Mark Berson Position: Head Coach Experience: 34th Season Alma Mater: North Carolina, 1975

VIDEO: Carolina Spotlight: Mark Berson

Mark Berson, one of 13 Division I coaches ever to win 400 matches, begins his 34th season at the helm of the South Carolina soccer program. In the 2011 Division I coaching record book, Berson enters the season as the winningest active coach in NCAA Division I men's soccer by victories (441) and ranks as the No. 7 coach all-time in D-I history by victories.

Berson has been at South Carolina from the beginning. He was hired to move the program to varsity status in 1978, and he quickly put Carolina on the map. He has gone on to mold the Gamecocks into consistent winners that compete for championships.

Before coming to Carolina in 1978, Berson went 11-5-0 in one season at The Citadel, making his overall record 441-180-58, a winning percentage of 69.2 percent. In 2006, Berson became one of five active (at that time) Division I coaches and the 10th all-time to reach the 400-victory milestone when his Gamecocks defeated UAB, 2-0, in a televised contest at Stone Stadium. Berson now has a 430-175-58 record at South Carolina.

Berson has made his mark on the college soccer world by taking the Gamecocks to 19 NCAA Tournaments. The Gamecocks have advanced to at least the second round 11 times and have four quarterfinal and two Final Four appearances. In 1993, the Gamecocks advanced to the NCAA Championship game.

Though Carolina has been independent during the majority of the program's tenure, the Gamecocks have captured a trio of conference titles under Berson's leadership. Carolina won the 1993 Metro Conference Championship in one of its two years competing in the conference. The Gamecocks joined Conference USA in 2005 and promptly claimed the league's tournament championship and automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, while Carolina also won the C-USA Championship in 2010.

South Carolina won the 2010 Conference USA Tournament Championship, earning the No. 7 national seed in the NCAA Tournament en route to a first-round bye. The home field advantage propelled the Gamecocks to a 1-0 win over Duke during the second round, advancing the squad to the Round of 16. South Carolina concluded the season ranked No. 12 in the final NSCAA Top 25 Poll, while the team also earned the NSCAA's top team academic award.

South Carolina is very successful in its recruiting, bringing in a top-20 recruiting class in 2006, while in 2007 the South Carolina recruiting class ranked No. 10, the 2008 class ranked No. 14, the 2009 class No. 23, the 2010 class ranked No. 16 and the most recent 2011 class ranked No. 11 in the nation according to CollegeSoccerNews.com.

Besides making an impact in collegiate soccer, Berson's presence is also felt within the professional ranks. Former Gamecock Josh Wolff (1995-97) competed on the United States World Cup team for the second time during the summer of 2006 and was also an Olympic team member in 2000. Clint Mathis, a teammate of Josh Wolff during his time at Carolina, also enjoyed a celebrated professional career that spanned 11 seasons in Major League Soccer. Mathis was a member of the 2002 U.S. World Cup squad and helped his MLS team, Real Salt Lake, capture the MLS Cup in 2009. Mathis announced his retirement from professional soccer in August of 2010. Most recently, Blake Brettschneider, the 2010 C-USA Co-MVP and Co-Offensive MVP, has made his mark in MLS as an integral member of DC United.

During the summer of 2002, Wolff and Clint Mathis (1994-97) represented the United States in the World Cup. Mathis also graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in May prior to the World Cup, marking the third Gamecock athlete, in any sport, to be featured on the prestigious magazine.

In January 2005, former Gamecock Brad Guzan (2003-04) made MLS history when he was the No. 2 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft, selected by CD Chivas USA. Guzan became the highest goalkeeper ever drafted into the league. In the fall of 2007, Guzan was selected as the 2007 Panasonic MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. He received his first invitation to the U.S. National Team Camp in January 2006 and was selected to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Beijing as the starting goalkeeper. Guzan was also honored during the summer of 2010 with a roster spot on the U.S. Men's National Team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. In 2004, goalkeeper Henry Ring enjoyed a breakout season representing the Garnet and Black in the MLS All-Star game and starting in goal for the East.

Most recently three Gamecocks were selected in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft, as Sam Arthur (Chicago Fire), Brettschneider (DC United) and Jimmy Maurer (New York Red Bulls) were drafted following their senior seasons at Carolina.

Currently, three of Berson's pupils at South Carolina are playing in the professional ranks - Wolff and Brettschneider in MLS with DC United, while Guzan competes with Aston Villa of the Barclays Premier League in England.

