"Soccer made in America" with Guest Alek Mihailovic
John:
Welcome to the only internet radio show talking about high schools sports and business of college recruiting, Collegiate Athlete Today. Streaming across the globe and the world wide web thanks to the internet. Don't forget www.voiceamerica.com is the website, I'm your host John Kerr sitting along side me as always is Chris Krause. Chris, we have a great show lined up here today.
Chris:
We are fired up JK and we have an awesome show lined up today. We are talking soccer today.
John:
Before we get to our guest, a quick reminder that CAToday is available for podcast, just check out iTunes.com and go to the sports category. So our guest today is on top of the world, at least when it comes to soccer. I was watching some football this past weekend and so were many people across the country but overseas another brand of football is king. And this upcoming year it will get a lot of tv time with the US national team qualifying for the World Cup for the fifth straight time which is taking place this summer. So our guest is a two-time All-American at Jacksonville University where he is the school's all-time leading scorer and then went on to play professionally in the North American Soccer League then at the age of 29 became the youngest professional soccer coach in the United States. He began a coaching career that is even more distinguished, he is the founder and president of the Soccer Made in America and director of coaching education for the Illinois Coaching Association and President of the Chicago Black Soccer Club and also just came back from Mexico where he helped coach the women's national team. Our guest today is Alek Mihailovic. How's it going Al?
Alek:
Good to talk to you guys.
Chris:
Alek, I was glad that we were able to track you down after just getting back from that trip to Mexico. Tell us, how did things go out there?
Alek:
It was exciting down there. Our women's second team did an outstanding job. We weren't supposed to win a game and we won the first game 3-2 and we lost the second game 1-0 against the full blown Mexican national team.
Chris:
In terms of recruiting for soccer, you grow up going to Morton East High School and you ended up going to the University of Jacksonville. Tell us a little bit about how you ended up down there in Jacksonville in terms of recruitment.
Alek:
Well it was a pretty interesting situation. I was just playing high school soccer, club was just beginning to come on because the clubs at that time were mainly funded by ethnic programs. Things have certainly changed now because parents or kids have to pay a lot of money to play club soccer unless you get some kind of scholarship. But my recruiting was spread out from west coast to east coast from north to south and I liked the setting down there in Florida because of the coach at the time who promised to build a program around me. Academically it was a great situation. I wasn't the greatest student in the world because at the time I was preparing for a career in soccer so I had to be in a position where I had a lot of academic support in college.
(6:00)
Chris:
Well that's the thing we talk about as far as the most important thing, it's getting the right fit. Going to a place where they want you because a little kids don't understand that. So they get involved with the Indiana's of the world and the North Carolina's of the world and do even give a school like the University of Jacksonville a shot. Where they could have a program built around them. How did going to a school like Jacksonville effect you and the rest of your professional career?
Alek:
It was tremendous preparation. I had a chance to come back to Chicago and play in some high level leagues when I was 16 and 17 so when I went down to Florida the situation was great. Like I said the coach was willing to wrap the program around me so I was able to get the ball and shoot and all that. So I was put in a position that prepared me for situations later. It was good. Academically it was good. I was very blessed for four years.
Chris:
Was Jacksonville first on you list when you first started the process or did it come in later on when the coach really had a chance to lay down his game plan for you.
Alek:
It actually came out of nowhere at the very end of the process, I was looking at some schools in the Midwest and out in California who had been recruiting me since I was in high school. And it really came out of nowhere but when I went to visit the school it felt really right. The timing felt right, the energy felt right and it was a great choice for me at the time.
Chris:
It's funny, now that you went onto to play at Jacksonville and then went on to play professionally, you ended up becoming the head coach for Jacksonville. How did that happen?
Alek:
I came back because the chancellor of the university invited me back and to try to build a program there and I did that for four years. And then I came back through Made In America Soccer which began 21 years ago and this way instead of taking care of one team, I'm able to take care of thousands of kids and put these kids in situations where they can excel athletically and academically through our programs. Also, the Chicago Blast as a club came on about 3.5 years ago and through this club we have a lot of interest across the country in that too. And NCSA is a big part of that by providing the backgrounds on kids and really helping me to recruit for that because I couldn't do that all by myself. I would probably mess something up. And I know that you guys do an unbelievable job, better than anybody.
