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UCF men's soccer fans will have their first opportunity to talk with new head coach Brent Erwin when he holds a live online chat on UCFathletics.com Friday, July 29 at 11 a.m. Fans are welcome to submit questions now or during the live session.
In May, Erwin became just the fourth head coach in program history when he took over the helm of a Golden Knights' team that has made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The squad starts fresh in 2005 as UCF moves into Conference USA.
Still scheduled to join the chat circuit are cross country and track coach Marcia Mansur-Wentworth and head women's soccer coach Amanda Cromwell. Fans can check UCFathletics.com for upcoming dates and times.
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Welcome to the online chat. Brent Erwin will be joining us momentarily. Please send feel free to send in your questions if you haven't already.
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| TJ(Tallahassee,Florida): As a high school student athlete, with interest in UCF, should i be looking foward to an icrease UCF Soccer showing interest in high school players like me, via email, and mail? |
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Coach Erwin: The best way to get ahold of me is through email. We get hundreds of letters. Email is the best way because it comes directly to me. I check my emails frequently during the day and I carry my Blackberry when I am out of the office.
Email is good way to let us know who you are, your academic background, and when and where we can see you play. |
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John (Oviedo): Brent, welcome to UCF.
I have been a college soccer fan since I was a grad student at UVa watching the Cavaliers win 4 straight titles.
Though UCF's recent teams have been good, the fan base was small. The media coverage was virtually non-existent. How will plan to get the media and fans on board? |
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Coach Erwin: First of all I would like to welcome you and I welcome your good vibes from UVA
There are a few ways to increase fan support. One is that we need to be active in soccer community. We have numerous clubs and high schools which are filled with fantastic players, coaches and parents. We need to reach out and make them feel like our program represents them, that the product we put on the field is a group of players that represent where they come from. Our team is made up of people that they know and respect, players that they want to watch play.
Second thing is that we need to play an attractive game of soccer that people want to come to watch play and that we can be successful playing.
The third thing is we need to bring in opponents - big names that people recognize. Some of the most recognizable names in men's college soccer will be coming through Orlando and UCF in the coming years. People will also be able to watch our accent into that type of program.
The big thing is to generate interest from the fans and the media's interest will follow. |
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| Troy (Orlando): Hey coach, how are you hoping to build on the already successful soccer program that exists at UCF? What changes are you making as you prepare for the new conference? How've the players responded to you thus far?
Thanks for your time and good luck next year. |
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Coach Erwin: I think every sport at UCF is starting from scratch again with the move into the new conference because the level of play is so high. This conference is moving us into a completely different stratosphere of competition. We can't rest on our past accomplishments. This is not to say that we don't dishonor or disrespect our past and the players that have come before. It is just to say we are writing a new chapter.
As far as the changes, they changes will be contingent on how the players prepare for games and how we manage our season. Last year, our team played against two teams that made the NCAA Tournament. This year we will play six plus two teams who were on the bubble. To cope with our new challenges the players will be exposed to a new standard of fitness as well as new technical and tactical standards.
The players have been spectacular. The vast majority has spent their entire summer working hard to be ready. Those players will be successful. The players who have not done the work will find themselves in a lot of trouble once our preseason begins. |
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| orlando: How much do u know about the team that ur taking charge of, and how much of a diference do u think u can make in one year of coaching at UCF. |
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Coach Erwin: I spent the summer studying every player on the roster from returning players to the incoming recruits. I have seen the team play before on tape in the past, but never as a direct opponent, so I've been doing a lot work to get to know the team.
Most of our players have stayed around the university all summer doing fitness training and playing in impromptu scrimmages. The players have also been in and out of my office all summer. I feel like I have a good feel of what our team is right now.
I believe in the power of coaching. I believe in working with players and training them to improve them. I have designed and implemented a training plan to help them move forward. For us to compete in Conference USA, every player is going to have to raise their level of play. I believe that along with the training program, winning teams have a positive culture that surrounds them. I've told the guys on the team that winning is a 12-month commitment, that it is something that I've instilled in them since I arrived. It is something that will be hammered home as we progress through our first season. |
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Lorenzo (Orlando): Coach,
How does soccer talent in Florida compare to Texas? Also, do you expect an imediate upgrade in talent with our recent move to C-USA? |
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Coach Erwin: I have been fortunate to be in two very good soccer states. Both Fla. and Texas have deep pockets of talent. Year to year some of the best talent in the country comes out of these two states. In Texas, the talent is located around the metropolitan areas like Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and even El Paso. In Florida, obviously there is great talent in Orlando, Miami, Tampa, Tallahassee and Jacksonville but you can also find great players in places like Plant City, Boca Raton and other small towns. I think this year it is hard to argue with Florida because there are currently eight players from the state that are with the U-17 National Team.
That said, I think there will have to be an immediate upgrade in talent as we move to C-USA. We are looking for the best players in the state of Florida and in the United States to come and play for our team and represent our university and our community. We are entering one of the two or three top conferences in the country. We will need to put our best team on field. |
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| Jeff, Orlando: I don't know much about the Conference USA in terms of Men's Soccer other than UAB is usually a top ranked team. How do you think we match up with the league and is there a possibility that multiple teams could make the NCAA tournament, is the league that strong? |
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Coach Erwin: As I said in an early question, Conference-USA is one of the top two or three soccer conferences in the country. Last year, six of the 10 teams in the current C-USA lineup participated in the NCAA Tournament. Also, included in this conference are some of the more recognizable names in men's college soccer such as SMU, South Carolina, Memphis, UAB. I think it would be a shock if multiple teams from this league didn't make the NCAA Tournament.
Because of the level of competition, it is very difficult to go through this conference unscathed. For our players at UCF, they have never had to face the level of competition that we are going to face this year. The big question is how quickly can our players improve and adjust to this standard of play. |
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| Kissimmee: How do you think the team is going to do this year? |
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Coach Erwin: This is a very important year. The level of competition, the standards of what is expected of our team are all evolving. This is the year about establishing what UCF men's soccer is about - not only for now but for the years to come. We are now on the path to building something that can become a champion. |
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