After finishing just one step away from a National Championship last year, the men's soccer team has high expectations going into this season. In order fulfill these expectations, the Blue Devils have been hard at work this summer honing their skills on an individual basis.
"The summer is all about the individual, the team doesn't really function over the summer," Duke head coach John Rennie said.
Last season the Blue Devils came together and made a fantastic run in the NCAA Tournament that ended in the NCAA Championship game, where they came up just short against Wisconsin. This year Duke returns 10 starters, so another serious run at the title is certainly within reach.
Whether they are spending the summer at home, on campus at Duke or traveling around the country, each player is dedicating himself to improving his own game to best help the team in the fall.
Three of the Blue Devils' top returners, senior midfielder Michael Dunne, junior forward Andy Kwon and sophomore midfielder Jay Heaps, spent time earlier this summer playing in Roanoke, Va., in the United States Independent Soccer League. The USISL is a semi-pro league that features both former professional players and amateurs. Under NCAA regulations, amateurs can not be paid to play soccer, so they earn money working at camps instead. Playing in the USISL provided the players with an opportunity to play at a level above what they see on the collegiate field.
"It was a lot more physical," Heaps said. "There were a lot of older guys, around 26 or 25 that have graduated college and are looking to get into the MLS. We also play with a lot of guys who had just come down from the MLS, that had been dropped down. That was a real good experience because you see how fast you have to be, what kind of skills you have to have to play at that level."
Heaps, last year's National Freshman of the Year, also spent time playing with his club in his home state of Massachusetts. Since losing in the regional portion of competition with the club team, he has returned to Duke to continue training and act as a counselor at the Duke men's soccer camps. Heaps is joined by a number of Blue Devils, including sophomore defender Evan Whitfield and junior defender Adam Mastrelli.
Working as a counselor provides the players with an opportunity to interact with the variety of coaches that come in to help with the camp.
"It really helps because you're bringing in all the different aspects of the world of soccer," Heaps said. "Every country plays the game a different way, and every coach here is from a different country. Every coach has a different style, and you get to see that when we're out [on the field]."
As a counselor, each player is responsible for their own group of kids. The old saying is that the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else, and that certainly seems to carry over to soccer, as instructing the kids has helped the players to focus on their fundamentals.
"It reinforces the basics," Heaps said. "You're touching the ball for almost 10 hours a day-you always have a ball at your feet trying to demonstrate things, sometimes you jump in and play with them and things like that. It really helps you get your feet back."
"Actually it helps out sometimes in that it helps me see what I do wrong," senior forward Brian Kelly said. "For me, it is very helpful to go over the basics with the kids."
Kelly is spending his summer on campus taking classes and doing research, as well as working out. He is concentrating on academics because he took last semester off to go San Diego, Calif., to train with the U.S. Olympic team. Kelly's stay with the team was cut unexpectedly short when he was cut by national team head coach Bruce Arena. Arena is also the head coach at Virginia, whom Duke upset in the Final Four last year.
"[Brian] was disappointed to say the least, especially after being one of the best performers on the team last summer and coming off such a successful year at Duke," Rennie said.
"I was a bit shocked first and foremost-it came as a big surprise," Kelly said. "I was really sent home, in my opinion, without a quality reason. But coaches make up their mind and make decisions about players along the lines of what will make their team the best. So I really couldn't do anything about it. I just had to accept the decision and move on."
"Brian is a very mature player, so he has taken the whole thing in stride, at least as much as you can," Rennie said.
"I don't use it as a grudge against the coach," Kelly said. "As a motivating factor, I don't really think that I need it. There is enough motivation in my life to do well this season that I don't need to use that."
Instead Kelly is working with a strength, speed and agility coach to get back into shape and prepare himself for the start of practice on Aug. 20.
Heaps is winding down for the summer and will take some time off before returning.
"I'm working one more camp, and then I'll take my break," Heaps said. "I take about two weeks where I don't even look at a soccer ball, just to get mentally prepared for a long season."
Kelly, on the other hand, is anxious to get things started.
"I kind of have had the luxury of the last couple of months off, so I'm quite excited about jumping back into the game," Kelly said.
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