January 2002 BC FORCE Soccer Coach

A TRIP TO THE INFOSPORT COMBINE

The weekend of January 12 and 13, we had two of our former players, Ryan Carruth and Austin Ripmaster participate in the MLS combine in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Ryan, an All-American, recently graduated from St. Lawrence, a division III powerhouse in upstate New York. Austin graduated from Cal Berkeley. Both players played their high school soccer for the Alexander Dawson school and their club soccer for FC Boulder, playing for Ken Ebersole and yours truly.

Here follows Ryan's account of his adventure in Florida.

..................................

Day One

After a long flight from Denver to Orlando, I lucked out and met up with a goalkeeper from Chicago who was en route to the InfoSport Combine as well. He was renting a car to drive to Cocoa, so I hitched on with him. His name was Greg, he had spent the last two seasons in the A-league. It also turned out that he was staying at the same hotel as Austin Ripmaster and myself. The three of us hung out when we weren't on the field. It is always good to meet people in the soccer community who have pro experience. Such is true of any job searching experience. Humans are social beings. We come into existence from interactive processes and throughout life we are dependent on other people. Soccer is one of many ways people come into collaboration with each other. Unique to other career paths, social circles, and other facets of life, soccer enables people worldwide, regardless of race, creed, religion or sex to meet on common ground. The Infosport Combine proved to be such a setting as there were players from all corners of the globe and all walks of life. Making it as a pro is less about what you know, than it is about who you know. This combine proved invaluable in establishing networks and connections with not only professional coaches and agents, but with fellow aspiring pro players themselves.

After a light jog and stretch, Greg, Austin and I drove to Subway and ate dinner. We also went to the supermarket to pick up water jugs, bananas (to keep the potassium in our muscles to prevent soreness), fresh fruit, bagels and some other things for breakfast and snacks. Lesson #1: Diet is extremely important. As an athlete, it is important to eat the right foods, at the right time, and make sure to drink plenty of water.

At 7:00pm, we went down the road to the Cocoa Expo, the life of the combine for a seminar on professional soccer. The majority of the MLS, A-League, D3, WUSA, and W-League coaches who would be evaluating players throughout the weekend were present. They discussed agents, how they can help and how they can .... you, training habits, how we can help ourselves, and they gave an overview of the combine format. There is a question/answer session and at the end I took the opportunity to introduce myself to some of the coaches and pass out some of my resumes. Lesson #2: Don't be bashful. You have to put yourself out there. The same is true about getting any other job as well. You shouldn't be afraid to assert yourself, let them know you're out there!

When we got back to the hotel, both Austin and myself were anxious and ready to get going. I felt confident, my body feels great, and I know that the last month of hard work, busting my ass will serve me quite well. However, I think we may have been a little too excited because we both had trouble sleeping. I believe it was around 2:00am when I finally passed out. Light out. Lesson #3: Rest is critical to a good performance. And in this situation, learn not from my example, but from my mistake. Get your butts in bed. If you truly want to excel on the pitch, you have to put yourself in the routine of getting to bed early every night. Thankfully, for my sake, I had been well rested coming into the combine, so the six hours of sleep that I finally got, did not affect me as it may have if I wasn't fit.

Day Two

7:30am. Wake up. Surprisingly, I feel fine and ready to go. I eat a good breakfast, stretch, and drive to the fields. It takes an hour for the registration process. There are 170 male players and 80 female players, so getting everyone registered is a mundane, time consuming process. We are split into teams which we remain in all weekend. They take our height, weight, and distribute colored t-shirts according to your team designation. I am one of the first to make it through the registration so I have plenty of time to warm up and stretch. In my warm up, I can already feel the benefits of training at altitude and then coming down to sea level as I feel fit and ready to play. I am confident and relaxed and I am not overly worried about the pressure to perform in front of MLS and A-League coaches. I think this type of mentality is important to maintain in a combine situation. If you put too much pressure on yourself, you are likely to play conservative, tense soccer. But, different strokes for different folks and just because it worked for me, doesn't necessarily mean that it will suit everybody. It is important to find what works for you. On that token, it is also important that when you find your own method - in training, diet, rest and mental preparation - that you make a commitment to that routine, and stick by it. Make it a part of your everyday.

After all the players have had a chance to warm-up, we are assembled in the bleachers and are assigned to our coaches. Dennis Hamlet, the assistant coach of the Chicago Fire, is our coach. He was the former MLS defender of the year for the Colorado Rapids. Coach Hamlet gives us a chance to get ourselves warmed-up again and then the morning session is spent doing basic shooting, crossing, passing, and possession drills. I quickly realize that I am by far one of the finest players on my team, as well as one of the top players. After the two hour session I feel like I am just getting warmed up. I am not tired. The other guys are hunched over, hands on their knees, gasping for air. One guy even asked me, "Did you like, train for this?" "Like ... Yes!" I reply. It baffles me how some of these guys could think of coming to a combine out of shape. Not to be cocky, but I am not impressed with most of the players I see on my team. Most are from Division I college teams and I doubt that any of them could play at St. Lawrence. There are seven African players from Mali, Senegal, Cameroon, and Ghana, two players from Florida International University, and another two from Old Dominion University. In addition, there are two players who played in the USL D3 last year with teams which folded, and there is one player, Ivor, who played in the Bulgarian First Division. I am still not impressed and my confidence is growing.

