Patrick Phelan Called To U23s

Soccer City FC's recent guest Patrick Phelan has been named to the Under-23 Men's National Team camp in prepartion for the 2008 CONCACAF U23 Championship. The CONCACAF U23 Championship begins on March 11 and runs through the 23. The top two teams in the eight-team field will qualify for the 2008 Olympics which are being held in Beijing, China. The U23 camp will be in Bradenton, Florida and runs from January 6 through the 20.

More MLS Combine Interviews Upcoming

We won't tip our hats just yet, but we do have some more pre-combine interviews in store from the class of the collegiate ranks. Please do check back.

Joe Germanese Interview Before Combine

Duke University midfielder Joe Germanese was named a 2007 NSCAA Scholar-Athlete All-American. He was also named to the 2007 NSCAA All-South Region Third Team. From January 11 through the 15, he will be attending the 2008 MLS Combine. He graciously agreed to answer some questions regarding his senior year and the upcoming combine.

Sean Grybos: Now that you have had some time to sit back and reflect on the season, what will you take away from 2007?

Joe Germanese: The 2007 season was disappointing given the high expectations we placed on ourselves as a team after the 2006 Elite Eight run and ACC Tournament Championship. 2007 marked the final season for 13 graduating seniors and longtime Duke coach, John Rennie. Coach Rennie built the great tradition of soccer at Duke and so needless to say, we all wanted to send Coach out with a championship. Unfortunately, we experienced a string of bad luck with injuries to key players and a few tough breaks in closely contested games. As a team, we never found our rhythm. As I look back, the thing I take away most is that every season takes on a life of its own. Success is never guaranteed and sometimes things don’t go the way you plan. However, I am confident that the struggles of the 2007 season have motivated our group of returning players to work that much harder to find better form in 2008.

SG: What was your favorite memory from this year regarding the iconic coach John Rennie who recently retired with the fifth most wins in Division I?

JG: My favorite memory was beating UVA at UVA. We scored with 90 seconds left to send the game into overtime and eventually Mike Grella scored the game-winner on a great individual effort. Throughout the years Duke and UVA has become one of the greatest rivalries in college soccer dating back to the Bruce Arena era. We were glad to give Coach Rennie a victory in his last game at Klockner Stadium.

SG: What have you been doing to keep physically and mentally prepared, especially with the holiday season between the NCAA Tournament and the combine?

JG: From a physical standpoint, I have been running and lifting with a speed coach here in St. Louis who I have trained with throughout my college career. I also try to play small sided with some of the other local college and MLS guys when possible to keep my touch. My goal is to be as fit as possible for the combine. Mentally, I don’t really do a whole lot to prepare until I actually get there. For now, I just watch the Premiership every weekend to keep my head in the game and learn what I can from the best players in the world.

SG: What are your expectations and objectives regarding the upcoming 2008 MLS Combine?

JG: I am looking forward to the combine because it gives me a chance to play with a lot of guys who I have played against in both college and PDL. It’s also an additional arena to showcase one’s talents in front of the MLS coaching contingent. In this combine setting, it’s easy for players try to do too much to impress the coaches. My goal is to keep things simple. I feel I’m at my best when I play quickly and simply, combine well with my teammates, make dangerous runs, and then find ways to ultimately put myself and those around me in positions to score goals.

SG: Is there anything that can be said about being able to attend the combine with teammate Michael Videira?

JG: I think it will be nice having a Duke teammate at the combine. Vido is a great player and one of my best friends so I’m obviously looking forward to seeing him in Florida. I hope we end up on the same team. He’s the kind of player who makes everybody else’s job that much easier on the pitch because he wins every ball in the midfield and does a fantastic job keeping possession. I think we play well together because we know each other’s tendencies after playing together a few years at Duke and in the PDL.

SG: Duke Alumni, Mike Jeffries will be one of the coaches at the combine. Will the familiarity of knowing a coach at the combine be an asset to you?

JG: Having Coach Jeffries at the combine will be a great asset. A lot of my improvement as a player over the last two years is a direct result of having worked with Coach Jeffries. He was a former MLS coach himself so he has good advice on how to approach the combine and what MLS coaches are looking for in players.

SG: I want to thank you for your time and again extend my sincerest wishes on your upcoming soccer future; best of luck at the combine.

JG: My pleasure Sean and best of luck to Manchester City versus the rest of the Premiership except when they play the Gunners!

