Brenner comes to La Salle with over 18 years of coaching experience at all three division levels in college athletics. Brenner was the head coach at Eastern University, leading the Eagles to a 2-2 record in the COVID-shortened 2021 spring season before finishing 10-5-2 in the fall. Eastern celebrated its second-best start in program history at 7-1-2 and earned a national ranking as high at 17th in the country during the fall campaign.
EU’s team GPA also improved from 2.6 to 3.3 during Brenner’s tenure, while a school-record 27 players were named to the All-Conference academic team.
Prior to his stint at Eastern, Brenner turned around a struggling Elmira College program in just three years. The Soaring Eagles won nine games in 2019 and advanced to the Empire 8 Semifinals, while a program-record eight players were All-Conference selections.
Brenner arrived at Elmira following a two-year stint with Division II Lake Erie College, where he amassed a 15-16-6 overall record and helped guide the Storm to back-to-back Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) postseason bids.
In 2015, Brenner led Lake Erie to a third-place regular-season finish and the program’s first-ever GLIAC championship appearance. The 2016 season saw Brenner’s Storm open the year with team’s best start in program history at 5-1-0, before concluding the season with an 8-7-4 record, the second-most victories in single-season program history. Six of his players received All-GLIAC and All-Tournament Team honors, while Lake Erie was the only institution to have a freshman receive First-Team accolades.
Over his two-year stay at Lake Erie, Brenner coached 14 All-GLIAC honorees, including the 2016 GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year and the 2015 GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year. He also developed two NSCAA All-Region players and helped the Storm end the year as the country's 39th-best scoring offense. Accolades extended to the team level as well, as his 2015 squad received the NSCAA All-Academic Team Award with an impressive grade point average of 3.41. Three of Brenner's players would go on to play semi-professional ranks following their time at Lake Erie, including Samuel Mutemwa (Cleveland Legacy of the Premier Arena Soccer League), Anthony Novak (Ottawa Fury of the USL), and Joe Coombs (Michigan Star of the NPSL).
Before to his time at Lake Erie, Brenner served as an assistant coach at Division I University at Buffalo from 2014-15. As Buffalo’s top assistant, he developed the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Rookie of the Year and placed eight players on the All-MAC Academic Team. His recruitment and development of several key players was instrumental in setting the stage for back-to-back MAC Tournament appearances in 2015 and 2016. One of the key players during Buffalo’s playoff run was Russell Cicerone, a recruit of Brenner’s. He was drafted by Portland in the MLS Superdraft and continues playing professionally.
Brenner’s Division I coaching experience also includes a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Canisius College. The Golden Griffins reached several new heights during Brenner’s tenure, including the best start to a season in program history, the longest unbeaten streak and the longest winning streak in Canisius history, all of which took place during the 2012 campaign; the Griffs also received votes in the NSCAA National Coaches Poll during that season. Brenner was also responsible for recruiting and developing standout talisman Asani Samuels, who would later go on to play professionally for the Rochester Rhinos of the United Soccer League (USL).
Earlier in his coaching career, Brenner served as the assistant coach for his alma mater, Division III Buffalo State, from 2005-10. His six-season appointment saw the Bengals produce their highest winning percentage in 23 years. During that time, Buffalo State qualified for two SUNYAC postseason tournaments, placed seven players on the All-SUNYAC Team and had 10 student-athletes earn All-SUNYAC Academic Team accolades.
A member of the United Soccer Coach Association, Brenner holds two USSF Licenses, while completing his USC Advanced Regional, National Diploma, Advance National and Premier Diplomas. Brenner’s playing career began at neighboring SUNY Cortland, before making the switch to Buffalo State for his sophomore season. During his time with the Bengals, he was a two-year captain and helped the team to its best record to date in 2004 (11-5-2). That season, Brenner led the Bengals in game-winning goals and finished third in points, which helped Buffalo State receive a regional ranking from the NSCAA, as well as votes in the national poll.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business management, Brenner was signed as a scout and reserve player for the Queen City Football Club of the National Premier Soccer League from 2006-2008.
