Russell Payne has NU men’s soccer on the attack

At this point in the summer, Northwestern men’s soccer coach Russell Payne has devised the launch plan for his upcoming fourth season with the Wildcats.

The squad will be on the pitch next month, coming off a stellar 10-4-3 record in 2023, the program’s first 10-win season since 2013. Having beaten national powers Maryland and Indiana in the same season for the first time in school history, Northwestern climbed as high as No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 and finished tied for third in the Big Ten, the program’s best result since 2015.

There is a lot of anticipation for this next chapter, which begins with the regular season opener on Thursday, Aug. 22, against Green Bay as part of a doubleheader with the women’s team. But in the meantime, Payne will help lead the U.S. Olympic men’s soccer team as an assistant coach at the Paris Games, which begin July 24 in stadiums across France.

“I’ve been blessed to be in the U.S. national team environment for a long time,” Payne said. “I can translate the things I’ve seen — X’s and O’s and different perspectives — from the highest level of our sport directly to our student-athletes here.”

> Related: Wildcats will face a quartet of participants from the 2023 NCAA tournament. See the fall schedule

A goalkeeper by trade, Payne has built a lengthy and impressive resume as a player and coach at every rung on the soccer ladder from college to pro to the national team. He served as head coach of Army West Point for 11 years and assistant at his alma mater, Maryland, for five seasons under renowned head coach Sasho Cirovski. As a player, he enjoyed a prolific international and domestic career, playing for SV Elversberg (Germany), Shamrock Rovers (Ireland) and AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), as well as New York/New Jersey MetroStars, Colorado Rapids and D.C. United in Major League Soccer. In 2002, he was named the Premier League of Ireland Goalkeeper of the Year during his second season with Derry City.

On the national level, Payne was on staff for the U.S. Men's National Team during the Concacaf Nations League Finals and 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup last summer, and currently serves as an assistant coach with the U.S. U-23 Men's Youth National Team, the team that will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympics.

As an assistant coach on Team U.S.A. in Paris, Payne will work directly with the goalkeepers and take care of set plays — corner kicks, penalty kicks, throw-ins, goal kicks and free kicks.

In these final days before the Paris Games begin, Northwestern Now caught up with Payne to discuss the pride points of Wildcat soccer, his recruiting process and an Olympics outlook.

Having recently signed a multi-year contract extension, your Northwestern tenure is off to a fast start. What makes you most proud of the program’s achievements?

I’m really excited about what we’ve been able to do so far. We’ve seen eight of our student-athletes earn All-Big Ten recognition while four have been selected to United Soccer Coaches All-Region teams. Three were First Team All-Big Ten selections in 2023, and 49 received Academic All-Big Ten honors in the past three seasons.

We have so many things in place; we give our players an opportunity to have a voice. And we listen. That’s the first step — knowing, caring for and respecting each other. We are accountable, we push each other. You know, iron sharpens iron.

And then it’s about bringing in people who want to get a great degree, win championships and become better people. I’ve learned there are no shortage of those types of individuals who want to come to Northwestern.

What do you hear from recruits?

They want all these things we just discussed. And they want a professional soccer experience. I tell them, “These are our tactics, these are the things we do to support your day in the life and here’s how we’re going to win games.”

What do you mean by professional?

Today’s soccer academy system, like MLS Next, offers young players the chance to train and develop right alongside professionals. At these facilities, you could be a 16-year-old playing literally one field over from Lionel Messi. These players experience the best in athletic training, sports medicine, nutrition and so on. We’re trying to mirror what they see in organizations like FC Cincinnati or the Chicago Fire. So, then, why wouldn’t you choose Northwestern if you’re going to get a better degree, you’re going to be taken care of in these ways? It’s why we’ve had three top-20 recruiting classes in a row now.

What do you want the Northwestern community to know about the ’Cats?

Sitting in my office, I can look out at the lake and watch progress being made at the Lanny and Sharon Martin Lakeside Facility. We’re significantly increasing our seating capacity, and we’re about to release a great schedule this fall that will include some Friday night games before Saturday football games. So, we’re anxious to welcome fans this fall to what is going to be a really cool gameday setup.

We’re an exciting team to watch. We’re returning three all-conference players from last season: Collin McCamy, Nigel Prince and Fritz Volmar. This is a dynamic, athletic, attack-oriented squad where players move the ball, play as a unit, attack and score goals. Last year, we were one of the best defensive teams in the conference, but we also were near the top in scoring.

You were a goalkeeper. So where does that attacking mindset come from?

Every team has great attacking players at this level. But the difference is having players with the discipline and the heart to defend. We teach players how to properly win the ball, eliminate opportunities for other teams to get the ball and then enhance their own attack skills. I don't consider myself a defense-minded coach, I’m really just focused on how to break down other teams. That’s how you win games. I don’t look at it like defense wins championships. You have to score goals to win consistently. 

Now that the roster is set, how would you characterize this Olympic team? What should fans watch for?

The team includes MLS players Walker Zimmerman of Nashville and Djordje Mihailovic of Colorado Rapids, as well as goalkeeper Patrick Schulte of the Columbus Crew (the 2023 MLS cup champions) and Gaga Slonina of Chelsea in the English Premier League. We have fighters at every position. Of course this is a young group, and they want to prove themselves on this big stage. I expect us to challenge for a medal.

The tournament is so tight — there are three group games in a week and as many as six games in 14 days. It will be a special opportunity to show the world how quickly and effectively they can unite, form an identity and impose themselves, individually and collectively, on any opponent.

Team USA plays group games on Wednesday, July 24, vs. France; Saturday, July 27, vs. New Zealand and Tuesday, July 30, vs. Guinea. Games will be broadcast in English on USA Network and in Spanish on Telemundo. They also will be available to stream on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC Olympics app, NBC.com or the NBC app.