What was your jersey number with Hartford United?
#45
Where are you currently playing and what position(s) are you playing?
I am currently playing at Ripon College (D3)
and I came in playing as a center defensive midfielder. He plays me there for the most part, but he has played me as the center attacking midfielder and also center back a couple times.
Do you have a goal to play professional soccer after college?
I mean I hope to play as long as I possibly can and it’s a big goal, but it would be awesome if that could happen. It’s not necessarily something I’m working at but if the opportunity ever came along of course I would take that chance 100%, no doubt.
Do you plan to coach once your playing career is over?
I do plan on coaching, I am actually minoring in coaching and will be taking most of my coaching classes next semester. Right now I’m focusing on the classes I need for my major (secondary education).
Were you excited or nervous to join HUSC?
Long story short, my previous club coach I had for 3 years, he wasn’t the nicest person and kicked me off the team for standing up for myself about my leadership and commitment. I still wanted to play club soccer so a high school teammate and I were talking and he told me to contact Jim cause he would be happy to have me try out even though rosters were already made. I was very anxious because I knew this club was a great club, with a well sized trophy cabinet and great players. I knew that from personal experience because I played Hartford high school all the time for high school soccer and they always had such an outstanding program and most of them were from Hartford United.
Any memories of the transition to HUSC that you can share for new players joining us?
It was definitely something new, I’m the kind of person to not really talk to many people in a new environment if that environment wasn’t soccer related. That being said, since it was soccer related, I was communicating a lot because in every sport it’s key and I just kept that mindset that I love the sport and want to be here. But the nice thing was for the team I was on, the club put all these players together that were ages 15-18 and all different skill levels and the coaches sort of made us bond a lot so we could have great chemistry on the field.
If you could meet up with one HUSC coach for breakfast who would it be and why?
It would be my coach Jim Schrot, he was my only coach because I’ve only played my senior year here. But even if I had played here my whole life, I don’t think my answer would change. Jim is an outstanding coach, probably the best I’ve ever had. He has college level experience and he’s also an awesome person. He’s always willing to joke when it’s the right time but takes things seriously when needed. He’s also a coach that doesn’t sugar code things which is a coach everyone needs, he tells the truth and doesn’t just tell the players what they want to hear. I have a great relationship with him, and if I was at this club my whole life, I know that I would be a much better player.
If you had to do it all over again, is there anything that you would do differently?
Nothing bad about the club but for me personally. The club does this really cool swapping players thing. Essentially players can get pulled up to a higher age group for practices and/or games for always having a good work ethic and great play. Players can also get pulled down to lower age levels not because they’re performing badly but because they just don’t get as many minutes on the team they’re on and need minutes to get the game experience. Whenever that happens to me, I always have a confidence level issue because I know I’m not one of the best players on the team anymore. I still do have that issue at the college level. I’m getting 10-15 minutes a game which is great for a freshman but I know I can do better than what I’m proving.
What was most important to you in your development as a player with Hartford United SC?
The coaching staff, because the coaches are the people who help players get better and they’ve done a great job in doing so.
What is your proudest accomplishment with Hartford United SC?
Literally my first season, we did decent in our conference but when we had the tournaments we did amazing. We won the two tournaments we took part in this year and it was a great experience especially traveling to different states, that was fun!
What advice would you give current players as they set goals in hopes of playing at the college level?
Just keep working hard, hard work pays off, look at Ronaldo and Messi, both have worked hard to become who they are today. But if you put in the work, the heart, and the soul, you will be able to come to the college level or even better!
