In the backdrop of Sleeping Giant, Quinnipiac University Men's Soccer Coach, Eric Da Costa, has been steadily building a mid-major powerhouse. Da Costa, a QU alum, will be entering his 10th season after completing his most successful season to date last year. Da Costa reflects on his recruiting philosophy, developing professional players, the possibility of a split season in Division I men's soccer, and more. Follow Da Costa on twitter @DaCostaEric
Soccer Banter: After winning the MAAC Championship and playing in the NCAA tournament, expectations have never been higher for the men’s soccer program, how as a staff will you handle those expectations heading into preseason?
Eric Da Costa: We are without question extremely proud of our past accomplishments. The 2013 season was historic but that’s already in the past, it is history now. What the 2013 team accomplished is something no one will ever take from them and it will be etched into our programs history books, but that team will never play another game again. Yes, current players returning for the 2014 season were on that squad, but the team itself is different now. This year’s squad is a new team with new goals and new aspirations. We cannot hang our hat on past accomplishments because they don’t belong to us. It is our job now to go out and attempt to win a championship of our own. We are not defending a championship. We don’t bear the responsibility of defending it. The trophy has been won and it sits on a shelf in our office and as long as the door is locked it will be safe and sound. We will focus on using all of that as tangible evidence of what we can achieve with hard work, belief, and commitment. We will use it as motivation to work toward achieving our own goals, which we set with our own aspirations. The standard has changed, but our expectations of ourselves have always been high. We will prepare our team with higher standards and help them improve as a team as we work towards our goals.
SB: What are the thoughts are your team and the upcoming season?
ED: In College soccer it’s always hard to predict what your team will look like. You know what you have coming back and you try to predict how the new players will add to that, but with a three-month layoff in which you’re unable to work with your players, you really have no idea what the group will look like until they arrive. We have a very solid group of players returning with some very exciting newcomers. The key will be how quickly we gel together as a group and hopefully that translates to on-field results. The MAAC was very competitive last season and we always play a very difficult non-conference schedule so I imagine we will have another challenging season ahead of us.
Soccer Banter: After winning the MAAC Championship and playing in the NCAA tournament, expectations have never been higher for the men’s soccer program, how as a staff will you handle those expectations heading into preseason?
Eric Da Costa: We are without question extremely proud of our past accomplishments. The 2013 season was historic but that’s already in the past, it is history now. What the 2013 team accomplished is something no one will ever take from them and it will be etched into our programs history books, but that team will never play another game again. Yes, current players returning for the 2014 season were on that squad, but the team itself is different now. This year’s squad is a new team with new goals and new aspirations. We cannot hang our hat on past accomplishments because they don’t belong to us. It is our job now to go out and attempt to win a championship of our own. We are not defending a championship. We don’t bear the responsibility of defending it. The trophy has been won and it sits on a shelf in our office and as long as the door is locked it will be safe and sound. We will focus on using all of that as tangible evidence of what we can achieve with hard work, belief, and commitment. We will use it as motivation to work toward achieving our own goals, which we set with our own aspirations. The standard has changed, but our expectations of ourselves have always been high. We will prepare our team with higher standards and help them improve as a team as we work towards our goals.
SB: What are the thoughts are your team and the upcoming season?
ED: In College soccer it’s always hard to predict what your team will look like. You know what you have coming back and you try to predict how the new players will add to that, but with a three-month layoff in which you’re unable to work with your players, you really have no idea what the group will look like until they arrive. We have a very solid group of players returning with some very exciting newcomers. The key will be how quickly we gel together as a group and hopefully that translates to on-field results. The MAAC was very competitive last season and we always play a very difficult non-conference schedule so I imagine we will have another challenging season ahead of us.
SB: You have been able to build a roster comprised of Americans and foreign student-athletes - what has made you decide to take this approach to recruiting?
ED: There are a number of reasons why we have adopted this strategy and not one in particular. Our game is global therefore our recruiting tends do be global as well. The University system in the United States is unique to any other educational system in the world. Higher Education in our country also comes with the opportunity to compete athletically at the very highest level, with some of the best facilities and resources available. This combination is very desirable not only to domestic students, but to students all over the world. With that said we recruit globally, focusing our attention on both domestic and international prospects. We are very fortunate to have so many players from so many different places. Every day we learn more from each other. Our players have the opportunity to learn about different cultures, traditions, and beliefs. This environment draws us closer together and in many ways makes us a better team. Our American players help our Internationals with the transition into the American culture while the Internationals help the American’s learn about their culture. In the end we all speak the same language, soccer - watching that unfold is very special.