Patrick Phelan Interview Prior To Combine

Today, Soccer City FC spoke via email with Wake Forest University's Patrick Phelan. The senior defender/midfielder was an instrumental member of the 2007 NCAA National Champion Demon Deacons who defeated Ohio State 2-1 in the College Cup on December 16. The Deacons posted an impressive 22-2-2 record enroot to their first National Championship. Patrick has garnered several honors at the conclusion of the 2007 season including being named a 2007 NSCAA First Team All-American as well as being selected to Soccer America's 2007 First Team MVP list. He was recently named as one of the 54 players who will be attending the 2008 MLS Combine which will take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from January 11th through the 15th.

Sean Grybos: First Off, I want to extend my congratulations to you and your teammates regarding the season. What memories do you have from the 2007 College Cup experience?

Patrick Phelan: Thank you; it sure was the perfect way to end my athletic career at Wake Forest. I think when I look back on the College Cup there are a few things that stick out. The first memory I have is of handing the National Championship trophy to our coach, Jay Vidovich. If people around the country knew how hard he, and the rest of our staff, has worked since our loss against UCSB last season they would understand how much it meant to him to finally win a National Championship. Another memory I have is of my teammate Julian Valentin and the bloody scar he had on his face. Having known Jules for 5 or 6 years now, I can say that was actually an appropriate way for him to end his career at Wake. He's truly a warrior and the way he puts himself, and his body, before the team was a big reason for our success of our program in the past 4 years. A final memory I have is walking out of the locker room after the game and celebrating with my family who rarely get the oppprtunity to see me play so it was very special to have them there.

SG: Did you have any reservations about making the switch mid-season from backline to midfield?

PP: I had no reservations whatsoever. I think that for me, and for the coaching staff, it made the most sense to move me into the midfield. In practice I used to have a tendency to push forward quite a bit and I felt very comfortable moving into the midfield. It also made sense for the future of the program as it would have been difficult to replace two senior centerbacks. By moving me forward, Ike Opara was able to gain a valuable year of experience which will be crucial to our success in the next few years.

SG: Now that you can reflect back upon the 2007 season what means more to you from an individual standpoint: scoring your first two collegiate goals on October 9th or being a part of the squad's fifteen shutouts?

PP: It's obviously got to be the latter of the two. It was very special to finally score, especially at our home field, but I came to Wake Forest to win a championship and scoring two goals against Appalachian State was not as vital to our success as the performance of our defense was. Posting 15 shutouts also illustrates the consistency of our defense and when you look at the difficulty of our schedule the achievement becomes even more special.

SG: You were born in Houston, Texas but now live in Enfield, Connecticut. What were you thinking during the 2007 MLS Cup?

PP: It's great to see that soccer has really taken hold in Houston. Living in New England, however, I was sympathizing with the Revolution who had come so close the past few years. I guess I was in a sort of win-win situation if you want to look at it that way; I'm good friends with a few players on each team. Nonetheless, I was more interested in the quality of play.

SG: What sort of expectations and objectives are you looking at regarding the upcoming 2008 MLS Combine?

PP: Even though I'm 22 years old it doesn't mean that I have stopped developing so I'm going to approach it as I would approach any training session and just try to get a little better each day. I am not going to be too concerned with impressing coaches or the other players. I'm thankful for the opportunity to participate in the combine and just hope that I can represent myself and my school well.

SG: Is there anything that can be said about being able to attend the combine with teammates Brian Edwards and Julian Valentin?

PP: It's very special to have them there with me. Both players definitely deserve to be at the combine and it reflects well on the university and the soccer program. To have 75% of the graduating class invited to the combine is a testament to the quality of Coach Vidovich's program. I'm sure they will both do very well and will have successful careers as professionals.

SG: Will you be in attendance at the 2008 MLS Draft or will you be with family and friends?

PP: I sure hope so but at this point I cannot say yes or no. There is a possibility that I will be in camp with the U23 Men's National Team during that time but I'm not certain on that quite yet. However, if I can attend I will certainly try to be there.

SG: I want to thank you for your time and again extend my sincerest wishes on your upcoming soccer future; best of luck at the combine.

PP: You're quite welcome. Thanks so much.

2008 MLS Draft Upcoming

The 2008 MLS Draft is quickly approaching. Soccer City FC is hoping to conduct an interview or two from the 54 players who were invited to attend the 2008 MLS Draft Combine in Florida which runs from January 11-15. I will keep you updated.