The Visionary Leader Behind Charleston Battery's Rise: Lee Cohen | Ep. 14

Off the Pitch

In this episode, we're joined by Lee Cohen, the President of USL Championship side Charleston Battery and former President of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Lee shared with us his extensive journey through the soccer landscape, revealing the insights and strategies that have shaped his successful career so far.
Lee took us back to his early experiences as an intern at the PDL that quickly found himself as the league's Director less than 18 months later, which is a theme in Lee' career of facing challenges head on and never shying away from absorbing more responsibility and pressure. He discussed the unique challenges and triumphs of leading a club during the unpredictable 2020 season - a year that saw his team win the Eastern Conference despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19. He also opened up about his move to Charleston, detailing his initial conversations with the ownership group and what made him get back into the President's chair after a brief break from the game.
Under Lee's leadership, Charleston Battery has seen a remarkable turnaround, clinching the Eastern Conference title in 2023 having finished third from bottom just one year earlier. Lee attributes this success to more than just tactics on the pitch; preferring the idea of instilling a set of strong values within the club's staff over the abstract concept of "culture".
It is clear from this conversation as to why Lee has had the success and rapid upward growth in his career so far in the game, with a big reason being his authentic day-to-day mindset of taking each day as it comes and only focussing on what you can control in the here and now.
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