SimpleCoach D3 Soccer YouTube Channel

[Hopkins92]

He's not saying he's a mad scientist... But he's kind of not saying he's not a mad scientist. ;-)

This is a really great interview, SC. I know I'm biased, but I guess I should also note that I haven't run around on this board being a fanboy, either. He is really an interesting guy that clearly does a lot of work that isn't just focused on soccer, but also on theories on leadership and growth and whole host of other topics.

Interesting guy, and I mean that as a compliment, for sure.

[Hopkins92]

Recap I posted to the fairly active Hopkins alumni Facebook page.

Season Preview with Coach A. He's always candid in these interviews and I really respect that. Some highlights:

Hop is losing 10(!) players from last year's squad. COVID extra year plus "natural" matriculation amounts to losing 2 classes in one fell swoop.

The freshman class is 9 strong. Coach thinks some can come in and contribute right away, BUT "it takes players 2.5 years to learn the system." Soooo... Yeah. The early-season trips to TN and OH are going to be really interesting and challenging (my words, not his).

Lots of really interesting insight into how Coach thinks about the development and evolution of the team. A number of different ways to say "it depends" but not in a dodgy way, just honest answers that amount to each iteration of these teams have their own story (again, I'm editorializing a little here.)

He self-effacingly brings up the moniker of mad-scientist. If you want to understand Coach A's mindset, and you only have a few minutes, head to minute 15:00. Fascinating.

I'll leave it there, as I don't want to write something that would take as long to read as simply watching the video.

Props to the interviewer, who is (as far as I know) the only guy in the country shining such a spotlight on D3 soccer. Hours and hours of interviews and shows breaking down match-ups and delivering his own rankings. Worth a follow, even if just to support what he's doing.