Mark Berson
Berson in 2020 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 16, 1953 Hartford, Connecticut |
| Playing career | |
| 1971–1974 | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1977 | The Citadel Bulldogs |
| 1978–2020 | South Carolina Gamecocks |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 522-266-76 |
| Tournaments | 22 NCAA Tournaments 11 Sweet Sixteens 4 Elite Eights 2 College Cups 1 Championship Final |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Conference USA Regular Season Championship (2011) Conference USA Tournament Championship (2010) Conference USA Tournament Championship (2005) Metro Regular Season Championship (1993) | |
| Awards | |
| National Soccer Coaches Association Coach of the Year (1984, 1985, 1988, 1995) South Carolina Youth Soccer Association's Hall of Fame (1992) Independent Coach of the Year (1998) Conference USA Coach of the Year 2011 Bill Jeffrey Award (2014) South Carolina Letterman's Hall of Fame (2015) State of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame (2023) | |
| Records | |
| No. 3 All-Time in Division I wins 22 NCAA Tournaments in 43 years Ten Top 10 final rankings Seven Top 5 final rankings | |
Mark Berson (born March 16, 1953 in Hartford, Connecticut) is an American former soccer player and coach. Berson started his coaching career at The Citadel in 1976 and then spent 43 seasons as the head men's soccer coach at the University of South Carolina. He holds a US Soccer "A" coaching license and was a member of the US Soccer National Instructional Staff from 1989 to 2023. He served as the head coach of the U.S. Men's U-18 National Team and was active on the Region III (South) staff as a coach for two decades competing in tournaments in Europe, Mexico and South America.
Berson retired from college soccer after the 2021 season with 522 career wins – the most wins of any active NCAA Division I coach and one of only three Division I coaches with more than 500 wins. Berson's South Carolina coaching record stands at 511-261-76 (.647) with an overall record of 522-266-76 (.648). At South Carolina, Berson coached 375 student-athletes who received more than 250 awards for their performance both on and off the field.
Since 2022, Berson has served as an on-site match director for Major League Soccer (MLS). In the summer of 2025, Berson also served as a FIFA on-site match commissioner for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Tournament in the United States.