Erik Burstein Reviews

Coach is passionate about the team and cares so much about the players. He’s always available when you need him and he is supportive with everything you need. He is also an excellent coach. I’ve learned so much from him and I continue to get better from the way he coaches the entire team. He pushes you to be the best and he has very high standards. Big on details and winning is extremely important to the program.

My daughter is extremely happy playing for Kutztown University and Coach Burstein. It is evident that he cares deeply for the players and he creates a tremendous culture that my daughter often refers to. We are very pleased with her experience so far!

He is the best coach I have played for. He has such a passion for coaching and cares so much for every player on the team. Works hard and wants to be win.

So proud to have been a part of this program! Coach puts an enormous amount of time into his job and the results prove it. He was awesome to play for and I would do it all over again!

Coach Burnstein runs a nationally competitive program where you need to meet standards on fitness, style of play and behavior. All the players are made aware of this and are held accountable to it. The culture is strong and the players totally buy into the way this program operates. Great environment, great coaching and great team.

Coach is smart an knows the game very well. He cares about the team and about winning games. He is very prepared for practices and games and makes adjustments when necessary. He takes time to meet with players and check in with them frequently. Could use his subs more. Team culture is great and I love the girls on the team.

Year after year this program is one of the best in the country. Doesn’t happen on accident. Always competitive and always has good players. Organized and structured. Fun to watch.

Reading some of these posts on Coach Burstein is really disheartening. Having personal experience with this program, I always question players who want to claim that Coach Burstein creates an environment where anyone is in an abusive setting. The straight fact is that all of these complaints are most likely from parents or players who don't or did not get much playing time. College athletics is not a rec sport and it is also optional! Players do not have to stay in an environment where they claim it is not good for their mental health. I think it is questionable and unreasonable that anyone would stay in this optional position for 4 years if it was really that bad, which makes the validity of these posts suspect. Coach Burstein and his coaching staff have been nothing but the utmost professional, dedicated, caring, passionate, and committed team of coaches I have ever been a part of! I advise anyone who hasn't had a favorable experience with this talented team of coaches to leave and look elsewhere. No one has to stay in an environment you are not happy in.

I am an alumna of Rutgers-Newark (2004-2005) and played for coach Burstein during his brief spell at RUN. He took over a failing program with deep issues and brought us immediate success. His ability to adapt was out of this world and his knowledge and understanding of how to instruct the players was something special. We were all devastated when he left, but deep down we all knew he had the talent to coach at a much higher level. He is the best coach I have ever played for and I am forever grateful for what he taught me and our team. Not surprised to see all his success at Kutztown. He is exceptional on so many levels!

I played for coach Burstein during his first two years at KU (2007-2008) and have been following the team since. There is no surprise to see KU having tremendous success under his guidance because coach is exceptional. He came to KU at a time the program was a mess. He had a clear vision for what he wanted to achieve and how he was going to get there. He had a plan for all the players and he had clear expectations. He also held everyone accountable. His knowledge of the game and his ability to adapt game plans to help the team is incredible. He always found ways for our team to be successful and he cared deeply about the program from day one. Kutztown soccer is where it is today because of coach and I am proud to say I was a Golden Bear. Just wish he had coached the team all four years of my career there.

I played for coach Burnstein on a summer league team and I can honestly say that I learned more about the sport from him in 2 months than I have from my DI college coaches over the past three years. His knowledge and understanding of the game and tactics is second to none. He is the most effective coach I have ever played for and he should be coaching at a higher level!

Coach has an incredible understanding of the game and knows how to relate his plans to the team. Always prepared and organized. Practices are challenging but you are always learning something things. Passionate coach who works hard and always available if you need to speak to him.

I understand that everyone’s experiences are different, but some of the reviews about the team culture, turnover in the program and the way Eric runs the team are completely false based on the experiences my family had. I had two daughters play for Eric and their experiences were excellent and more than any parent would have hoped for. The team culture is outstanding, and in fact, both of my daughters have mentioned this to me on several occasions while at KU, and even after they graduated. They miss it so much! One of my daughters had a serious injury and Eric was supportive, caring and compassionate throughout her recovery. My other daughter didn’t play as much, and she was forced to play in a different position from what she was used too, but that position change eventually got her on the field more frequently. During her transition Eric was extremely helpful as she was lacking in confidence and struggling with her limited role on the team and the position change. Eric spoke with her frequently during this time and helped her relax, regain confidence and he was always honest with feedback. He made her a better player and was always supportive. In terms of players quitting the team, we did have a few players leave the team during the 7 combined years my kids played for Eric, but all of those players weren’t playing. In fact my older daughters best friend left the team because she didn’t play and felt she wouldn’t get the playing time she wanted because there were other good players on the team playing over her. My younger daughter came in with a class of only 7. All 7 of those girls stayed with the program all 4 years. None of them left the team and each of them got very different amounts of playing time. In college sometimes things don’t work out. It is easy to get mad and place blame, especially when you want the best for your child. My daughters experiences were great, and each of them had very different amounts of playing time, and neither one of them were the “superstar” on the team. Eric was an excellent coach and person! He has high standards, which some people may not like, but those standards kept the team successful and helped my daughters improve on and off the field. Highly Recommend!

I have played summer league for Erik for a couple of years and love it! He is very knowledgeable about soccer and creates a good atmosphere which is why I continue to come back.

I have had a number of my former players go to Kutztown and play for coach Burstein and the feedback I get is exemplary! Each of these players had different experiences, but their feedback on Coach Burstein and the program is consistent ... high level players in the program, challenging environment, excellent team culture, very high level coaching and highly competitive program (that competes nationally). I will continue to recommend KU as I am confident, especially from my experiences, that any one of my players who ends up in this program will have a great experience.

Coach is super knowledgeable about the sport and has a strong passion for coaching which you can easily see. He cares deeply for the program and is honest and direct when providing feedback about performance and playing time.

Exceptional coach! Knowledgeable, committed, passionate about coaching, always available if you need him, works very hard and cares deeply for the team and the program.

Coach Burstein has a very clear vision for how he wants the team to play and the program to operate. At first I was sick of hearing about the details, standards, expectations and I really struggled with accountability. At first, this hurt my confidence, it was a struggle, I wanted to leave the team and give up on soccer. I didn't. I continued to work and I am so happy I did. Coach really helped develop me as a player and he pushed me to reach levels I never thought were possible. He would talk to me all the time about embracing the process. Playing at KU and playing for coach was a hard adjustment for me, but it has been so rewarding. Once I really began to follow the plan and just allowed my process to run I saw improvement.

Hard working, enthusiastic, dedicated, organized, passionate, extremely knowledgeable Coach! You know he truly cares and he loves coaching at KU.

My daughter has been on this team for the past three years and she has had NOTHING but POSITIVE things to say about her teammates, all the coaches on staff and her experience at KU. My daughter is not a starter, but she does get some playing time here and there. As her mother this is a bit frustrating, but coach is always honest with her, available to speak with her when she has questions, she feels like she is improving every season and she feels very well supported in her efforts to get more playing time. My daughter is very happy at KU and loves this program, the culture, all her coaches and her teammates. That is what is important.

Year in and year out the program is successful. On the field and in the classroom.