Chris:
Well thank you Alek. One of the things that we like to talk about in terms of men's and women's soccer, especially women's soccer, it's one of the fastest growing sports collegiately. Over 1300 programs for women and over 1100 programs for men. So as far as coaching kids to take advantage of opportunities, when do you tell these kids to get started these days?
Alek:
Believe it or not, it sometimes starts as young as 12 years old, that's when some kids are identified. And then when they become freshmen in high school and beyond it's a major race. But by the time that you're 17 or 18 years old to start the process, it can be too late. But not always because the great thing about America is that we have several levels, Division I, II and III and NAIA, so there's quite a few soccer programs across the United States so just because someone doesn't get to go to Indiana or Notre Dame doesn't mean that it's the end of the world. There are some great programs in the other divisions and kids get drafted for the professional level out of all of them.
John:
Alek, we have to hit a break here but when we come back we are going to find out how Alek took his personal experiences and apply them to his coaching career. And listen up parents, how do I get my kid discovered, is club soccer worth it? Dos and Donts. We are on the inside with the expert. More after the break.
John:
Welcome back, we are talking soccer today with form college All-American, former college coach and now pretty much coach of all trades, a coach of the US Women's 2nd team, Alek Mihailovic.
Chris:
Alek, one of the things that people ask us all the time about how their kids can get discovered. They also ask about the value of a club team. The value of a club team versus and Olympic development program. Maybe you could talk a little bit about the differences between the two and if you need to be an Olympic caliber kid to be discovered by these programs.
Alek:
One of the things that I was extremely impressed with was what you and Luke had put together with NCSA and the program because I think that you guys do a better job than anybody as far as matching kids with schools. And there is a place for every single player across the United States. So the more these kids are visible through the programs etc and the more exposure that they get through programs like yours the better. Because I know that the kids who are involved with the NCSA now are constantly getting phone calls and being contacted.
Chris:
Well, Lisa Meyers here at NCSA actually takes surveys of college coaches to find out what they are looking for and what tournaments they are going to because the idea is that families and student-athletes really have to engage the college coaches ahead of time. They have to let them know before they go out to tell them where they are going to be to let the college coaches know and say go to these three college tournaments but im not going to be at these other three. How important is it for that student-athlete to really communicate with the coach before a tournament versus the chance of just being discovered if they went to some kind of club program?
Alek:
It is a good idea to let college coaches know about your background and about yourself and what tournaments you'll be going to. What position you play. You let them know and more than likely they will be there or they will send someone.
Chris:
When it comes to soccer, a lot of times, families are looking at who are their kid's competition but in what role have you seen, is the impact of kids coming from overseas? Is there an area where a lot of talent is coming from?
Alek:
10, 20, 30 years ago the international scene was a big part of soccer but because we are developing more and more talent the international scene is not as important. It's still important and a big part of the game but you still gotta win with your American kids. Also because American kids have such an advantage academically and also to receive aid whereas an international kid does not. Because unless the kid is an incredible soccer play with great grades you would pretty much have to spend a whole scholarship on that player. So the international kids will only have a chance if they are very amazing both academically and athletically otherwise American kids are favored.
Chris:
Is it more important for you to watch a kid playing against a high level of competition or can you tell a lot about a kid just by watching them on video? Or do you need a combination of the two?
Alek
That's a great question. You can have an outstanding day and bring in a video of a kid, but that only gives one dimension of a player. But by seeing someone live and having background information on them you have a double support system where you can make a better judgment.
Chris:
Yeah, because some of these kids could be having a bad day or they have a bad supporting cast or their defender is really shutting them down and it could just be poor timing.
Alek:
Yeah that's why its important to have a video also, just a few minutes of a game on top of the coach's visit. A coach isn't going to want to sit down and watch hours of video. Just a couple minutes of video and then let the coach know where you are going to be. It doesn't have to be in a tournament either, it could be a league or school game.
Chris:
It seems like a lot of college coaches are looking at younger and younger kids. Like a lot of schools already have their next year's class done by now.
Alek:
Well basically they can identify these players early, but if a kid comes out of nowhere or develops later in life that kid will also have a chance too. It's important to never give up in preparing or with academics because you never know when you are going to be seen. And with your program you can also turn things around overnight with your contacts etc.
