Award.
Following a season of narrowly missed opportunities and a 7-3-10 record in 2008, Becher and his staff returned the club to its winning ways last year. A 9-7-4 mark was good for a third place regular season finish before an opening round playoff loss to the Richmond Kickers. Harrisburg also won three U.S. Open Cup games, including a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer, before bowing out in the Quarterfinals with a loss to D.C. United. Becher was a finalist for the 2009 Coach of the Year Award, an honor he claimed in 2005 after a 12-3-5 regular season finish.
The club’s high water mark remains the 2007 Championship side, a group that perfectly embodied Becher’s philosophies: they were consistent, opportunistic, and industrious, even if they were never the most talented group. Their title run was fueled by perhaps the league’s best defense, a unit that allowed only 15 goals in 20 regular season games. Defense and discipline were the keys in the postseason as well – the team went 195 postseason minutes before surrendering a goal in the Championship match. Becher’s tireless squad completed a grueling 240-minute postseason marathon by topping Richmond in penalty kicks.
From day one, Becher’s effective coaching style and a host of connections built over a lifetime in the soccer world helped make the City Islanders a contender. He and his staff have brought a diverse collection of veterans, rookies, local products and capped internationals to Harrisburg. In addition to their USL-2 success, the City Islanders have proven themselves capable of beating the big boys: Harrisburg has twice beaten Major League Soccer teams in U.S. Open Cup competition (1-0 over D.C. United in 2007, 2-1 over New England in 2009).
Becher brought decades of playing experience to his first pro head coaching job. After winning a national title with Sagamon State University in 1986, the St. Louis native enjoyed an acclaimed and lengthy professional career in the MISL (formerly the AISA and NPSL), scoring 280 goals and assisting on 254 others in 458 games. Becher spent the bulk of his indoor years with the Harrisburg Heat, with whom he notched 227 goals and 209 assists in 315 games from 1991-99 and served as the team’s captain from 1997-99. Becher also played indoors with the Hershey Impact, Ft. Wayne Flames, New York Kick, and St. Louis Ambush of the MISL and Arizona Sandsharks of the CISL, and outdoors with the Colorado Foxes of the APSL.
Since 1996, Becher has served as Coaching Director for the Lower Dauphin Soccer Association. He and wife Dawn reside in Hummelstown with sons Jackson and Ryan.
Bill Becher’s Career Regular Season Record
YEAR GP PTS W L T GF GA FINISH
2004 20 33 10 7 3 40 25 2nd (Atlantic Division)
2005 20 41 12 3 5 43 24 3rd (single table)
2006 20 27 8 9 3 31 28 7th (single table)
2007 20 38 11 4 5 26 15 3rd (single table)
2008 20 31 7 3 10 33 20 5th (single table)
2009 20 31 9 7 4 31 23 3rd (single table)
TOT 120 201 57 33 30 204 135
Career Postseason Record
YEAR W L T GF GA FINISH
2004 0 2 0 1 7 Eliminated, Division
2005 1 1 0 2 4 Eliminated, Semifinals
2007 2 0 0 2 1 USL-2 Champions
2008 0 1 0 2 2 Eliminated, Quarterfinals
2009 0 1 0 0 1 Eliminated, Semifinals
TOT 3 5 0 7 15
Career U.S. Open Cup Record
YEAR W L T GF GA FINISH
2007 3 1 0 8 3 Eliminated, Quarterfinals
2008 1 1 0 7 2 Eliminated, Second Rd
2009 3 1 0 7 4 Eliminated, Quarterfinals
TOT 7 3 0 22 9
