Soccer Banter today spoke with Houston Dynamo rookie, Will Bruin about his first season as professional soccer player and the MLS Cup. Bruin left Indiana University after his junior season and was picked by the Dynamo with the 11th pick in the first round. In his debut season, the St. Louis native, has scored 5 goals including a hat-trick against DC United. Follow Bruin on twitter @wbruin
Soccer Banter: MLS Cup Final as a rookie, not a bad start to your career, what are your thoughts looking back on your first season as a pro? What was the biggest adjustment you needed to make as a player compared to college soccer?
Will Bruin: It’s definitely a lengthy season compared to 3 ½ months of college soccer which has been a big adjustment for my body. With the season being so long, I have had many ups and downs, but I’ve been focusing on getting my body through it. I think playing with these players for close to a year I have seen a large improvement technically. Compared to college soccer the speed of play is a lot quicker. In college you might have a few players on each team who are physically stronger or more athletic or more technical, but now every player is that player that has all those attributes. Due to everyone being technically better and more athletic it is important to think the game a lot more.
SB: The Dynamo made quite a lot of moves this past offseason and continued making them during the season, and now are1 game away from winning MLS. What do you believe are the strengths of the Dynamo team?
WB: We are a really deep team, we have guys that don’t get a lot of minutes, but if they were playing on another team in MLS would be getting plenty of action. Due to that, it makes our practices very competitive because everyone is pushing the next person to get better or take their playing time. This competitiveness has made our team so much stronger during the season.
SB: What are your thoughts on the LA Galaxy and what do the Dynamo need to do to win?
WB: We are confident with how we have played for the last two months as we have defended well as a team and been able to get plenty of players involved in the attack. We have scored goals from many different sources and don’t rely on just one or two players for goals. In order to win we need to be very good with the ball in transition and if we do lose the ball we need to close down space on Beckham and their midfield quickly. This week in practice we have been working on a lot of transition sessions and our focus defensively will be to close down players quickly. The Galaxy are also a very good defensive team so it’s important that we finish our chances.
Soccer Banter: MLS Cup Final as a rookie, not a bad start to your career, what are your thoughts looking back on your first season as a pro? What was the biggest adjustment you needed to make as a player compared to college soccer?
Will Bruin: It’s definitely a lengthy season compared to 3 ½ months of college soccer which has been a big adjustment for my body. With the season being so long, I have had many ups and downs, but I’ve been focusing on getting my body through it. I think playing with these players for close to a year I have seen a large improvement technically. Compared to college soccer the speed of play is a lot quicker. In college you might have a few players on each team who are physically stronger or more athletic or more technical, but now every player is that player that has all those attributes. Due to everyone being technically better and more athletic it is important to think the game a lot more.
SB: The Dynamo made quite a lot of moves this past offseason and continued making them during the season, and now are1 game away from winning MLS. What do you believe are the strengths of the Dynamo team?
WB: We are a really deep team, we have guys that don’t get a lot of minutes, but if they were playing on another team in MLS would be getting plenty of action. Due to that, it makes our practices very competitive because everyone is pushing the next person to get better or take their playing time. This competitiveness has made our team so much stronger during the season.
SB: What are your thoughts on the LA Galaxy and what do the Dynamo need to do to win?
WB: We are confident with how we have played for the last two months as we have defended well as a team and been able to get plenty of players involved in the attack. We have scored goals from many different sources and don’t rely on just one or two players for goals. In order to win we need to be very good with the ball in transition and if we do lose the ball we need to close down space on Beckham and their midfield quickly. This week in practice we have been working on a lot of transition sessions and our focus defensively will be to close down players quickly. The Galaxy are also a very good defensive team so it’s important that we finish our chances.
SB: What has been the highlight of your first season in MLS?
WB: The highlight so far was the hat-trick against DC United, it was confidence booster and also I think the turning point for my season. Besides that I would say just training everyday with the guys and getting to know them off the field has been great.
SB: After playing all the teams this year, which defender gave you the toughest matchup?
WB: The first two players that come to mind are Jamison Olave of Real Salt Lake and Chad Marshall of the Columbus Crew. Both players are big and strong and tough for any forward to match up against.
SB: What made you decide to leave Indiana University and looking back now has it worked out as you had hoped?
WB: I felt the timing was right, I had a pretty good junior year and I was being told that numerous MLS teams were interested in me. I am still currently taking classes and by coming out early MLS helps pay for them. Overall it’s been a good year, I have been involved in around 75% of the games, but I’m a competitor and I want to be involved in all of them. As a rookie coming in, I knew it would be tough as the team has a ton of veterans, but I’ve been trying to soak up their knowledge as much as possible to improve my own game.
SB: Why do you believe the St. Louis area turns out so many professional soccer players?
WB: I think growing up in St. Louis we are lucky to have so many great coaches. Playing for Scott Gallagher we had one of the best technical coaches in the country in Tom Howe and he teaches you how to play the game the right way. In High School at De Smet Jesuit, Greg Vitello was another great coach who teaches the game correctly, but also he helps you train and respect the game like a professional player would.
SB: What Club do you support and who was your favorite player growing up?
WB: My favorite team is Chelsea, I always find myself watching them play and of course use them when I play FIFA. My favorite player is Drogba, I have liked him for years and still think he is a great forward.
WB: The highlight so far was the hat-trick against DC United, it was confidence booster and also I think the turning point for my season. Besides that I would say just training everyday with the guys and getting to know them off the field has been great.
SB: After playing all the teams this year, which defender gave you the toughest matchup?
WB: The first two players that come to mind are Jamison Olave of Real Salt Lake and Chad Marshall of the Columbus Crew. Both players are big and strong and tough for any forward to match up against.
SB: What made you decide to leave Indiana University and looking back now has it worked out as you had hoped?
WB: I felt the timing was right, I had a pretty good junior year and I was being told that numerous MLS teams were interested in me. I am still currently taking classes and by coming out early MLS helps pay for them. Overall it’s been a good year, I have been involved in around 75% of the games, but I’m a competitor and I want to be involved in all of them. As a rookie coming in, I knew it would be tough as the team has a ton of veterans, but I’ve been trying to soak up their knowledge as much as possible to improve my own game.
SB: Why do you believe the St. Louis area turns out so many professional soccer players?
WB: I think growing up in St. Louis we are lucky to have so many great coaches. Playing for Scott Gallagher we had one of the best technical coaches in the country in Tom Howe and he teaches you how to play the game the right way. In High School at De Smet Jesuit, Greg Vitello was another great coach who teaches the game correctly, but also he helps you train and respect the game like a professional player would.
SB: What Club do you support and who was your favorite player growing up?
WB: My favorite team is Chelsea, I always find myself watching them play and of course use them when I play FIFA. My favorite player is Drogba, I have liked him for years and still think he is a great forward.
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