SB: How would you describe your own coaching philosophy and who has helped shape it?
ED: I like my teams to play with a balance of organization, discipline, and creativity. I train my teams to be good passers of the ball. I believe the game should be centered on possession, but with a purpose. The purpose is to score a goal, therefore, I want my teams to attack but I also like my teams to play aesthetically pleasing soccer. I try to get my teams to be organized and have pride in defending as a team. We want them to know what their responsibilities are and then from there we let them be creative and expressive. I have been very fortunate to be exposed to some very good coaches and I have always tried to take something from every one I have ever played for or worked with. I started coaching seriously when I was in college and became a college head coach shortly after my 24th birthday. Needless to say, I was very much learning on the job, but I was extremely lucky to have two great mentors in Dave Clarke (QU Women’s Coach) and Austin Daniels (DOC for state of Arizona). I worked as an assistant for both and definitely learned a great deal from them. Both have a wealth of experience and I have and will continue to lean on them.
ED: There are a number of reasons why we have adopted this strategy and not one in particular. Our game is global therefore our recruiting tends do be global as well. The University system in the United States is unique to any other educational system in the world. Higher Education in our country also comes with the opportunity to compete athletically at the very highest level, with some of the best facilities and resources available. This combination is very desirable not only to domestic students, but to students all over the world. With that said we recruit globally, focusing our attention on both domestic and international prospects. We are very fortunate to have so many players from so many different places. Every day we learn more from each other. Our players have the opportunity to learn about different cultures, traditions, and beliefs. This environment draws us closer together and in many ways makes us a better team. Our American players help our Internationals with the transition into the American culture while the Internationals help the American’s learn about their culture. In the end we all speak the same language, soccer - watching that unfold is very special.
SB: How would you describe your own coaching philosophy and who has helped shape it?
ED: I like my teams to play with a balance of organization, discipline, and creativity. I train my teams to be good passers of the ball. I believe the game should be centered on possession, but with a purpose. The purpose is to score a goal, therefore, I want my teams to attack but I also like my teams to play aesthetically pleasing soccer. I try to get my teams to be organized and have pride in defending as a team. We want them to know what their responsibilities are and then from there we let them be creative and expressive. I have been very fortunate to be exposed to some very good coaches and I have always tried to take something from every one I have ever played for or worked with. I started coaching seriously when I was in college and became a college head coach shortly after my 24th birthday. Needless to say, I was very much learning on the job, but I was extremely lucky to have two great mentors in Dave Clarke (QU Women’s Coach) and Austin Daniels (DOC for state of Arizona). I worked as an assistant for both and definitely learned a great deal from them. Both have a wealth of experience and I have and will continue to lean on them.
SB: What are your thoughts on the possibility of Division I men’s soccer moving to a full academic calendar season?
ED: This would be extremely beneficial for the sport in our country and the state of Division I college soccer. More specifically this would benefit the student-athlete’s well-being and academic success. The current college soccer season is unrealistic and dangerous to the health and safety of student athletes. Sports Science has become a major tool in college athletics. The advancements in Sports Science are now producing tangible data that we can use to properly train our athletes. What we have found is that the college soccer calendar places high demands on athletes often times without adequate recovery. These demands can potentially put our athletes at risk for injury. Extending the college season would alleviate these risks by spreading the load over the course of the year. It would also significantly reduce the amount of missed class time that occurs during the fall season while allowing our athletes to both compete and study without the stress and fatigue they may currently be under. In the long run a switch to a split season calendar would ultimately change the way college soccer is played, allow coaches to better train their players, and produce a larger number of professional players. While this proposal has a number of obvious benefits, change is never easy and we have a long uphill battle on changing how things have always been done. This is a radical change to NCAA soccer structure and it will certainly have its critics. At the end of the day you cannot overlook the benefits it will have not only on soccer, specifically college soccer, but also on the life of a student-athlete, athletically, academically, and socially.
ED: This would be extremely beneficial for the sport in our country and the state of Division I college soccer. More specifically this would benefit the student-athlete’s well-being and academic success. The current college soccer season is unrealistic and dangerous to the health and safety of student athletes. Sports Science has become a major tool in college athletics. The advancements in Sports Science are now producing tangible data that we can use to properly train our athletes. What we have found is that the college soccer calendar places high demands on athletes often times without adequate recovery. These demands can potentially put our athletes at risk for injury. Extending the college season would alleviate these risks by spreading the load over the course of the year. It would also significantly reduce the amount of missed class time that occurs during the fall season while allowing our athletes to both compete and study without the stress and fatigue they may currently be under. In the long run a switch to a split season calendar would ultimately change the way college soccer is played, allow coaches to better train their players, and produce a larger number of professional players. While this proposal has a number of obvious benefits, change is never easy and we have a long uphill battle on changing how things have always been done. This is a radical change to NCAA soccer structure and it will certainly have its critics. At the end of the day you cannot overlook the benefits it will have not only on soccer, specifically college soccer, but also on the life of a student-athlete, athletically, academically, and socially.
