Houston Dynamo FC announced today that Brendan Burke will join the first team technical staff as an assistant coach. The Dynamo and Colorado Switchbacks from the USL Championship negotiated an undisclosed fee for Burke’s arrival in the coming days.
“Brendan is a hungry coach with an impressive track record of implementing a proactive game model and leading winning teams. He also brings extensive experience developing players for MLS, the national team and Europe. He will be a valuable addition to Ben’s coaching staff as we continue to develop a game model for the club,” said Dynamo general manager, Pat Onstad. “We are happy that Brendan and his family chose to be part of our project and we welcome them to Houston.”
Burke joins Ben Olsen’s staff from the Colorado Switchbacks following back-to-back appearances in the USL Championship playoffs and reaching the 2022 USL Championship Western Conference final. The Hopedale, Mass. native joined Colorado in 2021, inheriting a Switchbacks team that won two games in 2020 and failed to qualify for the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. For the turnaround, Burke was nominated as a finalist for the USL Championship Coach of the Year.
The 40-year-old spent more than a decade with the Philadelphia Union organization, most recently as the head of recruitment operations. He served as the head coach of Bethlehem Steel FC from 2015-2019, first team assistant coach and reserve team head coach from 2011-2013, working with notable future MLS and National Team players, including Brendan Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Paxten Aaronson, and many others.
Burke joined the Union organization in 2008 as the head coach of Reading United A.C., the Union’s PDL development affiliate partner. He led the team to the 2009 PDL regular season championship, two Eastern Conference titles (2008 and 2010) and three Mid-Atlantic Division titles (2008-2010). He was named the PDL Coach of the Year in 2010 and developed a pathway for more than 30 players to play professionally in the United States or Europe.
