Aug. 30, 2002
Q: Is team chemistry a concern with all the new faces this season (12 newcomers)?
A: I would be more worried if I didn't have talent, and we had to make something out of nothing. This is the kind of problem a coach likes to have - to have enough talent across the board to fashion what should be a very solid team. Good players have a way of making things work. Along with the confidence I have in the players that we are bringing in, I think that many of the returning players, such as Cameron Husty, Matt Milcetich and Johnny Schaller, who were thrown in the deep end last year, really gained a lot of experience and proved themselves worthy of playing with confidence at this level. While it takes time, we should have reached a very high level of play by the fourth or fifth game, which should actually coincide with the Cincinnati match, when we need to be at our best.
Q: What changes/improvements will we see on offense this season?
A: With so many options this year, you should see a lot more goals from this team. Our frontline and midfield players all possess the ability to attack, score, and create opportunities. This should create a broader front for teams to cover, thus causing more problems for the opposition than in recent years. The newcomers this season have known nothing but success, which should cause a ripple effect on the returning players.
Q: With the graduation of Cory Pryor on defense, how does the backfield expect to shake out?
A: We should be fine. With the addition of J.R. Trandal, Barry Maguire, Jim Sears and Tyson Rose we've added a lot of size and strength to compliment the returners. I feel very confident that, no matter what opponent we face, we will be able to field the right combination of players to combat them.
Q: You mentioned the "coin toss" - talk about the goalkeeping situation this season?
A: Senior Josip Novkovic, while not having played as many games as he would have liked last year, got the nod over James Kryger for the crucial Horizon League quarterfinal match in Milwaukee because of his form and confidence in his game. Over the last two years, he (Josip) has racked up enough minutes and gained enough experience at this level to know what is going on and how to handle himself in pressure situations. We feel very comfortable with the experience Josip brings to that position. On the other hand, Amir Kettani, a newcomer who didn't see much time in freshman season at Ashland, is a very athletic, quick keeper, who brings many of his own qualities to the table. He's very competitive, so we expect quite a battle between Amir and Josip as to who gets the starting spot. We believe that the position will be in good hands with either of those guys, because they know that no matter who we turn to, they're going to have to be at their best to keep their spot.
Q: Last season began with seven of the first eight games on the road, and a 2-6 record to open the year. With five of the first six at home this season, do you see the schedule being a benefit, compared to last year?
A: Yes, it gives us a comfort zone of playing against opponents in familiar surroundings, and aids in making the transition from 11 individuals into one team.
History has proven that any Division I team is capable of beating any other Division I team. So we have to approach every one of these games as if it is a conference championship...with a very professional approach and a view that we are looking for perfection every time we venture out onto the game field. Regardless of the result, every one of these games will make us a better team.
Q: Do you think three or four early wins could get the ball rolling and build confidence for the entire season?
A: Quite possibly. But to be honest, I think the infectious attitude of the new players coming in will immediately affect all around them and carry over onto the game field. Because of that, we certainly expect a much more upbeat, positive attitude from the locker room to the playing field.
Q: Are there some games on the schedule this year that may be seen as more important than others...like the Cincinnati game you referred to earlier, or Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who you played tough twice last season?
A: Every conference game is important. No matter what the quality of the rest of the schedule, whether it may be Akron, Cincinnati or whoever, our bread and butter is the league. We have to approach every game in the beginning of the season as preparation for our first conference game against Butler, which works out perfect because it is right after the Cincinnati game. We expect to be stretched and challenged in all of our non-conference games, so we will go straight from one highly competitive game into another.
Butler, who went to the national tournament last year, had a great season. Hopefully we will be able to test them much more than last year, when we led 2-1 at half and threw it away in the second half. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a team ranked nationally much of the year, were pushed hard by us twice, including a 3-2 loss in the conference quarters where we missed a key penalty kick. If we could do that with last year's team, I would hope that this year's squad might be able to go one better.
Q: Who do you look for to be on top this year in the Horizon League?
A: You have to look at Milwaukee again, who was the class of the conference last year. They had an absolutely outstanding season, were very well organized, technically adept and proved themselves across the entire season. They had a slight glitch in the conference final, but I don't think that anyone would deny that they were the best team in the conference and rightly made it into the NCAAs. They graduated very few players from last year, and you have to say that they are the benchmark right now.
Our performance, not only against them, but also against the other well-performing conference teams - Butler, UIC, Wright State, etc - will be the measure of how far this team has progressed.
Q: What do you think people should expect from this year's CSU team?
A: Excitement - that would be the key word. One of the things that I have always emphasized in the teams I have coached is to have them play an attractive, attacking, dynamic style of soccer. I've always tried to have my teams entertain. I believe that this year we may well have the type of team that will be able to begin to get us back on that particular track...as a team that can play good soccer and win.
Winning's the key. We want to get the fans back in the stands at Krenzler...get back to the ways of the early 80's, when Krenzler was the place to be if you wanted to see great soccer. Cleveland State has been down for too long. One of the reasons that I came here is that I viewed CSU as a sleeping giant. I want to be known as the guy that woke that giant. It's that simple.
Q: Do you think that the United States' success in the World Cup will affect your program in the near future - as in "awakening that 'sleeping giant'" with an influx of talent and interest?
A: It's already happening. I think that some of the players now at the high school and collegiate level are some of the best athletes at their schools. That has already affected the professional game. When you look at the majority of the players on the U.S. World Cup team, many of them ply their trade in Major League Soccer and came through the collegiate ranks here in the United States. It will only continue to improve with players now earning seven-figure salaries, something unheard of in the past.
Opportunities are now available for kids from every walk-of-life - whether from the city or suburbs. There is now a light at the end of the tunnel. It will not be long before the Randy Moss' of this world will have a soccer ball at their feet. When that happens, the rest of the world better watch out. It's going to be very difficult to beat this country once they put themselves 100 percent behind something.
Q: Are there any rule changes for the coming year?
A: There is a change that allows one re-entry in the first half. That helps because it allows us to give a little bit more of a break to some players and aids in keeping players a bit healthier. The trouble with fatigue is that players like O.C. Haugen have had to do so much work that they will play themselves into exhaustion, and that's when they get hurt. This rule will allow players like that to remain more resilient and healthy. If you keep a player like O.C. healthy, you're talking about a potential MVP of the conference right there. But he's going to have a lot of help this year.
Q: Any final thoughts?
A: I'm just really looking forward to this season...eagerly anticipating it. Everyone that has been involved with this program over the last few years hopefully will have seen the progress we have made. We have gone from having our backs to the wall, defending, in my first year, to a very competitive team last year, to what will hopefully be a team that comes out on the winning side. We lost eight one-goal games last year. One of the things I said when I took this job, was that 2002 will be the first year you can judge me. That's how long I felt it would take me to get the foundation of players we need here. So I guess it is time to put up or shut up. I think everyone should be looking forward to this year.
