Sept. 1, 2005
SAN DIEGO - SDSU Moderator: We would like to welcome Lev Kirshner to today's chat. Coach Kirshner will be here to answer your questions for the next hour.
Karen (Half Moon Bay): Coach, what are your feelings going into the opener against Rutgers on Friday?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: We are excited about beginning the season tomorrow. It's going to be a fantastic experience to see how good we can be and hopefully we can start off on the right foot starting with Rutgers.
Justin (San Diego): What are your thoughts going into the Pac-10 Conference this season?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Justin, our thoughts on joining the Pac-10 this year is that it's a great honor for us to be in such an elite conference, but we're not just there to be a member. We want to win the Pac-10 Conference championship and hopefully it will come sooner rather than later. But we are very excited about joining the conference and strengthening that conference as one of the three teams that have been to a Final Four.
Robert (Chula Vista): What are your expectations for 2005?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Robert, we have 12 new members joining our team and could potentially have about half of our squad with first-year players in the starting lineup. So our expectations are to play hard and play well. I think the brand of soccer that will be on the field will be the best in the last 10-15 years. But we don't really know what to expect because we haven't been in the Pac-10 Conference before. We expect to have a successful non-conference schedule and we expect knock off these teams in the Pac-10.
Chris (Valley Center): What will be the biggest hurdle for your team to overcome?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Chris, the biggest hurdle we are going to have is having the team jell and understand where we are coming from with the inexperience of the 12 newcoming players. As I have told this team, it's the new players that are coming in that we're really counting on to get us over the hurdle with our veterans giving them the experience and understanding of what we are expecting as an Aztec soccer program.
Morty (New York City): Coach, I know that you recently coached a team in an international tournament. How was that experience and how successful was your team?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Coaching in the Maccabiah Games this summer and winning a silver medal was the greatest coaching moment that I have had in my career. Fortunately, I am still young and have a lot ahead of me, but at this moment I am just enjoying the victory and the experience that I received in having such a successful run at the Maccabiah Games. This is only the second silver medal ever that the U.S. has won, I am very proud of that and I am proud to be on a team that also won a bronze medal as a player. It was a great experience for me this summer.
Nicole (Ocean Beach): Injuries plagued your team last season. What condition is your team in at the moment?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Nicole, our team is happily, knock on wood, in good shape right now. It is nice because if we do take injuries, we have great depth in this program which is something that we have not had in my tenure here. Although we had great expectations last year, when we lost six starters at certain points of the season there was just no recovering it. If we take injuries this year, we should be able to recover as long as it is not at certain positions.
SDSU Moderator: These are great questions folks. Keep them coming.
Jake (Tucson, Ariz.): What do Matt Couch and Heath Creager bring to your team?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Matt Couch and Heath Creager bring a wealth of experience in battle and competitive fire. Both of them just dish out a lot physically to the other team. Matt Couch used to be a forward. The thing I love about those two when they played up top together in Matt's sophomore year is that they used to give as much to the defenders, as far as the physical play, as the defenders would try to give to the forwards. Now, we've got Matt in the back going after their forwards and Heath still going after their defenders. The biggest thing is their experience and their understanding of what we're doing here as an Aztec soccer program and how they can help the younger players. Obviously, their talent levels are very high, we're expecting Heath to score goals for us and help us win games, and we're expecting Matt Couch to lock the opponent out.
John (El Cajon): Congratulations on your top-40 recruiting class. What is your assessment of the newcomers based on what you have seen so far?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: John, the top-40 recruiting class was a nice pleasure to see. As we watch them train, I think we're at the right ranking. These newcomers have come in and they're fighting for starting jobs as I have mentioned earlier. There is the potential about half of our starting lineup being first-year players, but we are extremely happy.
Cody (Poway): With a large incoming freshman class, what kind of contributions do you expect from these players?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: We are expecting a great deal of contribution from them. There are 12 players that have been brought in. These 12 players were brought in to step up and play right away. They were not brought in to be redshirting or things of that nature, although some may end up doing that. We have high expectations for them to be an integral part of our success this year.
Mike (La Jolla): What is your team's depth like this season?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Our depth this year, Mike, is finally there although it's young and we'll see what that translates to. This is the first time in my five years as a head coach, starting my sixth season, that I will be comfortable going to my bench at just about every position. The depth this year is going to be a huge improvement from seasons past.
