How have the players changed your approach to coaching?
The players have helped me become a more flexible coach. Starting out I had a very structured idea of what I planned to put into action for JV to succeed. However, I [came] to find out you must adapt to the unique talent pool you have on your team, and enable them by changing the team’s playstyle to fully take advantage of player strengths.
What have you maintained or changed from last year?
To be frank, when I became the new JV head coach I wanted to do a complete overhaul of the team from last year. The level of success JV soccer had last year was not indicative of the talent level here at the school. With a little digging and investigating, I quickly realized multiple flaws in last year’s playstyle and tactic. The key changes I have made came down to the formation we run, as well as how we implement that formation.
What has it been like to have an eight game winning streak this season?
For me, being a new coach, it has been extremely gratifying because it tells me I chose the right players and chose the right system to employ. Undoubtedly, the bulk of the credit goes to the play of the team, without them playing hard and putting the game plan into action the eight game win streak does not come to fruition.