Syracuse’s title-winning 2022 season didn’t start gracefully. It began with head coach Ian McIntyre ripping into his players.
Before the campaign, the Orange were predicted to finish fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division. McIntyre took that personally. He started criticizing everyone on the team — including himself — on the first day of practice.
“This is where we’re at. We’re one of the worst teams in the ACC,” former SU midfielder Stephen Betz recalled McIntyre yelling at them. “You’re fine with that? That means I’m one of the worst coaches. You guys are some of the worst players.”
The fiery remarks were exactly what Syracuse needed. They catapulted an unranked team to the pinnacle of college soccer — its first national championship.
McIntyre’s speech is just one example of his evolution across his 16-year tenure at SU. With the Orange’s 3-0 victory over Colgate on Tuesday, he became Syracuse’s all-time wins leader, passing his predecessor Dean Foti with win No. 142.
With SU, McIntyre, 53, has compiled a 142-103-52 record, finishing with a winning record 11 times and making seven trips to the NCAA Tournament. But it’s not the accolades that stand out to his former players. It’s the unbreakable culture he built in the locker room. The detailed practices that prepared them for games. And the relentless pursuit for glory, achieving the university’s most recent national title.
“It puts his name in that Syracuse history book and just shows what he’s done to the community, the organization and the school,” nine-year MLS veteran Miles Robinson, who starred with SU from 2015-16, told The Daily Orange.
“He was the backbone, bringing the whole group together and setting our culture,” fellow alum Buster Sjöberg (2022-23) said.
“This is his life and he’s fully dedicated to it,” Andre Cutler-DeJesus (2023-24) said. “He’s so passionate about the game and it’s awesome to have a coach like that.”
• • •
The early steps of McIntyre’s SU tenure were far from pretty. In 2010, his first season at the helm, he won just two games. He only increased that tally by one the following season. But even through its struggles, former defender Ryan Tessler felt Syracuse competed in every game.
That’s because McIntyre was never content, former goalie Alex Bono (2012-14) said. He made it clear the expectation was to win instantly.
Tessler (2010-12) and Skylar Thomas (2011-14) said McIntyre rebuilt the program from scratch. His 2010 roster mostly consisted of freshmen and transfers like Tessler and Jordan Murrell. McIntyre knew the group would take time to develop but believed it’d “escape the mud” quickly, Tessler said.
McIntyre sparked SU’s turnaround by making its training competitive, per Thomas. In scrimmages, workouts and fitness tests — literally any time the team was together — McIntyre awarded points to the best players to make everyone fight harder for each rep. The changes paid off with a Sweet 16 berth in 2012.
“Having three wins is not something to hang your hat on, and he was never satisfied with that,” Bono said. “He was adamant that the program was going to turn around rather quickly.”
SU’s gaffer has always been uber-prepared in his recruiting. Former Syracuse defender Max Kent (2020-21) said McIntyre outlined a specific plan for his time with the program. When McIntyre recruited Cutler-DeJesus out of the transfer portal, he mentioned the Marist transfer’s own goal in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Championship during a call, displaying the coach’s dedication.
Betz also wanted to make a strong impression in his first in-person meeting with McIntyre in September 2019. So, he wrote a detailed report about each player in Syracuse’s previous 0-0 tie with Louisville. He then woke up at 7:30 a.m. and made his way to Bruegger’s Bagels to meet the coach. McIntyre listened to it all intently, ensuring Betz he’d chosen the right school.
“He will go to the ends of the earth to find the talent that he wants to have on the pitch,” Kent said. “He’ll go recruit from Sweden, Costa Rica, a (Junior College) in nowheresville to find people.”
McIntyre’s personalized pitches were just the start. He helped develop many overlooked recruits into stars.
Robinson has become an MLS veteran at FC Cincinnati, Tajon Buchanan (2017-18) has recently broken out for Villarreal and Kamal Miller (2015-18) has excelled alongside him for the Canadian National Team.
Miller, who also plays in the MLS for the Portland Timbers, said McIntyre helped him acclimate to the pros quickly by handing him 25 starts as a freshman.
“When I got to the pro level, I didn’t feel like a rookie. I just felt like another player on the team,” Miller said. “I was able to put all of these big money players in the right positions so we can succeed.”
After Syracuse’s 1-0 loss to Duquesne this season, Ian McIntyre motivates his players with an impassioned speech. Combined with his strong recruiting, McIntyre has helped mold his players into stars, including Tajon Buchanan and Miles Robinson. Jonathan Theodore | Contributing Photographer
McIntyre’s dedication helped SU rebound from its disastrous start, with the Orange stitching together five straight 10-plus win seasons from 2012-16.
That’s when McIntyre finally started to gain respect as SU’s head coach, Robinson said.
“It’s hard to beat someone who is prepared for everything,” said Michal Gradus, who played under McIntyre from 2021-24. “(Cristiano) Ronaldo is one of the best players because of his dedication, and I think Mac is the same where he looks at everything as a challenge and doesn’t take anything lightly.”
• • •
McIntyre was thrust into the spotlight throughout Syracuse’s 2022 campaign.
His Day 1 tirade kick-started the run. From then on, everyone wanted to prove McIntyre wrong, Betz said. They even adopted a motto to show their belief: “It was always us.”