George (Santa Barbara): Who are some of the players you expect to have breakout seasons?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Some of the players that we expect to have breakout seasons are probably our veterans. It is an absolute pleasure to have Raul Bautista back in the lineup. We're hoping for him to come in and really help us and, so to speak, have that breakout season. Heath Creager was our leading goal scorer two years ago, so we're hoping he'll get back out and be another leading goal scorer again this year. Andrew DiCicco had a tremendous spring season and we hope for him to come out and really have a great season for us. Tally Hall has been steady his whole career here and maybe this year he'll shine and get some of the honors our goalkeepers have gotten in the past. And then Matt Couch is really coming into his own as a center back when we converted him last year.
Melinda (Oceanside): How well do you think your team will jell considering the amount of newcomers on the squad?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Well, Melinda, that would have been a great question prior to preseason camp in regards to how I think they'll jell. I can actually answer how they jelling now because we are now finished with preseason camp and getting ready to play. They have been tremendous. The newcomers are coming in and fitting in very well. They are understanding what their roles are and exceeded any expectations I would have had had I answered this question two weeks ago. We've got very strong leadership and these players are really coming in and fitting in tremendously well.
Ted (La Mesa): What coach do you admire most?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: The coach that I admire most currently is Jose Mourinho especially since I was working out at Rutgers when they were training every day. He is unbelievable in his organization and his knowledge and has a similar philosophy as me in that everything is run for the players. Everything he does is for the players so they can feel special and know that Chelsea is the best team in England to play for right now. Everything that we do is for our players so that people know that we are the best program in the country to come play for.
Mike (San Diego): What else do you do besides coach?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: I love to play golf. I love to read coaching biographies and I enjoy watching movies. But I also help out with our local club, Hotspurs, in the area and I do a lot of things that are required for my job like public speaking engagements and things of that nature.
SDSU Moderator: Only 15 minutes left folks. Keep the questions coming.
Ryan (Encinitas): What is the most enjoyable thing about coaching?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: The most enjoyable thing about coaching for me is the personal relationship with my athletes. I run this program for our players because they are the life line of this program. I love watching them grow from 18-year olds into young men at 22. The relationships that I have with them are what I most enjoy.
Keith (San Diego): Who were some of your idols growing up as a kid?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: I guess my biggest idol growing up, Keith, when I was playing was Giorgio Chinaglia. I remember watching him with the New York Cosmos. He was number nine, so I went and grabbed number nine because I was a center forward and he was a center forward and the New York Cosmos were the best team in the NASL. That was the guy I tried to emulate.
Will (Point Loma): Obviously everyone likes to play at home, but what road venue excites you the most this season?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Will, there is absolutely no question on this one. It is going home to my alma mater and playing at Rutgers. We expect 2,000-3,000 people at that contest tomorrow. I get to play against my former coach. A couple of days ago, I played against my former teammate. Pedro Lopes is the head coach at NJIT. When we play on Saturday against St. John's, we get to play against a two-time All-American at Rutgers, Dave Masur. Usually you'd like to save the best for last, but in this scenario our best road trip this year for me is going home to Rutgers. It just can't get any better than that.
Katie (Escondido): Where does this team rank right now compared to teams in the past?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: This team in comparison to the teams that I have had in the past, Katie, is probably the most talented. We are still needing to figure out if we are going to be a quality team. Two seasons ago, when we had our first winning year in something like 12 or 13 seasons. That was a tremendous team and had great leadership. I see a lot of qualities that are similar to that squad and I see more talent in this squad. To rank this team right now is a little premature. Come back to me at the end of the season and I will be happy to answer that question.
Greg (San Diego): What would it mean to you and your team to walk into the Pac-10 in your first year and make an immediate impact?
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Greg, walking into the Pac-10 and having an immediate impact would mean everything to us. We are selling a vision right now. We have not had the wins and losses that we have wanted in the past. Every team in the Pac-10 has more wins than losses so this is a very important year for us to show that we belong in the Pac-10. We are putting a lot of significance on the conference schedule and we really want to make an impact this year.
SDSU Moderator: That's all the time we have for today. Thanks to all of you who submitted questions.
SDSU Moderator: Thanks Coach for taking the time to be here on goaztecs.com
Head Coach Lev Kirshner: Anytime, thanks for all of the questions. Hope to see you all at our home opener on Sept. 10 vs. UC Riverside.