The 2017 season is underway and we’re not new to this anymore. The rapid growth of the USL is bringing out the best in teams and organizations. Our sophomore year is accompanied by internal and external expectations that will continue to help us evolve as a club, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Expectations are only as good as their fulfillment. Our job as an organization, fan base, and soccer movement is to set expectations that lie between realism and ambition, and then attain them.
The beginning of any season dances around questions preceding expectations. Will we be more or less successful than last year? How will the widening of Nippert Stadium affect our play? How will the new players and coaches measure? Do we have the team to win the USL Cup? All these questions will not be answered right away. Some will become apparent over time while others may go unanswered. Still, the acknowledgement of these questions helps shape our expectations.
What do I mean when I say our expectations?
Different kinds. There are individual expectations, team expectations, the coach’s expectations, fan expectations, the MLS commissioner’s expectations, and they all come to fruition inside Nippert Stadium.
We’re starting the season with a three game spell on the road. The expectation, while on the road, is to strengthen certain traits while still maximizing your points. Also, traveling to hostile environments and confronting different elements proves to be beneficial when improving the character and identity of the team.
Obviously our first game did not go as planned. We dropped points against a team that is quickly becoming a heated rival. However, I want to remind you that our season started off this way last year. They provided a stunning punch to the jaw, but like the previous year, the blow woke up the resolve and fight in us. Once again, our response did not go unnoticed.
Before we make our way back home, I want to explore the blueprint that is our expectations. Whether you are a player, the coach, or a fan. We all have our own expectations, and expectations of others.
Personally, I expect to build on my first year and continue to resurge my life as a soccer player. As I’ve mentioned, coming to this club has been the life-blood of my career. I have been able to prove some people wrong, and some right, thanks to the self-belief instilled in me since the first day of my contract.
From a team perspective, it’s important that we maintain a forward movement. What happens on the field is a major component of accomplishing and exceeding expectations that help guide that drive, but the small print is what happens off the field.
As a team, each player and coach is expected to be an ambassador for the club. Continually reaching out in the community to help bridge the gap between player and fan. Why is this important? Because when a unique relationship is developed, the stadium fills with friends and family that are supportive of each other from an extremely genuine level.
The phrase “we’ve created a monster” comes to mind when thinking about our fans. Their size, support, and intimidation have grown incredibly since the first match at Nippert Stadium. Before I go any further on behalf of myself and the other players, thank you for making every home match a dream to play. With that precedent, you have also implemented monstrous expectations for yourselves.
These implications are no doubt a compliment to the force you’ve created, and more excitingly, one that I know you’ll live up to. Still, our team challenges you to continue to surprise us, and the world, with at least 20k every home game. This is an expectation that will surely be made whole and felt in the hearts of every player.
Expectations create and mold the goals that an individual or team strives for. They are a way of passage for people that envision and then achieve. Our club and community have high expectations for 2017. The growth from inception to now may have seemed outlandish at first, but here we are; a strong core of talented players and coaches from the across the world that are supported from top to bottom that are encouraged to connect with the community. As we continue to mark days off the calendar, our expectations will turn into achievements and our achievements will generate higher expectations.
