Maik Brandt is in his second season as a graduate assistant coach with the Midwestern State men’s soccer program.
“Maik has a good soccer mind, and being our youngest graduate assistant at 24 years old, he’s our liaison between player and coach,” said head coach Doug Elder. “They can go and talk to him. I’ve seen him pull kids off to the side and talk to them and they’re comfortable. I think that’s going to be key.”
In 2016, Brandt helped guide the Mustangs to their sixth NCAA quarterfinal appearance and first-ever Heartland Conference regular season title with an 18-4-1 record. As a coach for the MSU back line, Brandt saw the Maroon and Gold tally 12 shutouts to tie for the fourth most in NCAA Division II while tying for the third highest amount in school history.
Defenders Antonio Hernandez and Jordan Speed were honored with D2CCA All-South Central Region accolades last season with Speed capturing first team honors and Hernandez being tabbed a second team selection.
In his first year at MSU, Brandt helped the Mustangs to a historic 2015 season. Midwestern State compiled a 17-1-1 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Third Round following an undefeated regular season, just the third in school history. In the national rankings, the Mustangs totaled eight consecutive weeks in the top three while spending one week at No. 1, becoming the nation's top-ranked team for the fifth time in program history and first since the 2008 season.
Prior to joining the Mustangs, Brandt lettered three years from 2012-14 as a defender for coach Olge Kennedy at NCAA Division II powerhouse Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.
While with the Skyhawks, Brandt was an All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) First Team and Daktronics Division II All-South Central Region Second Team selection in 2013 and 2014. He also garnered National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-South Central Region Third Team honors in 2014.
Brandt also excelled in the classroom, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fort Lewis in December 2014. He was twice named RMAC First Team All-Academic, and was selected to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District Team in 2013 and 2014.
In 2014, Brandt earned one of the most prestigious academic awards in the country for student-athletes when he was named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Men’s Soccer Third Team. He was also honored with the Dr. Troy Bledsoe Scholar-Athlete Award at Fort Lewis and was selected as the 2014-15 RMAC Scholar-Athlete Award winner, becoming just the second Skyhawk in the history of the men’s soccer program to earn the honor.
Before arriving at FLC, the Stadthagen, Germany native studied two years at University of Applied Science Münster and played for SC Preußen Münster from 2010-12.
In 2014, Brandt helped the Michigan Bucks, a squad based out of Pontiac, Michigan, win the prominent United Soccer Leagues (USL) Premier Development League title.
During the summer of 2015, Brandt rejoined the Bucks, appearing in eight contests and helping the team to a runner-up finish at the US Soccer National Amateur Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“We’re happy to have someone from a pedigree of Fort Lewis with experience playing in Germany and at a high level with the Michigan Bucks, which is one of the best PDL (Premier Development League) teams in the country, Elder said.”
Brandt also dedicates himself off the pitch to the sport of soccer. He holds a Class B Coaching License with the Deutscher Fußballbund (DFB), which is equivalent to the UEFA-B or the U.S. Soccer Coaching Department National B License.
Brandt is currently pursuing a master's degree in Business Administration from MSU.
