In my second “name to remember” article, I will be posting an article about Saint Louis University star midfielder Alex Sweetin. In the first article I will post my interview with Alex Sweetin and in part two of the article I will be posting an interview with J.R. Esklison a staff reporter/editor at topdrawersoccer.com and my outlook for Alex Sweetins future professional career and his final season at Saint Louis I hope you enjoy the article and if you have any questions or concerns please post comments!
Saint Louis had a breakout season after two seasons of mediocrity, what were the keys to your teams success this season?
There were many keys to success this year. After getting a new coach a couple years ago, it took some time to get the right mentality and the right group of players in order to succeed. We were not weak at any position and had plenty of guys that could come off the bench and could contribute, or start a game for whatever reason (injuries, suspension, etc). Our freshman class added great depth and some great players that came in and started right away. Having depth is also good for competition within the team. Our practices were great because people who weren’t playing gave everything they had in order get into the lineup, which made the starting group work harder in practice to keep their spots. We really started playing the way Coach McGinty wanted us to play. There are plenty of guys on the team who have the winning and competitive attitude that we didn’t have the past couple of seasons. We had a great preparation in the summer. We had guys stay on campus that were able to stay fit with the running program and play with each other almost everyday. Also we had guys playing around the country with high quality teams to prepare themselves for the season. We had a fantastic mix of veterans with young guys, and the mix between the two really helped mature the younger guys on the team.
As you look forward to your spring season, What are your teams goals and your goals personally?
Obviously losing in the first round is the foundation of our spring, we truly believe we could have won the National Championship. So everyday we are at practice that’s what we think about, if we want to win the Championship we have to give 100% every single day this spring. Whether its running, playing, or in the weight room; every single person has the desire to get better and we need every player to have that mentality for us to get to where we want to go. Obviously with our spring games, we want to win every game. We are playing some quality teams this spring but with the players we have and how hard we are working we expect nothing less than competing and trying to win games. My goals personally are to get better with my fitness, strengthen up my body, as well as to fine tune some parts of my game that need to be worked on. I want to be the person that can lead this team back to a National Championship and just how I act everyday has an affect on the people around me.
What are the biggest things that you and your team can improve on?
Obviously our day to day mentality needs to be the same everyday. The more quality days we can put back-to-back is very key for our team. We have a good mixture of young and a few older guys. We need to mature as a team and be able to give 100% everyday this spring. I think we have good players in every position but each and every person has some part of their game that needs work. We cannot be complacent to where we finished last season. If we let that success go to our heads, then we will no longer be able to move forward as a team. The spring can be a very long and frustrating time without being able to play many games, so the competition in practice always needs to be very high. We cannot have people take days off mentally in order to better the group. I can always improve on my fitness and my soccer brain, which is what I try to work on everyday at practice.
You had to redshirt your junior year due to injury. Did that help you in your development as a soccer player and how tough for you was it to not play soccer that season?
Obviously being injured is every soccer players worst nightmare, especially missing the amount of time I missed for my injury. It was a very rough time not being able to be there with my team for the all the ups and downs. But the time away really gave me an appreciation for the game of soccer and my life. I realized that soccer is my true passion and not being able to play really helped my development. There are guys that complain they have practice or that day at practice was too tough, but in my head I would have given anything in order to play that season. If people were in my position they would have realized how much it hurt me not to be out there with my team. Being away really helped me in that I realized that’s what I want to do for as long as I possibly can. I didn’t feel like my complete self without soccer, which only helped me when I came back and was able to play again. Everyday that spring I thought that any game or practice could possibly be my last. I saw how quickly an injury could change my life and that if I didn’t have soccer, I would be miserable. So it still is in my head everyday I go out to practice this spring, that I have to enjoy the game while I have it and give everything I can.
After playing for Coach Donigan your freshman year, what were the differences between Coach McGinty and Coach Donigan?