Berson led Carolina to a 113-39-12 mark (.726) in the 1990s, which rated the Gamecocks as one of the winningest programs in NCAA Division I soccer. In 1998, Berson earned the inaugural Independent Coach of the Year award after leading Carolina to the best record of all Independent schools.

Berson has also been honored as the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) Coach of the Year in the South on four occasions (1984, 1985, 1988, 1995).

Under his leadership, 19 Gamecocks have been selected to represent South Carolina in either the MLS Combine, the ISAA Senior Bowl or the UMBRO Select All-Star Classic. Included in that group are Brettschneider (2011), Maurer (2011), Mike Sambursky (2006), Josh Alcala (2005), Guzan (2004), Tim Glowienka (2003), Jordan Quinn (2003), Joey Worthen (2002), Chris Morman (1999), Mathis (1997), Billy Clifford (1995), Andrew Coggins (1991), Tommy Loeber (1990), Charles Arndt (1988), Doug Allison (1987), Bill Hency (1986), Warren Lipka (1985) David Burr, (1982) and Paul Turin (1979). Two of those players, Lipka and Arndt, were honored as National Goalkeeper of the Year in 1985 and 1988, respectively.

Berson's success has ranged beyond the college ranks, as 51 South Carolina players have been drafted into or entered professional soccer since 1978, while Gamecock players have represented the United States on the U.S. Olympic team, the U.S. National team, the National "B" team, the U.S. Under-20 and Under-23 teams, the World University Games squad, and the U.S. Olympic Festival teams. Berson has coached 11 individual NSCAA All-Americans (Doug Allison, Marty Baltzeger, Charles Arndt, Clark Brisson, Tommy Loeber, Chris Faklaris, Rob Smith, Mathis, Henry Ring, Guzan and Greg Reece), 11 individual Academic All-Americans (Peter Duitsman, Greg King, Jeff Love (twice), Pat Mihm, Phil Seidenberg, Loeber, Ruben Tufino, Arthur (second team/third team) Maurer (second team/first team), Brettschneider (third team) and Will Traynor (third team) and Soccer America's Freshman of the Year (Tufino). Duitsman was also named the Boyd McWhorter SEC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1994.

Berson has been involved in soccer development as a coach, teacher and administrator on many levels. He is a U.S. Soccer National Instructional Staff Coach with an "A" coaching license and has served a US Soccer National Instructional staff coach since 1989. He has served as State Coach for the South Carolina Youth Soccer Association (SCYSA), working in player development and coaching certification. In 1992, he was inducted into the South Carolina Youth Soccer Association Hall of Fame.

Berson also coached the U.S. National U-18 team in the Granatkin/Leningrad Tournament in January 1989, in the Soviet Union. In July 1987, he directed the South team to the gold medal in the U.S. Olympic Festival in Durham, N.C., one year after serving as an assistant coach for the South squad.

Berson has served on the NCAA South Region Advisory Committee for the NCAA Tournament and the Division I Coaches Subcommittee for the National Soccer Coaches Association. He has also served as a scout for U.S. Soccer for the South Region. His Carolina Soccer Camp continues to be one of the country's finest soccer camps for children of all age groups and skill levels.

Berson began his coaching career when he joined the soccer staff at The Citadel in 1976 and served as an assistant coach under Eddie Teague. He took over the Bulldogs' head job the next season and led The Citadel to an 11-5-0 mark and a second-place finish in the Southern Conference.

Berson came to Columbia to start the varsity program in 1978 and promptly posted a 13-3-1 mark in his inaugural season with the Gamecocks. A year later, South Carolina finished with a 14-5-0 record and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time. South Carolina has gone on to achieve a winning record in 30 of 33 seasons.

A 1971 graduate of Summit (N.J.) High School, Berson attended the University of North Carolina and received his bachelor of arts degree in journalism in 1975. Berson played on the Tar Heel soccer squad for four years, one as a midfielder and the other three in goal. As a senior, Berson received the UNC Educational Foundation Award and was a member of the Academic ACC Honor Roll. Berson earned his master's of education degree in sport administration from Ohio University in 1977.

Born March 16, 1953, in Hartford, Conn., Berson is married to the former Shauna Hopkins, a South Carolina alum, of Columbia. They have two children, Erin Rhea, and Luke William. Erin graduated from South Carolina in 2009, and Luke is currently enrolled at the University of South Carolina.