Karsten Smith is a Huntington Station native and a former standout player in the Long Island Junior Soccer League and at Walt Whitman High School. He went on to play his college soccer at American University where he earned All-Patriot League honors twice.
This winter, Karsten was signed to the roster of F.C. New York, a new professional soccer franchise that plays in the USL Pro league. Over the coming months, He will share his experiences with our LIJSoccer.com readers as he adjusts to the pro game and helps create an identity for a new franchise. Be sure to check back regularly for updates.
Well, the good news is we earned our first point of the season last weekend with a tie against Charlotte. After a pretty lopsided loss in our opener against Orlando, a tie is a definite improvement, but I’m looking forward to getting our first win under our belt.
The trip to Charlotte took 11 hours each way, so now I’m trying to help my body recover from the travel and the game. Most people don’t realize how much time is spent on soccer at this level. We train from 8:30 to 10:30 in the morning each day, then I have 2 ½ hours of physical therapy for an ankle injury I’ve had. I get home at 1:30, have a little lunch, and then it’s off to the gym or a field to work on my own until about 4:00. Through all that, it’s tough to rest your body and fully recover in time for the next game. I focus a lot on my diet, I ice several times a day, and I try to get 6-8 hours sleep a night. It’s hard to get it all in, but that’s what you have to do to stay on the field.
The heat was definitely an issue down in Carolina, and we played against a good team that has been together for a while, but I didn’t feel I played my best game, personally.
Soccer requires technique, it requires conditioning, but more than anything, soccer is a mental game. Athleticism will only get you so far, especially as you get to the higher levels of the game. Game intelligence and mental strength will always overcome any technical shortcomings. That’s why the best athletes aren’t always the best players. A great example is Chad Ochocinco. He recently had a tryout for Sporting Kansas City in the MLS. Now Chad is probably the greatest pure athlete to step on an MLS field, but he’s been out of the game for 8 years. I’m sure his tryout went fine, but you can’t become a top pro based on athleticism, especially when you’ve been away from the game that long.
So getting back to my game, I was just one step behind for most of the night, just a little off. It wasn’t anything that most people would notice, but I noticed, and I know at this level that you can’t give anyone a step. You just can’t do that and be successful. As you can tell, I’m very hard on myself and a perfectionist when it comes to my game. I keep re-playing things over in my mind. But I have to be careful. I have to make sure to learn from my mistakes without dwelling on them. I’m finding one of the biggest struggles or challenges to becoming a professional soccer player is learning to quickly overcome a bad game.
So now I have to move on, otherwise it can affect the next game. There’s definitely more pressure at this level.
To see last week's Karsten Smith feature click here.