Ismar Tandir is entering his fourth season as an assistant on the Lafayette men's soccer coaching staff.
Tandir's third season in Maroon and White delivered a Patriot League title, which was the first for the Leopards since 2012. Lafayette concluded the season with an 8-7-7 record and earned the six seed heading into the conference tournament. The Maroon and White earned victories over No. 3 Army and No. 1 American in the first and semifinal rounds to advance to the conference final, where they’d be met with their archrival and No. 2 seeded Lehigh. Lafayette went on to claim its eighth league title in dramatic fashion, when it took down the Mountain Hawks on their own field (4-1 on penalty kicks). The Leopards’ Cinderella season came to a close in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at the hands of Cornell. Along the way, Robinson was a key factor in Lafayette’s defensive stature. Amongst their conference foes, the Leopards ranked first in goals-against average (0.989), conceding just 22 on the season. That statistic also ranked 43rd in the nation and the team’s .409 shutout percentage ranked 48th in the country. Under his purview, Eric Axtman, Samir Dishnica and Nicholas Liebich all earned All-Patriot League status. Additionally, Axtman, Dishnica, Liebich and forward Riley Martin were named to the All-Patriot League Tournament Team.
Tandir aided Lafayette to an 8-6-4 finish in 2024 and it was the only team in the Patriot League to conclude the season with a winning record. The Bosnia & Herzegovina native primarily works with the team’s forwards and he oversaw the success of sophomore forward Roy Biegon and senior Andrey McIntyre. Biegon finished the campaign with six goals (second in the PL) despite only playing 15 games. McIntyre was also clinical for Lafayette, scoring five goals in 17 matches. Biegon and McIntyre went on to claim All-Patriot League Third Team laurels and selections to the All-Atlantic Region Team. Lafayette’s offense ranked first amongst its conference competitors, boasting a 1.39 goals per game average.
In the 2023 season, Tandir helped guide Lafayette to the Patriot League final, as the Leopards finished with a 9-6-6 record.
Prior to arriving on College Hill, Tandir had a 10-year professional career. The Bosnia & Herzegovina native signed his first professional contract with the New York Redbulls Academy in 2010. Tandir was with the Redbulls for three years, before departing for France in 2013 where he would join then Ligue 1 side, Sochaux. Tandir also represented his country Bosnia & Herzegovina at the U17, U19 & U21 levels.
Tandir received the Silver Boot in 2019, while leading his club MFK Ružomberok to the Europa League spot. The forwards first professional trophy came in the USL Championship with the Sacramento Republic.
At the youth level, Tandir played for the New York Redbulls U16 & U18 Academy, winning the USSF Development Academy back-to-back years. He then led the east coast and the Redbulls U18 team with 11 goals in eight games and five goals in the MLS Adidas Generation tournament in Seattle, before departing from the club for Europe. As a freshman in high school, he was ranked the second-best high school player in the state of New Jersey, per ESPN.
Tandir currently resides in Hackettstown, N.J.
Updated on 5/27/25