After eating lunch, we return for the afternoon session. Our team is split in half, each with a goalie, and each team plays three thirty minute games, 8 vs 8. However, we are a man down and the coach asks me to play on both teams, so I end up playing double the time that anybody else in camp plays. I agree because I am fit enough, and I am trying to impress the coaches as much as I can.

In the first four games I have four out of my team's five goals, and I assisted on the fifth. I am active, moving well off the ball and I am able to create space for myself because of my fitness. By the end of the day, amidst players complaining of sore muscles and minor pulls, I still feel great. Lesson #4: If you are serious about playing this game at a high level, you must work hard to attain a high level of fitness.

As Austin and myself walk back to the hotel, I feel very good about the way I played today. I am looking forward to tomorrow. I played simple soccer. In the beginning of each game I play one and two-touch as a target player. When my defender starts to anticipate that I will distribute the ball quickly, he gives me space. I am then able to turn and go to goal. My teammates all respect me. Despite the fact we lost every game, I remain positive and by the end of the first day I am looked at as a captain figure. They ask me for suggestions and compliment my play. I am beginning to be recognized as a top player in camp. I am confident that tomorrow will be even better.

We return to the hotel, shower, and eat dinner - chicken, rice, potatoes, green beans, and salad. My legs are a little sore, so I fill the tub with ice water and soak my legs for twenty minutes. I stretch, drink lots of water and tonight I have no problems falling asleep.

Day Three

7:45am wake up. I decide to eat breakfast in the hotel restaurant and because I don't play my first game until 9:45, I am able to sleep an hour later then Austin, who has to run off at 6:45 to play his first match. My legs are sore, but not too bad and I am feeling very confident that I will show well today. I arrive at the field at 9:00 and begin warming up. I make sure that I am properly stretched and ready to go. Our coach assigns our line-up. I am starting at forward. In the first game we lose 3-1, but I score a nice goal after dribbling through several defenders. I am frustrated with my team, we are clearly one of the weakest sides in camp. Our organization is stifled by lack of fitness, but I remain positive and my teammates continue to look at me as a leader. Despite my squad's shortcomings I show my abilities to hold the ball, take players on, and score goals. My confidence is still high as we enter our second and final game.

We are paired with one of the better teams in camp, but I have my best showing so far. We lose 2-1, but again I am able to find the net. This time I get the ball on a diagonal run, lose my defender with a simple step-over and crack a shot from thirty yards out. The slowly rising ball beats the outstretched hands of the keep in the upper left corner. One of the best goals I have ever scored. The opposing bench salutes me with a standing ovation.

At half-time, my coach informs me that I was selected out of all the players in camp to play in the all-star game in front of all the coaches. He grants me the second half to cool down, stretch and grab a quick snack. I am grateful for the rest, I have already played 90 minutes and I have been working very hard on and off the ball. I am honored to have been chosen to play in the All Star game and I am hopeful that it will lead to some interest from professional coaches. I am also looking forward to the prospects of playing with some better players. After the game ends, the opposition coach, John Dugan, former coach of the Atlanta Silverbacks, approaches me. He compliments my play and says he feels I have what it takes to be a mainstay at the pro level. He takes my phone number and address and tells me that he will be in contact with me. He has since sent me several e-mails telling me that he wants to help place me in a good club.

After I grab a quick snack, I head over to the field and begin warming myself up. Now I am really sore, the long weekend has finally taken its toll, but I still have some gas in the tank. The 24 All Stars are divided into two teams and I am asked to start at forward. I play a good game and get myself around the defense several times, but fail to finish. All the other players from the combine are lined up around the field watching and all the coaches are in the scaffolding above the field taking notes. I hope I am noticed. I am able to create space for myself and when I come off at halftime, I feel as though I showed very well. Dennis Hamlet comes down the scaffolding and tells me that he was impressed with my play over the weekend. He believes I am ready for the A-league. We talk for twenty minutes about things I need to work on, but all in all I have proven myself a worthy candidate for the pros.

Since the combine ended, doors in the soccer world have slowly been opening. Coaches and agents have contacted me expressing their interest in bringing me into camp and I am confident that I will find my niche in the professional soccer realm. I thank God for giving me the strength and perseverance to attain my goals, but I remain humble because I know I have a long, tough road ahead of me. A wise fellow once said, "Show me a complacent man and I will show you a failure." I am currently in Cleveland, training with the Cleveland Crunch, in the indoor league, the MISL. They have offered to sign me, but I am still debating if the indoor game is something I want to pursue.

In closing, I am thankful to be in a situation where I can continue my playing career. I owe my success to the mentorship and assistance of my family, friends, past coaches, and all who have supported me. I will remain humble and continue to keep a headstrong attitude which will help me make the sacrifices which are necessary to achieve the goals I have set for myself.

..................................

Editor's addendum:

Ryan and I trained for a couple of weeks prior to the combine. Just before he left I asked him to keep a diary so that I could write a small article in the newsletter. Well, I did not expect this. So Ryan well done.