University of Connecticut Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts Annual Media Day/Coaches Clinic
8/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 23, 2011
STORRS, Conn. - The No. 5/8 UConn men's soccer team hosted media day and the annual coaches clinic in Storrs this morning. Members of the media were able to view practice and speak to the UConn players and coaches. The program also hosted over 25 coaches from across the region in a free clinic which provided an in-depth look into the tactics and coaching styles employed by the UConn coaching staff.
Head Coach Ray Reid and his assistants Tim O'Donohue, Mike Mordocco and Chris Gbandi will appear on WILI 1400 am with Wayne Norman beginning at 7:20 on Wednesday morning. Be sure to tune in and hear from Coach Reid and the UConn staff.
Below is a sample of what the UConn student-athletes had to say tuesday morning with the media.
Head Coach Ray Reid
You must be happy to have Tony Cascio and Carlos Alvarez back: "Absolutely. Having those guys in the front of the team is very good for us. We are very happy with them."
How much are you going to miss Josh Ford? "We are going to miss him big time. Hopefully the keepers that we have will step up and be able to fill his shoes."
You have five keepers on the roster, is it still a battle? "Yes, it is still a battle. As of right now though Andre Blake is number one."
Are things coming together with the offense? "It's still early, but the offense is picking up a little bit."
Can this team be as good as last year, and maybe even better? "I think this team can be better. Andrew Jean-Baptiste is going to be a key guy on defense, he is the leader of the backs. Last year's team was very good, but this year we can also be very good. We are playing a harder schedule and we are more mature."
How tough is the schedule going to be this year? "It is going to be a tough schedule, but we did that because we want to challenge these guys. They need to be challenged."
Do you like what you see with this team?"We are only 12 days in, but they are working hard right now for sure. We will see if they can maintain that over four months and win games. Their mentality has been very good so far though."
On winning close games: "We had six ties last year. 12-2-6. Some of those games, maybe we should have took it. But we didn't. We need this team to win those games. We win those games and we don't end the season early in the NCAA Tournament or in the BIG EAST Tournament. It's a mental thing as much as anything. We win games by more than a goal, but we need to win those games that are tight all the way."
#5, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Sophomore, Defender
Does the defense really have to step up this year? "Yes a little bit, losing Greg King, Robert Brickley, Shawn Nicklaw and Josh Ford, that was the main component of our team last year and now that they are gone we have to fill in the gaps. The guys that came in have to not only match what they did, but I feel like they can do more than what they did. We are going to change it up a lot. With the new goalies that we have it is just a whole new back. The first few games will be a little rusty, because we are just starting to figure out our groove, when we figure it out though it will just roll."
Is it easier with the offense in front of you? Does that take some pressure off of the defense? "Oh yes. You know what is going to happen every single day. Just like last year when the guys had the ball up the field. It's not going to be any different this year. It is the same guys up front for the most part. I expect no different from the top this year, and I actually expect them to do more this year."
After losing Josh Ford are you confident in the guys back there now? "Without a doubt I am fully confident in all of the keepers that we have. I couldn't ask for anything more back there. I am very confident in all of our keepers."
How different is Andre Blake than Josh Ford? "He is taller than Josh, just as athletic and he has a very good reach. Today when we were doing corner kicks, I'm thinking that I'm going to go up for a header and he comes out and his arm just goes up and gets it. He has that reach, that long stature. The same with Stefan Berkeley, he has the long features. Lionel Brown is like Josh, very athletic and pounces on anything. I'm just waiting to see what they bring to the table, because they haven't been tested yet."
#10, Carlos Alvarez, Junior, Midfielder
On the upcoming season: "Looking forward to winning Championships this year. Honestly, our first goal is to make it to the Final Four. We have to take it game by game and work hard to get those W's. Then, we have to make it to the BIG EAST Tournament and take that."
On the chemistry on the team: "We have eight returners, so we have to have a good chemistry. Even the guys that don't get to play as much, they are our teammates and we all have a strong bond. We are very united. There are no cliques on our team. We always look happy. We are always supporting each other."
On the goalkeepers: "I don't play keeper so I don't know who the best is but I know that they are all very good. Whoever the coaching staff picks I will be happy and know that he will help us win games."
On getting stronger: "I've been lifting a lot of weights. I came into my freshman year weighing 135 and this year I weigh 163. Coach West helps me a lot, I am thankful we have such a great strength and conditioning coach."
#14, Tony Cascio, Senior, Forward
On playing at home vs. on the road: "Every once in a while we will have a good game on the road, but for the most part we play much better at home. I don't know if it is the flight, sitting around in our hotel rooms or something else."
On what it will take to win this year: "I think it will come down to defense, Coach always says defense always wins Championships. I feel on offense, if one of us is having a bad game we have other dangerous players to pick the other guy up."
On the team's feeling going into season right now: "We feel confident coming off the two exhibition wins. We are feeling good about ourselves. We are excited to play on Saturday."
On the schedule to start the season: "I think the beginning is really crucial. We want to get off to a good start and keep going from there. I feel confident about us finishing our opportunities that we will be given."
#20 Colin Bradley, RS Sophomore, Midfielder
On the energy and the feel of the team this season: "There's great energy. We're all excited to be back. Last year, obviously, didn't end the way we wanted. We're confident in this year though. There's a lot of good energy in the team."
On the way the season ended last year (Loss in penalty kicks to Brown in the NCAA Tournament Second Round): "You never want to end that way. After such a strong regular season too. We are looking towards this year now though, that's all behind us. We're trying to get tougher, mentally tougher. We worked hard on that throughout the offseason. That will help us when we get into those elimination games this year. We should be able to take that next step. When we get into those close games down the stretch and advance."
On the formation and style of play this year: "We like what we are doing. We are more attack-minded. We have two guys up top compared to one that we've used before. It really doesn't change too much. Maybe the mentality helps us so now our focus is to attack more. It's really not that big of a deal. It's just a formation. The same personnel is out there and on the team. It's more mental than anything."
On the team chemistry: "We have a lot of characters in this group. We all blend together real well. We get along together well off the field. There's plenty lot of personalities on the team."
#9, Stephane Diop, Junior, Midfielder
On Morrone Stadium being tough to win at for visiting teams: "We play great at home. We feel comfortable here. We have crazy fans that support us and it is always good to play at home."
#22, Max Wasserman, Junior, Defender
On playing left back: "I am getting comfortable. It is a process. I have played almost every position since I was a young kid. I just want to contribute as much as I can. I know Coach wants me to help with the distribution out of the back and that will be my main focus."
On being concerned for having to get over the attacking tendencies: "Even in practice I want to go and do the attacking drills. But, I know I have to do the defensive ones. It's my new position and I am excited to improve. This is my job now."
#16 Tyler Leeman, Freshman, Forward
How much fun has it been playing for UConn? "It is a lot of fun, playing for a top notch team just 45 minutes away from home is probably one of the best things I could get."
Talk to me about the first exhibition game: "It just ended up that one of our players was tight before the start of the game so coach threw me in and I ended up having to go out there with the starters for the first time and just doing anything I could do to help the team."
How nervous were you that first game? "When you first get there of course you have the butterflies. But once you get that first touch down the play starts flowing and it gets a lot easier."
How have you adjusted to Coach Reid's style? "It is a process. Coming from high school it is much different. You can't just come from high school and play at UConn, you need to see what his style of play is and adjust to that."
There are eight kids here from Connecticut, does that say good things about soccer in the state of Connecticut? "It is good that we can get players from local high schools along with players from all over the world. Good players come from a range of places and it's good that we can get a lot of those good players."