Chris:
Well im glad to hear you talk about academics too Alek.
John:
Absolutely Alek. Well soccer is our topic today and we are going inside the recruiting process with Alex Mihailovic as our guest. We are going to get into the recruiting process a little more after the break. But also I want to ask him about where he sees the popularity of soccer going in this country at the youth level but also the professional level. More when we come back.
John:
Welcome back to Collegiate Athlete Today, we are talking soccer with our guest, a former college All-American, college coach and now the US Women's National team coach, Alek Mihailovic. And Alek, I want to ask you a question more broad in regards to the future of soccer in this country. I mean you cant drive anywhere without seeing soccer fields cropping up all over. Do you see soccer ever reaching the level of popularity as maybe football or baseball has?
Alek:
Well right now I believe that statistic is that 83% of the kids under the age of 19 are playing soccer. So it's a pretty popular game all by itself. And in a year or two from now, soccer is going to reach another level of acceptance that we haven't seen yet. But as far as popularity, that's kind of a broad question because as far as comparing that to the NFL, NBA or MLB, they shouldn't because all of these sports have their own identity and fan bases. There are so many athletes in the United States, this isn't a country it's a continent, there's 300 million people and we have enough of a talent level for all of these sports and we should never be competing against each other. I love to watch football and basketball, but these kids are growing up now with more exposure to that game than in the past so the future looks bright.
John:
Alek, what is that next level growth for soccer? Here in Chicago, the major league soccer team, the Fire is just breaking ground in a soccer only stadium, the Columbus team has a soccer only stadium and a few other cities do, but what is that next level of growth? Would you say that in a year or two its going to get bigger?
Alek:
Well we are going to see exactly that, John. LA has the Home Depot Center which is an incredible training center for teams. Dallas is opening up something similar. But so many cities are opening stadiums that will be 25,000 or less which is the perfect size for a soccer game. That size of venue is the perfect setting for this type of game.
John:
I went to a major league soccer game at Soldier Field a couple of weeks ago and there were probably only a couple of thousand people there but they were loud.
Chris:
Alek, when you look at Soccer Made in America, the expo that we went to the last couple of years, the growth of that thing, every year it got bigger. Soccer is just such a worldwide community compared to football and baseball. But as far as Soccer Made in America, tell us what you do.
Alek:
Well, Soccer Made In America has been around since 1983. We are a training organization that is dedicated to developing players and coaches nationwide. We have DVDs that our outstanding as far as body mechanics and pure development, I think they are probably the best that I've seen. A person can look them up at www.smia.com . But going back, the business was bankrupt and a friend of mine took it over in 1988 and has been a very successful. And the organization has brought both the women's and men's cup to the US. Corporate partnerships have made soccer what it is today.
Chris:
It's amazing when you hear about Nike and Adidas fighting for corporate sponsorship for some of these players and teams and the money that is going into some of these programs. Especially with Title XI we literally have a list of programs that are looking for girls to fill them. Tell us a little bit about the impact of Title XI on colleges.
Alek:
Sure. As far as soccer now at the collegiate level, D I and II, the scholarships have gone from 12 to 14, and that means that we would have 4 more full-ride scholarships for women than we do for men. And it's amazing how we have taken care of the women's side. And this is why our women's teams have been in the top of the world for the last 15 years.
Chris:
You talk about going from 12 to 14 scholarships next year, that's an additional 600 girls who can get a full-ride. As far as full-ride scholarships, how are they broken down, for those people who don't know. How would an extra two scholarships be divvied up?
Alek:
Well, they usually get broken up into halves. So four more quality players will receive the half scholarships. And we mentioned academics, the NCAA came out with the rule a few years ago that if a student has a GPA of 3.5 or better the aid that is given to a student will not be counted against the cumulative. If you are 3.5 or below then its all going to count towards the total. So now that gives kids a better incentive as students to get a better GPA.
John:
Alek, we have to run here but this has been a phenomenally educational show here for parents. Tom Thayer in Profiles of Success is next.
(40:05)
John:
Welcome back to Collegiate Athlete Today, I'm John alongside Chris. We had a great hour with Alek Mihailovic and anyone out there into soccer and the like, you will learn a lot from a guy like Alek. He has a wealth of experience.