SB: Recently you've had quite a few alums that have been able to make the transition from QU to professional soccer. How important is that for you as a coach to develop players for the professional ranks?
ED: It is at the forefront. We look to produce Great People, Good Students and Potential Professionals. I look for talented players who are also highly driven people. We as kids all had a dream of becoming a professional soccer player. As time goes on you grow to understand the difficulty and reality of that dream. Every so often we have been lucky enough to watch a young man realize his life long dream and that moment is priceless. Watching the process and being able to play a small part in it is very rewarding. The best part is that all these guys are also great people so you are always really rooting for them to make it. At Quinnipiac we have our challenges, but we are completely committed to our players. We treat them as pro’s and expect them to conduct themselves in that manner. The guys that come in and play for us are committed, passionate, and prideful. They work very hard and are always looking to improve. With that attitude you are bound to succeed and with a little bit of luck you may even realize your dream.
SB: Off-topic, but give us any of your random thoughts on the World Cup, MLS, the upcoming European seasons or anything you want to share…GO!
ED: Tremendous Summer! If I would have told you at the start of the World Cup that Spain would be the first team out, the US would get out of the group of death, Brazil would get blown out by 7 and Costa Rica would reach the Quarterfinal, you would probably would have asked me if I had been drinking! MLS is flourishing, Kaka, Lampard, David Silva, and potentially Ronaldinho! To go along with Henry, Keane, Donovan, Cahill, Defoe, Dempsey, and Bradley! New franchises in Orlando, Atlanta, NYC, and Miami show the growth of the sport in this country and 109,000 at the Big House confirms it. I’m looking forward to see what Mourinho does with Chelsea, Van Gaal does at United, and Luis Enrique (sunglasses and all) at Barcelona. FC Porto is building for another serious run at several domestic titles and potentially another piece of European hardware!
2014 College Soccer Interviews
Neil Stafford - University of Cincinnati Head Women's Soccer Coach
Ian McIntyre - Syracuse University Head Men's Soccer Coach
Keidane McAlpine - University of Southern California Head Women's Soccer Coach
David DiIanni - University of Iowa Head Women's Soccer Coach
ED: It is at the forefront. We look to produce Great People, Good Students and Potential Professionals. I look for talented players who are also highly driven people. We as kids all had a dream of becoming a professional soccer player. As time goes on you grow to understand the difficulty and reality of that dream. Every so often we have been lucky enough to watch a young man realize his life long dream and that moment is priceless. Watching the process and being able to play a small part in it is very rewarding. The best part is that all these guys are also great people so you are always really rooting for them to make it. At Quinnipiac we have our challenges, but we are completely committed to our players. We treat them as pro’s and expect them to conduct themselves in that manner. The guys that come in and play for us are committed, passionate, and prideful. They work very hard and are always looking to improve. With that attitude you are bound to succeed and with a little bit of luck you may even realize your dream.
SB: Off-topic, but give us any of your random thoughts on the World Cup, MLS, the upcoming European seasons or anything you want to share…GO!
ED: Tremendous Summer! If I would have told you at the start of the World Cup that Spain would be the first team out, the US would get out of the group of death, Brazil would get blown out by 7 and Costa Rica would reach the Quarterfinal, you would probably would have asked me if I had been drinking! MLS is flourishing, Kaka, Lampard, David Silva, and potentially Ronaldinho! To go along with Henry, Keane, Donovan, Cahill, Defoe, Dempsey, and Bradley! New franchises in Orlando, Atlanta, NYC, and Miami show the growth of the sport in this country and 109,000 at the Big House confirms it. I’m looking forward to see what Mourinho does with Chelsea, Van Gaal does at United, and Luis Enrique (sunglasses and all) at Barcelona. FC Porto is building for another serious run at several domestic titles and potentially another piece of European hardware!
2014 College Soccer Interviews
Neil Stafford - University of Cincinnati Head Women's Soccer Coach
Ian McIntyre - Syracuse University Head Men's Soccer Coach
Keidane McAlpine - University of Southern California Head Women's Soccer Coach
David DiIanni - University of Iowa Head Women's Soccer Coach
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