Now coaching rival soccer teams, Matt Harding and Brad Stiles are still on each other’s side

Friends off the pitch and competitors on it, Matt Harding and Brad Stiles never lost sight of what’s important through a tumultuous start to the season.

Friendship and community.

Harding, now in his first year as head boys’ soccer coach at Iowa City Liberty, hadn’t had a chance to coach his team in a game until the Lightning met Stiles’ Iowa City West squad on Tuesday.

“Friday night of the tornadoes (March 31), we were supposed to have played West Des Moines Valley in the West High tournament,” Harding said. “That got canceled, so Brad and I were in contact because he wanted to change the schedule. We were going to play Dowling in the morning …”

That didn’t happen.

“We’re texting and I’m in the basement with my family with KCRG in the background,” Harding said. “I start to see the reports from Coralville, close to where Brad lives. I sent him a text, ‘hey buddy, everything OK?’ … He goes, ‘it’s not good.’”

About 30 minutes after the last text exchange, Harding received a call from Liberty’s athletics director informing him that the tournament had been canceled because Stiles’ house had been destroyed.

“I just start grabbing everything I can think of out of my shed, threw it in the truck and headed over to Brad’s,” Harding said. “By the time I got there, there were already dozens of people helping him haul stuff out of his house.”

“We have a small community in Iowa City, so lots of people reached out to offer their help and support,” Stiles said. “We got the family settled within 72 hours and so just getting some normalcy again and moving on to the next hurdle … the next hurdle is a lot easier when you have a place to stay.”

In addition to the help he received moving things from his house, one of Stiles’ former players started a Go Fund Me fundraiser for the family.

“It really blows my mind to see some of the financial outreach,” Stiles said.

“You don’t want to say it was ‘nice,’ but it was a thing to see the entire community pitching in to try and help,” Harding said.

The pair’s friendship dates back to 2001, when Harding was hired at West to teach physics and joined Stiles’ coaching staff as an assistant. Harding stayed on Stiles’ staff through 2011, before eventually taking the girls’ head coaching job at Clear Creek Amana. He still teaches physics and AP physics at West.

“He (Stiles) has such a way of simplifying a complex game,” Harding said. “And just his ability to relate to the players having been an elite player himself … it was just tremendous to watch him build that dynasty.”

“It’s really about growing up as coaches together,” Stiles said. “Us being so young and going through our first state tournament. Harding and I went through those trying times together.”

The two finally got to square off Tuesday night at Liberty.

Stiles got the better of Harding this time. The Trojans (2-1) defeated Liberty (0-1), 2-1.

All in all, the two were just happy to be coaching soccer again. Even if it was against one another.

“He’s somebody I’ve known longer than anyone else in soccer,” Harding said. “I just can’t believe we found ourselves in a situation where my first varsity boys’ soccer game is against him and West High.”

“He’s always the ace in the hole,” Stiles said. “The Sunday following the storm he shows up and says, ‘hey, I’ve got a trailer. Let’s get these things moved.’ When he pulls up, it’s a 25-foot trailer where everyone else is bringing an 8-footer. He just did it times three. That’s him to a T.

“You definitely want Harding on your side.”