There Is No Place Like Home

STARKVILLE – The 4,301 miles that separate Starkville from James Armstrong's hometown of Yorkshire, England, are frightening at first glance.

But the open arms that greeted Armstrong when he was hired as the head coach of State's soccer program in 2019 provided a welcoming embrace as he prepared to build a foundation for his family and team at MSU.

"There was an opportunity to do something that has never been done before, which was exciting," Armstrong said. "Putting together a staff was really important. All of those things [were] factors in terms of piquing my interest, and then I got to come here. I got to see Starkville, I got to see the people and I got to see the community. That made me realize that it was a place where I could see myself raising my family. I got a really good feel about it being a family community, so it checked all the boxes from that standpoint."

Growing up in his home country across the pond, soccer was everything. Armstrong would take advantage of every opportunity to go out and kick a soccer ball around with his family or kids in his neighborhood.

Much to his dismay, once he reached the age to attend high school, there was no soccer team. That was not going to stop Armstrong from participating in sports during his high school years, however.

"I went to a private school that had no soccer team, believe it or not. It was a traditional rugby school," Armstrong said. "It was one of the best in the country and in the world at the time for rugby, so I ended up being forced at the time to play rugby but ended up really liking it. It still could never take away my passion for soccer. It's been, apart from family, the most important aspect of my life and it still continues to be so to this day."

Since arriving in Starkville five years ago following a couple of decades coaching elsewhere – including a six-year assistant stint at Auburn, Armstrong has shattered a plethora of records at MSU. For the first time in program history, State reached the semifinals in the SEC Tournament and has hosted NCAA Tournament games in back-to-back seasons. The Dawgs have also earned the highest NCAA Tournament seed in program history, and under the watchful eye of Armstrong, advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever last season.

Following the historic feats reached in 2023, the Bulldogs were rewarded with a trip overseas to England in the spring. In Armstrong's first visit to his home country since 2018, his team was able to experience the passionate soccer fans, as well as the history and the culture of the sport in the United Kingdom.

"It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to take a group of awesome young ladies that are really good at soccer over to my home country," Armstrong said. "It kind of felt surreal because I haven't been back in forever. We did a really good job of balancing playing soccer, watching soccer, seeing things like Wembley Stadium and the history of England in general. It was really neat to see the girls, a lot of who have aspirations to play professionally, they got to see four of the top teams in England. The girls did a great job of embracing the opportunity, they had a great time and it was a great experience."

But once the plane landed back in Starkville, Armstrong and his crew shifted its focus on the ultimate goal: making more history.

Preparations began for the start of the 2024 season as the mixture of new faces and experienced veterans put in countless hours of hard work on the pitch and in the weight room, all for the opportunity to leave the jersey better than they found it.

In collegiate athletics, that is the goal of any coach at every program in the country. You want your players to look at that jersey and realize that in the next four years, you have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact. The opportunity to build something special is right in front of you.

The seniors on this year's squad like goalkeeper Maddy Anderson, midfielder Macey Hodge, defender Rylie Combs and many more have helped build a standard of hard work and dedication to the Maroon and White for years to come.

"In 2019 when we first started, we had high expectations and high hopes… but at the same time, I wasn't sure we would get a group of players as talented [and] impactful on this program as we've had," Armstrong said. "This is our first graduating class. I'm proud of the progress and the history this group has made on the field, but I'm just as proud, if not more proud, of the culture they have put in and the expectations of what it means to be a Mississippi State soccer player. They'll all go on and be incredibly successful, whether it be on the field, off the field, or both. Each and every single one of those have left the jersey better than they found it."

The Bulldog faithful have never wavered when it came to supporting what Armstrong wanted to achieve with the program in Starkville. Since welcoming him with open arms five years ago, the stands continue to be packed and the student section in the west end has increasingly become the place to be for students to show their support for the Bulldogs.

Starkville is home. It's what Armstong was looking for as he decided where he wanted to be as he raised his family and coached soccer. He wanted to build a program from the ground up and attract the thousands of screaming, supportive and cowbell-ringing fans that give it their all to support the Bulldogs.

But do not fear, this is not the end of the story for Armstrong and MSU soccer. There is still plenty of fútbol to be played and memories that will last a lifetime will be made as Armstrong continues his journey in building on his foundation that has been laid at State.

"We embrace the fans. The fans mean everything," Armstrong said. "We've got some true fans and we've got people that say, 'I came out to the MSU Soccer Field for the first time and I loved it', I think it's a cool atmosphere. They absolutely can be the difference between the result, whether we win, lose, or tie."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Maddy Anderson

Rylie Combs

Macey Hodge

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