My City June 2021

MYSPORTS

ACCUSTOMED to WINNING Flint City Bucks Head Coach Andy Wagstaff

BY MARK SPEZIA x PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM JAGIELO

W hile growing up in Ashton in-Makerfield, situated roughly 18 miles east of Liv erpool in central England, Andy Wagstaff envisioned the trajectory he hoped his soccer career would take. At age 16, Wagstaff eagerly ac cepted a two-year playing appren ticeship with the elite Bury Football Club, intending to secure a perma nent roster spot when it ended and continue as a professional player. Fortunately for the hundreds of players who have benefited from his guidance during the past three decades,

Wagstaff ’s actual soccer path took him in a different direction. While with Bury, Wagstaff began working with a local youth team and discovered he is equally as passionate about coaching soccer as he is play ing the sport. Eventually, coaching became his sole focus. After experiencing a plethora of success as a head coach at the college, club and high school levels and as as sistant in the semi-pro and pro ranks, Wagstaff became the Flint City Bucks head coach last year. He was promoted from associ ate coach, succeeding Demir Muftari roughly seven months following the Bucks’ United Soccer League Two championship during their first season in the city after moving from Pontiac. “I knew (the promotion) was com ing because Demir’s plan was to only coach the first season in Flint after he returned for a second stint as head coach,” Wagstaff says. “I love being a head coach at this level because the players’ soccer intelligence, profes sionalism and dedication are just so strong. They are hoping to play at a high professional level one day.”

Shortly after Wagstaff was named head coach, however, the coronavirus pandemic put defense of the Bucks’ championship on hold.They did play six exhibition matches last fall in an empty Atwood Stadium, winning all of them by a dominating 26-2 margin. “We were all shattered when the USL season was cancelled, but it was a massive relief when we figured out a way to play at least some games,”Wagstaff says. “We put a good team together, a very good bunch of lads who played well. It gave us a good bit of confidence that a USL season could happen this year.” Indeed, it will. The Bucks finally began defense of their USL 2 crown on May 15 with an encouraging 3-1 home win over Toledo Villa FC.

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