Chris:
Absolutely, Alek is number one when it comes to knowledge of this game. As he said, start early, get your NCSA evaluation form in at www.ncsasports.org and give it a shot. And this brings us to our Profiles of Success segment with former Notre Dame offensive lineman, Tom Thayer, formerly of the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears and currently the team's radio analyst. Each week Tom with a former or current athlete with a unique story. This week he profiles former NFL great and current first-father of NFL quarterbacks, Archie Manning. Here is Tom.
Tom:
Good afternoon everybody and welcome to another segment of Profiles of Success. And I couldn't be more excited to have the guest that we do because he is probably the first father of football. And Archie Manning is our guest, and Archie, reading your bio I could go on forever. Heisman Trophy candidate, Ole Miss jersey retired, Ole Miss team of the century, Walter Camp Award, NFL MVP, the speed limit on Old Miss campus is 18mph because of your jersey number, enough said. But I have to ask you about being a father because of a speaker that we have named Jack Renkens who always talks about how the parents in the stands should compose themselves because its so important. So my first question to you is how did you and your wife put a premium on graduating your kids especially when they had the futures that they have.
Archie:
I think that at an early age while in early parenthood I saw some parents that I thought were a little too vocal. In that era, video cameras were just coming out and people would take their cameras to the little league game and I often thought that there was a few of those parents who should turn the cameras on themselves so that they could see what they were saying and see how they were acting. They would have been embarrassed and I think it kind of taught me a lesson and I understand that my wife and I have been very blessed. We have three children, three boys and they have given us a lot of joy and we love them, and we all love our kids and we want our kids to be successful. We want what is good for our kids, so I understand parents who get carried away a little but I think it's a discipline that you need to have. And getting too involved in the stands is not the right thing to do. Or being critical to referees out there, who certainly aren't making a lot of money and they are giving their time to help youngsters, or to be critical of coaches or certainly other players, they just kind of get wrapped up in it and I understand that. But I always tried to have a little talk with myself when I got out of the car before a sporting event, I would say, "now look stupid, go sit on the top row and keep your mouth shut." And I always told my kids, and I do to this day, to just go out and have fun. And I think the parents should have fun too and not get too involved.
Tom:
That sort of leads me to my next question which was, how did you teach yourself to control yourself as a father with either a team that wasn't solid around your kids or the coaches on the field that maybe you didn't agree with 100% or even the physical play of the quarterback position. How do you practice self-control in the stands?
Archie:
Well I think practice is a good word, it's a discipline and I think you need to prepare. And my boys were athletic, they went out for every team. I remember one week, my wife and I counted that we saw 17 basketball games. And they were playing in different leagues and they were in tons of tournaments. And I have been to some games where the officiating was definitely one-sided and that's hard on a parent, when you feel like your kids are being treated unfairly. But I still think its not a place for parents to get involved because these are young people who are getting a lot of benefits from playing sports as youngsters and there are a lot of life lessons right there. But it does take a little mental preparation before a parent goes and sits in those stands to remember that you want your kids to do the right thing, you want them to be accountable and responsible, you want them to be a good sport so we as parents have to come prepared to do that same thing.
Tom:
Going back to your career, one of the curses and blessings of being a good player is that sometimes youre a high draft choice and you are not necessarily going to the best team. When you were a player, how did you prepare yourself to play and prepare and to be involved at the top level when maybe your supporting cast was not the best in the league?
Archie:
Well Tom, there were some lean years and tough times and we all felt like we worked really hard to get where we were. And a lot of people in college or who just made it to the pros did a lot of hard work and made a lot of sacrifices to get there and we all want to win. You want to win championships and when you don't and you are going through those tough years and those lean years, it can take its toll on you. Football, as you know, is a physical thing and the seasons are long but I found out at an early age when I played on some winning programs in college and then I got to the Saints and we weren't very good. And losing does get old, and one thing about it is that when you have played as much ball as we have to get to that level, you never get used to losing. And I guess the good news about a football game is that the score is always 0-0 when the game kicks off, and you always have a chance. Those Sundays nights were tough after you lose, I think that's what bothered me the most about football in contrast to a baseball player or a basketball player is that we spend so much time and so many hours preparing for what is going to happen in a 3 hour period on Sunday afternoon. And I think when you win that game during that 3 hour period there is no greater high. But boy when you lose, you can't just wipe it out, you suffer that Sunday night and you suffer that Monday when you got to go watch the film of it. And your day off on Tuesday isn't that great because you still have that loss that you're carrying with you. So to me, Wednesday was one of the better days because you start fresh. So I really had to make some adjustments through the years and tried not to let that attitude of mine be so bad on Sunday night or be so bad when im watching that film on Monday and ruin my day off on Tuesday. I didn't just blow it off, but I did make some attitude adjustments through the years to deal with losing.
