Professional Soccer Player & Business Owner

Not too recently, I was fortunate enough to meet Brandon Miller, goalkeeper of the Charlotte Independence (USL Championship) and owner of Prime Focus Goalkeeping. We had a brief conversation about how he got started, his career successes, and where he would like to be in five years.

Meet Brandon Miller, a professional soccer player in the United Soccer League and part-time entrepreneur. Brandon currently runs an indoor soccer facility near Charlotte, NC while playing for local city club Charlotte Independence. Outside of these two already demanding endeavors, he also is a founder and owner of Prime Focus Goalkeeping. A goalkeeper apparel company that provides high-quality gloves at an affordable price for goalies of all levels.

What is your name and where do you play?

My name’s Brandon Miller I’m a goalkeeper for the Charlotte Independence.

How did you get into playing soccer?

I started playing soccer when I was five years old. My dad got me in the game and I figured out shortly after that I wanted to be a goalkeeper, I loved diving around, I hated running, so I stuck with it and its gotten me to where I am today.

What are your biggest career successes so far?

2015 I won goalkeeper of the year. We won a Championship, only lost one game that year. I was First Team All League, it was probably the highlight of my career so far, but hopefully I can get back those heights again.

If you didn’t play football what would be your ideal career/job?

If I wasn’t playing soccer right now I would probably be doing something in the business world where I would be starting my own business. I started two businesses already and I think that if it weren’t for soccer using that platform to start a business it would be in another aspect. I do have a marketing degree so I would probably be doing something there.

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?

I think the best advice I’ve received so far is probably from my goalkeeper coach in college actually. He told me that your energy really affects other people around you. You have to see yourself as a leader and whether you’re third string, whether you’re first string, you have to realize that when you step into the locker room everyday your attitude really reverberates around the locker room onto the training pitch and how you train. So that was a big thing for me that I’ve always thought about. Whether I’ve been first string whether I’ve been third string I’ve always have to have the right attitude stepping into training.

Did you have any childhood idols growing up?

Honestly growing up I didn’t watch a lot of soccer until I got a little bit older but I can remember Shaka Hislop was always one favorites. Being an African-American goalkeeper seeing someone playing at the highest level like him it inspired me,

Aside from playing soccer, what are some things you like to do off the pitch?

Outside of playing soccer I’m really involved in the game off the field. I have my own goalkeeper glove brand as well as an indoor facility here in South Charlotte so that takes up a lot of my time, but I love being involved with kids trying to help them develop their game and trying to get them to either get to the level I’m at or at a higher level.

Do you have any advice or tips for children wanting to go pro in the sport of soccer?

You got to be resilient, if you believe in yourself you got to gamble on yourself and I tell that to the kids all the time on my podcast and my blog. You’ve got to take advantage of your opportunities and you also got to gamble on yourself and realize that you have the talent you have the skill, you’re going to go through ups and downs. Every goalkeeper is going through it, every player has gone through it, but the resilient ones are the successful ones.

What is Prime Focus Goalkeeping, and how did that start?

Prime Focus Goalkeeping started back in 2016 cause I wanted to do something on my own. I have the marketing degree I wanted to use that knowledge that entrepreneurial spirit to kind of build something of my own. I went through the process searching manufactures, designing, and all that stuff. There’s been ups and downs with it, but I started it because I wanted a way to impact young goalkeepers more so than just training them on the field

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Five years from now I just want to be playing at the highest level possible. I mean I came back to Charlotte cause I wanted to help this club grow move into an Uptown stadium. I want to make it one of the best clubs in the USL. So hopefully in five years I’m either here helping the team grow or I’m at a higher level where I can continue to compete and continue to play.

About Me:

My name is Zeyu M Wang, I create one-on-one interviews with some of the world’s top footballers and athletes from various leagues and locations, including the Barclays Premier League, German Bundesliga, Dutch Eredivisie, Major League Soccer, and Thai Premier League. I have worked with players such as Achraf Hakimi, Gokhan Inler, Dominick Calvert-Lewin and many more.

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