DC76 Anxious To Get Season Underway After Incredible PreseasonConfguide.comWe were travelling in North London the other day, doing our rounds of the teams in the area, when we happened upon Canadian defender
DC76 just leaving The Mansion in Haringey, home pitch of Spurs Network FC, after an optional practice. He was very accomodating and took us up on an interview request.
CG: So, DC, what do you make of the fantastic preseason your team has had?
DC: I don't think anyone saw us coming. But the element of surprise, while powerful, is rather transitory. So it speaks to how good this club really is that we did this well. And outscoring your opposition 8-buzz helps, too! But this is just the preseason. The only thing preseason is good for is building positive momentum and good chemistry between the team members, andI think we accomplished both, but I think everyone on the team is as anxious as I am to get the actual season started, because this is where a club's actual prestige, and all the trophies, come from.
CG: Too right. So what do you make of all the hoopla surrounding you and some of your teammates regarding transfers and international duty?
DC: [manager] Dan's not dumb. He knows that there are going to be offers and rumours of offers, but once he hears of them, he is quick to shut down anything that has even the slightest bit of falsehood about it. I mean, come on, he was rumoured to have been offered 2.4 mil[lion pounds] for
Rob! So what does he do? The moment he hears about this, he runs to the club chairman, tells him to book a press conference for the soonest that he can get one, and then tells the papers spewing this garbage that they're full of crap. And very concisely so, I might add!
As far as international duty goes, apparently Canadafootball.com has me listed in the eligibility pool for the national team, but know this - I'm NOT the only guy who
should be on their country's list. This team has so much potential in its players that it doesn't know what to do with it all. In the case of some countries, I'm amazed that their contribution to our team isn't on the list. Oh well, with time and games, these listings will come.
CG: Then we should be in for a very interesting season.
DC: Don't doubt it for a second. I sure don't. This team has three things money can't buy, that you need for success - depth, chemistry, and a positive attitude. We're hungry. We all have varying motivations, but one such motivation is a constant. We want to win every game. And the word "quit" isn't in our team's vocabulary. New we may well be, but to underestimate us is to court disaster. Hell, I thought that was a given in football when you're a player, that you never underestimate any opponent, no matter what they seem like!
CG: I gather you made that very clear last season in the North American Intercollegiate Championships, which your school won!
DC: Oh, absolutely. Some of the NCAA and NAIA schools were thinking, "oh, CIS team, easy victory." And then they got the floor mopped with them. I think the toughest match we played was the semi-final against Syracuse, because they respected our abilities and we respected theirs, so it was tight. Plenty of chances, but only the one goal, which won us the game.
CG: So you didn't think the same about facing Brown U in the final?
DC: Heck no. I think Mathew Britner was the only one who was prepared in that one. Everyone else was like, "oh, our run-and-gun game will catch them off guard," but Mathew was advocating a more cautious game of football, and he was right, but by the time they got that going, it was already 3-0 because Cole [McFarlane] and Kyle Finner had victimised the defence in the first 25 minutes, and trust me, Brit can't handle all those guys on his own! We ended up winning 4-0. I'll admit, that fourth goal had to be amazing to go in, but the other three wouldn't have happened if not for Brown's cockiness. We made an example of them, and they came right out and said it after the match.
CG: Back to SNFC. Who do you think are the players to watch this season?
DC: I mean it when I say, absolutely
everyone. Sure, we have 35 players. But all of them have the potential to be great. Yes, even me, in all my Canadianness :p
CG: so you don't think Canadians get much respect?
DC: I
know most of us don't. Once in a while you'll get a solid guy that comes along though, and they're like, "say WHAT? That guy's Canadian? I thought he was such-and-such!" I think guys like [Tomasz] Radzinski, [Lars] Hirschfeld, [Atiba] Hutchinson, and [Kevin] McKenna are the best examples of those. And other than that, the pundits are like, "oh, he's only decent at best, blah blah blah yackity-shmackity," and the fans only tend to like the ones that are on their team, with maybe a few exceptions playing here in England like [Paul] Peschisolido, [Jaime] Peters, or [Simeon] Jackson. Sometimes [Paul] Stalteri and [David] Edgar, too.
CG: You sound like you have a high opinion of England.
DC: And why shouldn't I? The fans here are great! Actually England is the country which most Canadians come into to play abroad. Can't say I blame them. It's the best and least confusing system to play in. I'd take this over Spain or Italy any day.
CG: More than the United States, even?
DC: Yup. The
Voyageurs' latest "Canucks Abroad" list has twice as many Canadians playing for English teams than for American teams. There are also more Canadians playing in Germany than in the USA, and about the same number playing in the Netherlands as in the USA. Just check canadian-s0ccer.com and see for yourself.
CG: Thanks for that information. So who do you think will be your biggest rival this season?
DC: I'm still not a hundred percent used to the local sociogeography here, so that'd be something you'd ask Dan or one of the English players. One thing's for sure, though, if we ever play
Ars*nal, it's going to be WAR.
CG: I would expect no less from a team made up primarily of Tottenham Hotspur fans.
DC: Exactly. We'll just wait and see what happens with regards to the FA Cup, but I for one would delight in handing Ars*nal a whoopin'!
CG: Are there any players you personally would want to play against for any reason?
DC: Well, each and every one of Tottenham Hotspur so I could shake hands with them, and several non-Spurs players so I can tell them to quit diving, shut up and play football. :p
CG: *laughs* You really
are outspoken.
DC: You ain't heard
nuthin' yet!
CG: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
DC: Always a pleasure.
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