Tom:
Even on the high school level after a loss I think that boys and girls need someone to talk to. In your situation with your wife and your kids, who does the consoling after games? Is it you and your wife to your kids? Or do you let your kids express their concerns to you and your wife?
Archie:
Yeah, I always wanted my kids just to talk. I have always felt that I have been blessed in having great communication with my kids but I always wasn't dominant in that. Now my wife, Olivia, I call her the great equalizer, because she has seen a lot of sporting events and yet she doesn't do a lot of jock talk and she likes to watch so as far as she is concerned, none of her boys have ever had a bad game. And that's good. But I like for them to talk and maybe sometimes if you are getting what sounds like an excuse you can work around the conversation and have them hold themselves accountable. Admitting that yeah that was a bad throw or that was my fault, but I just try to be involved in conversation and certainly offer praise because they need that I never tried to be critical of a bad game. Because the whole thing is an experience and I don't think that you should push athletics on your kids but if your kids enjoy it and like it, it's a wonderful experience. And some of those experiences are losing and dealing with adversity and how are you going to regroup from it because you know that that is a big part of life too. You are going to have adversity and bad days and you are going to have to rebound from it.
Tom:
Exactly, before we got on the air we were talking about the adversity that you are going to face whether it be grade school, high school, and the pros I think of Rex Grossman who spent all that time rehabbing an injury and the first game back getting hurt. And I'm happy to say that my parents never had to have the look on their faces that his parents had.
Archie:
Yeah that's one of those times where you just say, that's unfair. God why are you doing this to Rex. Because I know Rex a little bit, and I happen to know his mom and dad as a matter of fact I placed a call to his dad, Dan, yesterday and said how sorry I am and that I feel for him. And I think he appreciated it, I got a message back from him today and I know they are just heart broken. Especially on the fact that Rex had to work so hard to overcome the injury that he had last year and to be back and to have the opportunity to play again and get injured again. You know, I had a guy tell me in my early years that this game can be a lot of fun, losing isn't fun but losing isn't the worst thing that can happen to you, getting hurt is the worst part. It's terrible. I had some injuries in my day, and people kind of start looking at you funny when you are missing practice, you know? So I really feel for Rex and the Grossmans, I really think he is going to be a good player and I can remember a future Hall of Fame quarterback with the NY Giants, Phil Simms and in his early years he couldn't stay healthy but he persevered and he wound up winning a championship.
Tom:
Well Archie Manning, thank you so much for your advice because I think that your advice and experience is going to help every parent in the country that has a son or a daughter playing sports. And let me thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to help us out.
Archie:
Tom, it's my pleasure, I really do enjoy being with you.
John:
Thanks Tom. Archie and Tom talked about facing adversity and no great adversity than what is happening in the path of Hurricane Katrina. The interview was taped before Hurricane Katrina his New Orleans and other areas where homes were washed out and in light of what has happened down there, Chris has a special announcement to make.
Chris:
On behalf of the National Collegiate Scouting Association we are going to be sponsoring a number of qualified student-athletes who have been displaced in the Golf Coast region. And we would like to have anyone who is listening to get in touch if you know of any student-athletes down there who have aspirations to play at the next level because the NCSA has a commitment to helping out those kids in need down there. As Archie said, getting injured isn't fair well what happened to those kids just isn't fair we are in a position to do some good and hopefully we can help some of those families.
John:
And those who probably need the help the most probably cant listen to the show for obvious reasons, so pick up the phone and call somebody with our contact information. www.ncsasports.org or shoot us an email at CAToday@ncsasports.org