Riverdale, NY - The College of Mount Saint Vincent has a new man in charge of the men's soccer program.
Johnny Raj – most recently an assistant coach at Division-I Fairfield University – was appointed the new head coach of the Dolphins by Phil Stern, CMSV's Director of Athletics and Recreation. The move was made official on Thursday morning.
"I am deeply honored to have been selected by our Athletics Director, Phil Stern to join the Dolphin Family as their new Men's Soccer Head Coach," Raj told CMSVAthletics.com. "I'd like to also thank the search committee for the opportunity in front of me and (Fairfield University Director of Athletics) Paul Schlickmann and (Fairfield Men's Head Coach) Carl Rees as well as the entire Stag Family for my tenure at Fairfield."
"The goals and vision of the College of Mount Saint Vincent and Athletic Department is something that I found to be aligned with. I am committed to building on our winning culture by working tirelessly with the players and my staff to develop their skills, instill a strong work ethic, and create a culture of excellence both on and off the field. Together, we will strive for national prowess and achieve success that the entire Dolphins community can be proud of."
Raj takes over for former head coach
Tommy Mattera, who recently departed CMSV for the head coaching position at Division-II University of New Haven. The first-year head coach inherits a CMSV soccer program that took home the Skyline Conference championship in 2021 and returned to the conference tournament this past season.
Raj will also serve as an Assistant Athletic Director for the department, focusing on game day operations.
"We are thrilled to add Coach Raj to lead our men's soccer program," stated Phil Stern, Director of Athletics and Recreation. "Johnny's core values line up with ours and he will continue to build on the on-field success that we have had the last two years. Coach Raj has a proven track record in recruiting well rounded student-athletes and a great ability to relate to his players."
Raj's experience ranges across multiple levels. He joined the Stags' staff in August of 2017 performed in multiple roles for head coach Carl Rees. Throughout his five years with Fairfield, Raj contributed to the team's training by planning and implementing activities, aided in the program's recruiting efforts, helped oversee budgeting, created scouting reports for both coaches and players, assisted in compliance efforts, cultivated alumni and fundraising efforts, as well as monitoring academic success.
The off-field success translated to the pitch, as Raj played a large part in the team's regular season MAAC championships in 2017 and 2018, as well as taking home the conference title in 2018. That was reflected when the coaching staff took home Coaching Staff of the Year honors in both seasons.
In addition to his role with the Stags, Raj worked as the High School Program Director, head college advisor and U19 head coach for the Revolution United soccer club based out of Stratford, Connecticut. Raj's collegiate coaching experience began in 2015, when he served on the University of Bridgeport's staff. From 2013-2015, he worked for Green Farms Academy as the middle school's soccer Technical Director, as well as an assistant on the varsity soccer staff.
Raj's playing career was as successful as his coaching career. He suited up as a defender for the Stags, beginning in 2009 until 2012. Raj started in all but one game throughout his collegiate career while serving as team captain in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Raj was named first team All-Region in 2011, second team All-Region in 2012, was on the Herman Trophy watch list during his senior season and was a part of the MAAC regular season and Tournament championship team in 2011. Raj was also Chicago Fire's U23 captain in 2011, represented New Zealand's U20 team in 2007's World Cup Campaign as well as their U23 team for the London Olympics, among other achievements.
Raj takes over a Dolphins team that had five players named to the All-Skyline Conference first and second teams while going 7-6-3 in 2022.
"This program has had success over recent years in the Skyline Conference. I intend to build off that success over the coming years by not just consistently competing for Skyline Championships, but to compete on the national stage on and off the field," Raj continued. "The ambition of the College, Athletic Department and program fosters such an environment and supports its constituents to achieve this."
Raj earned a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and Master in Public Administration from Fairfield, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Bridgeport. He currently resides in Fairfield, Connecticut with his wife Kathleen and two dogs, Pearl and Koda.