At first, it was a radical change between the two coaches. I only had Coach Donigan for a short time, but I got to know him very well and adjusted to his playing style very quickly. Once McGinty came to SLU, it took myself, and everyone, a while to adjust to his attitudes towards soccer and how he wanted us to be as a person. They are both very intense coaches with two different ideas on how to coach soccer. That doesn’t mean either of them are wrong in what they teach, but there is not one way to coach. Each coach just did it their own way. Right away when I met Donigan I knew how he wanted to play because it was very similar to how I had played before. Donigan had a very free-flowing mindset about him and that was the way he coached. When McGinty came he had a completely different look on the game and how he conveyed his soccer knowledge. So it did take some adjusting to when he got here. It took me some time to really understand what McGinty wanted out of each player. Being young was also something that had an affect. I still had so much to learn and McGinty really helped with that process. McGinty really developed my soccer game and who I was as a person. Both great coaches but go about their business a little differently.
You were highly recruited out of high school, why did you pick Saint Louis?
I had been recruited to a few different big name schools, but many didn’t have what SLU offered. SLU has a tremendous tradition obviously, but they haven’t had the recent success in the National tournament. I wanted to go win a National Title for the school and bring the National Championship back to SLU. I really liked the way coach Donigan coached and his personality was very similar to mine. It was also a place where I thought I could come in a contribute right away. I felt very comfortable in the way the program was run and the direction it was headed. The players on the team made me feel really welcome on my visit. I also had grown up watching their games, with games in St. Louis all the time I would go watch, and also my brother played there before I got there. I felt like I knew the program before I got there. Finally, I have a bunch of family that lives in St. Louis and being able to play in front of them was something that I loved doing.
As a player that played for both a high school team and a us development academy team, what are your thoughts on the academy season being pushed to ten months and not allowing players to play high school?
For me, this is a very tricky situation that is happening around the United States. I played for a great high school team, Rockhurst HS, and was able to win two state championships with them. But there are players that are almost stuck on a high school team that doesn’t have the quality of players that I was surrounded with. So it can go either way. I am all for pushing to a 10 month season because the goal is to develop these young soccer players. If they get the best coaching available and play against good competition year round, then it will help make these players better. If the USA wants to be a quality soccer country, then we must push for this because we have to develop young talent and the academy system is the right way to do it.
Are you planning on playing professional soccer and what position do you see yourself playing in the professional ranks?
Hopefully everything will work out and I will be playing professional soccer after next season. But there are a variety of factors that go into being able to make it to the next level. So yes I plan on it, but there are many elements that go into actually fulfilling that dream. At the professional level I will probably find myself as an outside midfielder/forward. I still think I can play in the middle of the field but I think outside might suit my game a little better.
What are the biggest strengths and weaknesses in your game?
My biggest weaknesses would be that I was not gifted with the size that some players have. I need to be a complete player, which means being able to play with both feet and also being able to use my head more than I often do now. Then again, I can always improve on my fitness. My biggest strengths are that I have a very high soccer IQ, I usually am in the right spots and know what the game is calling for at the right times. Also I think I have great vision with the ball in passing, and also seeing the right runs to make off the ball. I am quick with the ball at my feet and think I have the ability to score.
Who were the best players that you have played with and why?
I have played with a wide variety of players over the years, some playing professionally and some not. Tim Ream was obviously a great player my freshman year at SLU. He had great speed and size, also had a tremendous left foot which he scored many goals with. Being able to play with Sporting KC the last couple of summers, I would say Graham Zusi was tremendous. He was someone who I want to model my game after. He has great soccer IQ, finishing ability, and tremendous passer.
Who is the best player you have played against and why?
I have played against some very good players in my day, unfortunately giving my teams a few loses. But when I was on Region II team we went to Disney Showcase and we played against Brek Shea. He played left mid and I was a right mid, he made me look bad with his speed and size he had when I was only a small 16 year old. Also Teal Bunbury put a show on us my freshman year at Akron. He had the size speed and amazing finishing ability that made him great.
Links To articles and videos about Alex Sweetin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuQyEKKid0A
http://www.slubillikens.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27200&ATCLID=205260695
http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer/college-player-profile/alex-sweetin/cpid-20160
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