Wisconsin Soccer Central

Steve Long, who spent the past eight years coaching in the youth academy at Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, will be an assistant for the Milwaukee Torrent when the new professional team takes the field in 2016.

"He will be the perfect fit to have as a right hand," Torrent owner and coach Andreas Davi said of Long, who moved to the Milwaukee area in January. "I trust him soccer-wise, and he will bring a lot to the table. You need people that you trust, and Steve is absolutely one of the guys I trust."

Long is a native of England, but coached in Germany for 12 years – he was familiar with the country because his father worked there for the British military. At Bayer Leverkusen, he had stints coaching with the Under-15 and Under-19 teams; the Under-19 side played in the UEFA Youth League during the 2013-14 season.

"Steve is a coach that you need to have just because of the way he is. He always makes a joke," Davi said of Long, who has coached at Davi's annual summer youth camp the past few years and will coach the Bavarian SC Under-18 Boys White team next season. "It's important that you have a guy who has absolutely the soccer knowledge, but he also knows that now it's time for joke."

Davi, a Leverkusen native who came up through the Bayer Leverkusen Academy, said he plans to add two more assistants to his staff, including a goalkeeper coach. The Torrent, who will play in the American Soccer League 2 in 2016, have two players signed for their inaugural season: forwards James Weber (Hartford) and Ian Bennett.

Editor's note: This article has been edited from its original version to correct information that was incorrect at the time of posting.