PDL Feature
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Following the success of Reading United, the Ocean City Nor'easters, Des Moines Menace and FC Tucson in this year's edition of the U.S. Open Cup, PDL Senior Director Ryan Brooks looks at what PDL players gain from competing against professional players in the tournament, and discusses with Reading United and University of South Florida full back Ben Sweat his experience against the New York Red Bulls he prepares to embark on a professional career of his own following his senior season for USF this fall.
Every player has experiences that help shape their career, which take them out of their comfort zone and stretch them to places they never knew existed. The PDL’s version of this growth is the US Open Cup. Coaches and managers often cite “meaningful games” as a key factor in player development. It seems straightforward that if you compete alongside or against strong opponents in games, rather than weaker ones, the games are more meaningful.
The U.S. Open Cup allows 16 PDL teams to enter into the longest-standing tournament in the United States. In the 2013 U.S. Open Cup, a total of 210 PDL players competed against professional teams in the first and second rounds, while 56 of the 210 played in the next round against MLS opponents. The value PDL players receive from competing against professionals is immeasurable, and is instrumental in the development of PDL players, who are the future of U.S. soccer.
If you take a meaningful game with a quality opponent - and in the case of the Open Cup, against professional teams - the game is full of teaching moments. The professionals are savvier and more intelligent than the amateur. A pro is a couple of steps ahead in his brain, and use the opponent’s naiveté to beat him, so essentially the player beats himself. That is not a knock on amateurs, but they just don’t have the “gray hair” a professional has (the term was coined by a mentor who explained to me that “gray hair” symbolizes an experienced versus a younger coach; although I feel it is applicable in this comparison as well).
So how does an amateur develop the “gray hair?” It is simple: train and play in games where the environment stretches you, because the environment shapes the player. That is why the U.S. Open Cup is a great competition for PDL players to learn more about their game and see, feel and smell what is like to be a professional. While player and ordinary fans can watch on television, the experience of going into a stadium, getting changed in the locker room and playing against professionals cannot be replicated unless you go out and experience it firsthand.
I watched many of the Open Cup games this season and there was a five-minute stretch in Reading United’s third-round contest against the New York Red Bulls game that was a prime example of my previous thoughts. This specific game shaped the professional development of Reading United’s left back, Ben Sweat.
Sweat is entering his senior year at the University of South Florida in the Big East, and has earned call-ups with the U20 National Team.
In the game I saw him get beaten twice within five minutes by New York’s right wing. Sweat stabbed in to make a tackle and the player touched the ball to the side and went around him, creating scoring opportunities. Sweat could view those two plays simply as being beaten by an opponent, but it was much more than that.
I got the opportunity to talk to Sweat to hear his thoughts, and after our conversation I realized how coachable he was and that he understands that although he is an MLS prospect, he needs to keep learning and developing because there is always a higher level.
Brooks: Talk me through those two plays on the left wing.
Sweat: I saw the ball was a couple of feet from him and attempted to make the tackle - something I have done many times in my career - but he blew right by me. He knew if he had the ball in a certain position, I would dive in. I did, and was he was able to take the ball down the wing in the Red Bulls’ final third. He was a couple of steps ahead of me in his mind and knew I would “take the bait.”
Brooks: Those plays were symbols of the differences between pros and amateurs, and were more than just getting beaten twice in row. We could talk about speed, technique, and tactics, but tell me more about the ‘gray hair’ that your opponent had?
Sweat: The position that he put the ball in before I made the tackle was strategically placed, but I thought it was an opportunity to dispossess him. Man, was I wrong! What is funny is that I have done what he did to others many times in my career.
The Red Bulls game showed me that every time one of the professionals made an action - either a run or touch, or communication with a teammate - there was a reason. There was purpose to everything in their game, which was a great learning experience for me.
Brooks: This game is all about continued learning. What adjustments did you make within the game, and will you make moving forward in your career?
Sweat: After those two defensive mistakes I had to adjust my game. I know as a defender that I am athletic enough to make up for mistakes by chasing an attacker if I am beaten. In spite of this, I should not be immature and dive in as I did on those plays. So, I pretty much told myself to not let it happen again and to make sure I kept the attacker in front of me, as well as keep my feet moving and my eyes on the ball.
As a defender, it’s having experience and being a part of the Red Bull game, and seeing the quickness of the next level. My aim is to be a more intelligent player, combined with my skills that I currently possess.
Brooks: Playing in the PDL and having the opportunity to play against two professional teams in the U.S. Open Cup, will this shape your outlook on the improvements of your game and trying to get to the next level?
Sweat: Having the opportunity to play two quality pro teams, I noticed the speed of play, sharpness and cleanliness of touches and passes, and the intensity it takes to perform at your best at that level. Those are qualities I am already adding to my game this summer and if I continue to execute those qualities every day, I know I will be ready for the next level.