McIntyre has always empowered his players with speeches. He once snapped his whiteboard in two when SU was losing at halftime, Bono said. Gradus and Betz agreed he was one of the best speakers they’ve ever seen.
In 2022, McIntyre emphasized that Syracuse just needed to steal a seat at the table where all the other ranked squads resided.
Before one home game later that season, McIntyre grabbed some grass from SU Soccer Stadium and hurled it into the locker room to emphasize that Syracuse needed to defend its home turf, former SU midfielder Lorenzo Bosselli (2022-23) said.
Bosselli said it sent a stern message: Win at all costs.
“After the meeting, we all looked at each other like, ‘What in that world just happened?’” Bosselli said. “He sends these messages very well, making you feel like, ‘Okay, let’s go win this game. There’s no other option.’”
The Orange did. Despite its preseason underdog status, Syracuse entered the 2022 playoffs at a scalding 11-2-4, outscoring its opponents 33-10.
Gradus credited the surge to McIntyre’s signature press defense, which constantly forced turnovers. No one wanted to play the Orange because they knew they’d go home battered, bruised and oftentimes losers, Gradus added.
It was an unusual style for a college program. When SU traveled to England after the season, Bosselli remembers teams there being surprised at Syracuse’s aggressiveness.
The tactic guided SU through the ACC Tournament, as it downed then-No. 18 Clemson to claim the conference title. Four wins later, Syracuse found itself in the national championship game versus then-No. 13 Indiana.
The Orange were ready for the moment.
After ending regulation tied at 2-2, the game went to a penalty shootout. Betz said he felt everything went Syracuse’s way. Julius Rauch’s successful penalty was called back? No problem. He calmly buried his second attempt. Levonte Johnson’s howitzer banged off the crossbar and barely bounced in. Following Russell Shealy’s clutch save in the shootout, Amferny Sinclair slotted the game-winner into the top right corner.
Syracuse celebrates with the National Championship trophy after winning its first-ever College Cup. Head coach Ian McIntyre’s dedication, which included set piece and press defense practices, led to the Orange’s dominant season. Meghan Hendricks | Daily Orange File Photo
Everyone went crazy. Except McIntyre.
While players and fans stormed the field, the head coach remained stoic. It was like he’d won any other game. Sjöberg said that’s because winning was simply the standard. McIntyre turned toward the crowd, clapped a few times, then went to console Indiana’s players.
But in SU’s locker room afterward, his emotions emerged. McIntyre beamed with pride as the feeling settled in. He’d finally reached the top.
“It wasn’t Coach Mac anymore. It was Ian McIntyre,” Betz said. “Seeing him live in the moment for just two, three minutes and understanding what he just accomplished was an amazing feeling.”
• • •
Syracuse’s title was a culmination of years of hard work.
After a subpar 2021 season, McIntyre realized the team’s chemistry was off. So, he talked with captain Noah Singelmann to push it in the right direction, Gradus said.
They decided to hold more team meals together, implementing a strict no-phone rule so the players could bond. That extended to Thanksgiving. Sjöberg said players lived by the mantra “good teams eat on Thanksgiving,” not only because it meant they’d made the playoffs, but they knew everyone would go to McIntyre’s for dinner.
McIntyre also started a leadership group, selecting six players across all grade levels to represent their classes. It helped younger players who’d rather report issues to those their age instead of older captains. The group met once a week to iron out any problems that arose.
The strategies worked to perfection. Betz said after practices and meetings in 2022, no one wanted to leave, spending hours in the locker room playing card and trivia games.
“We would have died for each other that year,” Betz said. “It didn’t matter if you were somebody who didn’t even really have a chance of stepping on the field, the guys loved each other.”
Before a match, Syracuse players embrace Ian McIntyre in their pregame huddle. McIntyre formed close bonds with his players, including inviting them over to his house every Thanksgiving. Hunter Franklin | Daily Orange File Photo
Everyone gave their all, no matter their role on the team. That’s because McIntyre played whoever he needed to win, regardless of class or experience, Tessler said.
That strategy panned out in Syracuse’s Final Four matchups with Creighton and Indiana. Despite averaging 23 minutes in his 11 previous games, McIntyre slotted in defender Jackson Glenn to neutralize both opponents’ top threats because he excelled in one-on-one duels.
Glenn was dealt the biggest task of his career in the biggest games of the season. On many teams, the move would’ve backfired. But because Glenn remained locked in through his time on the bench, he seamlessly handled his assignment.
“If you started one game, that wasn’t gonna mean you were going to start the next game,” Tessler said. “(McIntyre) would always put players on the field that he felt would help win the game.”
Across McIntyre’s 16 years with Syracuse, he’s built an “Orange family,” Bono said. Former players often tune into games. Thomas even drove 13 hours from Toronto to North Carolina for the 2022 ACC Tournament, and Bono streamed the national championship from the Bahamas.
That dedication stems from McIntyre. The coach has hit both the highs and lows at Syracuse. He’s won a national title. And now, he stands alone as the program’s greatest coach of all time.
With his Orange family at his side, his former protégés believe he’s finally made Syracuse his home.
“He didn’t consider himself a full-on Syracuse man,” Bosselli said. “But I’m pretty sure he’s gonna tell you that now Syracuse is home for him.”
