2008 UCF MEN’S SOCCER PREVIEW WITH BRYAN CUNNINGHAM

Knights open season Friday at Ohio State Bert and Iris Wolstein Classic in Columbus, Ohio

8/26/08

ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) – The UCF men’s soccer team will get their 2008 season underway Friday night at the Ohio State Bert and Iris Wolstein Classic in Columbus, Ohio. The Knights will face Penn State at 5:00 p.m. Friday before squaring off with the host Buckeyes, ranked ninth in the NSCAA/adidas preseason poll, Sunday at 2:30 p.m.



Just days before his team hits the road, head coach Bryan Cunningham discussed the 2007 season, his team’s progression in the offseason, and the upcoming year during an interview with UCF Athletics Communications.



Start with your thoughts on last season, your first season as head coach at UCF.

“The number one thing I learned last year is that the season is more of a marathon than a sprint. While we got off to a good start and climbed up into the regional rankings, we were unable to sustain that for the rest of the season. Hence, we faltered down the stretch. We have made excellent strides in the offseason to correct those mistakes with the work we have done in the weight room and the work we have done off the field with team bonding and mental preparation.”


Last season’s team was much more competitive than the record would indicate, with eight of your 12 losses coming by a lone goal. What do you attribute that to and how do you get your team to pull out those close games in 2008?

“Last year we were starting a very young team as well. We had a freshman goalkeeper who played every minute of every game in Sean Johnson. While he was able to keep us in games at times, we did not do what we could on the offensive end to keep the pressure off of him. Albeit we scored 24 goals last season, the most we have scored since 2002, we also gave up 39 goals. A point of emphasis in the offseason has been defending and learning how to play the first 10 minutes of the game and the last 10 minutes of the game.”


The team lost a lot of production from 2007, with only eight of your 24 goals scored by players returning in 2008. Talk about the players from last year’s team that will be missed the most.

“One of the main guys will be James Georgeff, who provided a lot of leadership for us and went on to play for the Houston Dynamo after his career here. James was able to play in a variety of positions for us and he will be missed. We have grown in terms of leadership and will be okay.”


With that said, senior co-captain Ryan Roushandel returns as the team’s leader and leading scorer. How important will Ryan be for this team, both in terms of on the field production and leadership?

“Ryan is a model citizen who takes care of his body very well off the field. He was the school’s male Scholar-Athlete of the Year so academically he gets it done. On the field, he is determined to score and make himself better and make the players around him better. He is an excellent role model for our young players.”


To counteract those losses, your staff brought in 18 newcomers for 2008. Talk about that recruiting class as a whole, and tell us who will be expected to produce immediately.

“The class is very well balanced, and we brought in depth at every position. We have added some of the best kids in the country who come in with the expectations of playing right away, and I have those same expectations for them. Some of the notable players would be Yaron Bacher, a transfer from Longwood University, Kevan George from the Concorde Fire, Joe Crowley from FC Delco, and Bryan Collier, who played significant time for Virginia Tech last year.”


For the freshmen newcomers, what is the biggest adjustment they have to make from the high school and club level?

“For the first time in their young lives they will be playing against primarily older players who have spent some time in the weight room which they are just starting to do. The physical nature, the speed of play is tremendously faster, and the demands of the amount of games you have to play with a short turnaround, will all be adjustments for them.”


Who do you see emerging on offense as another potential goal scorer?

“I think we will have a few players in that regard. Joe Crowley and Yaron Bacher are going to produce some goals for us. Kyle Ellis, one of our freshmen, is coming along quite nicely in the preseason, and then Kevan George I think will score some goals out of midfield.”


Last year it was goalkeeper Sean Johnson who made big contributions as a freshman, starting 17 out of 18 games as a freshman. With a year under his belt, what do you see for Sean in 2008?

“He was able to get a taste of both victory and defeat last year, and he learned the most important thing is to be consistent. While he had some great games last year he also had some poor performances. He has grown from those performances, he had an outstanding spring with us, he had an outstanding summer, and thus far he has been very consistent this preseason.”


Who else on the defensive side of the ball will be counted on?

“We have a number of players – Bryan Collier, Matt Heffernan, Camillo Rendon, and Cameron Cooksey – who have come in and done very well solidifying the back line, and we look for them to have a very productive year.”


Things do not start easily for your young team, with the first five games away from home, including the season-opening tournament at Ohio State. What was the idea behind the tough schedule early on? What do you hope your team gains from the tough start?

“The idea is always to prepare them for conference play and to face similar opponents to those you will play in the conference season, in terms of the way that they defend, the way that they attack, and the talent of their teams. It is always important by the time conference starts for the players to have seen everything they are going to see in conference.”


Who do you see as the favorites this season in Conference USA?

“First and foremost you go with Tulsa. They are the defending champions, and they only lose a couple of players off of their NCAA Tournament team last year. You give the nod to them. I think SMU will be as strong as they have been in years under the direction of new coach Tim McClements. I also think Memphis, who had a good year last year, is due for some good things.”


You made three new additions to your staff in 2000. What do they bring to your program?

“All three of them are unique in their own way with different attributes, and they have all blended in tremendously with the players. Between James and Mauricio they do a great job training and with the technical side of the game. Jim brings in the tactical knowledge of the game which is excellent in terms of in-game adjustments and game preparation.”


Did you or your team set any goals for this season?

“The one thing we are doing differently this year as a team is we are going to work on goals in terms of three-week clips and set our goals as we go. The one mistake we made last year is we got a little ahead of ourselves in terms of goal-setting for the entire year. This year the mentality is going to be to work in segments and adjust our goals as we go, making sure we are achieving them, and constantly making ourselves better.”



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