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.
A lot has happened since the last time I talked to you. The team lost their home opener, but then came back with a tie to earn our second point of the season. But for me personally, it’s been a tough two weeks. First I lost my starting spot after a bad game. Then I didn’t even play in our last game. I was saying to myself, “What’s going on here?!”.jpg)
At first, I was angry. Throughout my soccer career I had been used to being one of the top players, used to being on the field. Now I was sitting on the bench, and I was blaming everyone but myself, including the coach. I thought it was personal, that he didn’t like me. I was complaining to my family and friends, I was down and depressed, and it seemed like I forgot how to play for a while there.
But basically everyone I talked to told me to stop sulking. My parents were the ones who said, “The coach liked your tryout. What did you do there that you aren’t doing now?” It was a great point. I had a great tryout before I signed with the team, and as a result, I had set the bar really high for myself. What I didn’t realize at this level is that coaches expect that same high level of play all the time.
So I went back and looked at how I was practicing, and what I realized was that I had gotten comfortable and wasn’t pushing myself in training the way I needed to. I had done very well in my tryout and had basically been handed a starting position for the first two games. But then I played poorly in the second game and dwelled on that. I was also trying to play through an injury, which affected my training as well, and I suffered the consequences.
I have always been a gamer. When it comes to game day, I’m one of the most intense guys out there. I play with a lot of energy and a lot of fire. But I don’t always do the same thing in training. What I see now is that at this level, I need to approach every training like it’s a game. So that was my approach over the last two training sessions. I had to go back and decide what I was good at. I’m a good tackler, so I got a couple tackles in. Then I caused some turnovers and got the ball back. Once that happened, the adrenaline started flowing and I started passing better, started communicating better, and before I knew it, I was back to being the player I knew I could be. I was back to myself.
What was important was not focusing on getting my starting job back, or getting back in the lineup, but just doing the things that I do well and not dwelling on every mistake. If you watch sports on TV, you see players make mistakes all the time. It happens. The difference between being a great player and a good player is not letting those mistakes get the best of you. Mental toughness is the key. If you make a mistake, you have to let it go and go make the next play. I had one bad game that I couldn’t let go, and as a result I let it affect the whole next week of games and practices. You can’t do that. You can’t get too high or too low. You just keep playing.
So now I’ve had two great training sessions and I feel like I’m over the hump. I’m back. I’m having fun playing again, just playing because I love to play, and I’ve been the best player on the field at the last two training sessions. We leave today for a two-game road trip and I wasn’t sure I’d even make the travel team, but I’m making the trip and hopefully I’ll get on the field.
So two things I’ve learned through this is you can’t dwell on a bad performance and let it affect everything else you do. You have to get past it and keep playing. The other thing is don’t try to play through an injury. I always have. But at the higher levels, you can’t go at 70% or you’ll be exposed. You have to be 100% every day, in games, and in practice.
For information on F.C. New York, including roster, schedule, and tickets, go to http://www.fcnewyorksoccer.com/.
Related Links
Introducing Karsten Smith
Our First Point