Under new coach, Springdale boys in position to add to program’s storied history

By: Jerin Steele
Thursday, September 5, 2024 | 8:59 PM

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It wasn’t that long ago that Mario Liberati played for the Springdale boys soccer team.

He was a senior on the 2017 Dynamos team that went to the WPIAL final.

Seven years later, he’s back at his alma mater as the team’s new coach, and he sees some similarities between the group he played with and this year’s team.

“It’s a tight-knit group,” Liberati said. “The guys are competitors and hard workers. They look forward to playing the game with their friends, guys they grew up playing with in the Hamar program. It has that same feel that we had in 2017. There’s a one-big-family type of vibe.”

The Dynamos are off to a 3-0 start with wins over California, Leechburg and St. Joseph. They’ve outscored their opponents 27-0.

Liberati took over for Paul Palo, who stepped down after last season.

Before making a return to Springdale, he spent last season as an assistant for Sean Abraham on the Riverview girls soccer team that made it to the Class A state championship game.

He also worked with Steel City FC as a volunteer assistant under Dan Brower.

“In addition to my time at Riverview, I learned a lot from Dan Brower and his staff and that’s what made me feel equipped to take on my own program,” Liberati said.

Liberati’s younger brother, Roman, and Dave Fortun are the assistant coaches.

The Dynamos are an experienced group with 10 seniors.

They have five captains. Four of them are seniors – Matt Lawrence, Patrick Wylly, John Duku and Nathan Dubas — along with junior Brennan Mattie.

“It’s a little unorthodox, but all five are deserving of wearing the captain’s band,” Liberati said.

The ideal identity Liberati wants for his team is what he calls a “one-brain” mentality.

It’s a multi-layered approach.

Off the field, he wants his players to work on being as physically fit as possible.

It’s an element the Riverview girls used to their advantage during their run to the state championship last year. It allowed them to keep the starters on the field for long stretches and use subs tactically.

Then there’s the on-the-field piece, which is about flowing together as one.

“When I say ‘one brain,’ I mean that everyone on the field — the goalkeeper, the defenders, the midfielder and the attackers — are all on the same page,” Liberati said. “It’s how we want to go from defending to attacking, attacking to defending and all the transition work in between.

“We’ve done a lot of personnel work over the last couple of months and getting players on the same page, and they’ve picked up on things very well. I encourage individual creativity on the pitch but also finding that balance to do what’s best for the team to execute the game plan.”

Springdale is one of the winningest programs in WPIAL history with 10 titles, but none since 1973. Liberati would love to get the Dynamos back to Highmark Stadium for the first time since 2017 and add to the program’s rich history.

“I have a really strong desire to give back to the program I played for and to give back to Springdale,” Liberati said. “Coach Palo left the program in a really good spot. I really want my team to understand the importance of building relationships and having a sense of school and community pride.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Springdale