By Trevor Jones
The University of Louisville men’s soccer team is a diverse a group of guys. Their 28-man roster represents 12 different states and boasts seven international players. They were raised in different countries and different cultures but they all understand one thing, soccer.
Junior midfielder David Guzman said, “When you come here you don’t have a background, you’re just a Cardinal.” Nobody would understand that better than Guzman, who was recruited out of Canada and is now the face of Louisville soccer.
Guzman epitomizes the success the Cardinal soccer program has had in its mission to get not only the best talent locally but the best talent in the world. The Ontario native has started in the midfield since the day he stepped foot in the Derby City and he received first team All Big East honors as a sophomore.
This summer Guzman trained with the Chicago Fire of the MLS. He said that it was a good opportunity to figure out his strengths and weaknesses and to see what it was like to play in a professional environment. “I want to finish my four years. I don’t want to make goals with my teammates and then back out on them,” Guzman said of leaving U of L to play professionally.
At a soccer game one might notice Guzman on the pitch. He is the one wearing number 10 who makes the crowd go quiet and defender’s knees shake whenever he touches the ball. He is also the one that says his goal is not to be the leading scorer on the team but to be the one who makes his teammates better.
In a sport where head butts get headlines and goals get the glory, it is refreshing to see a soccer player as talented and gifted as Guzman buy into the team concept. Guzman will be a nice centerpiece to new coach Ken Lolla’s system, which is strictly team oriented.
Lolla comes to the University of Louisville from soccer powerhouse Akron. Last year he led Akron to the Elite Eight, losing to eventual national champion Maryland, despite holding the number one ranking in the nation for a good portion of the year. He left the Zips as the winningest coach of all-time, notching 160 career victories.
To put it in perspective, Lolla is as prominent in the world of men’s soccer as Rick Pitino is in men’s basketball. His signing is a major step in the right direction for U of L. The Cards struggled through their first season of Big East play with a 2-7-2 record.
Cardinal athletic director, Tom Jurich, was the man responsible for Lolla’s signing. Jurich had this to say about Louisville soccer at a Dec. 16th press conference. “It is a top-tier sport in the conference’s opinion, and we are going to make this a top-tier program. We have everything in place and now we have the final missing piece in our coach.”
When he says that they already have everything in place he is referring to the abundance of talent that Lolla inherits. The team’s record last year is not an accurate barometer of their talent level. They lost several games late in the match but showed their capability when they beat conference rival and number one ranked UConn on a Frank Jonke bicycle kick.
Jonke will be one of the keys to the Cardinals success. The junior is a bruising forward who appears more suited for shoulder pads than shin guards. Last year he led the Cardinals with 6 goals and 18 points. Lolla said about Jonke, “I think when Frank stays in tune to the game and within himself he’s one of the best attacking players we’ve seen.”
Lucky for Louisville, Frank and Joanne Jonke gave birth to another son who is just as physically gifted. Frank’s brother, John Jonke, is one of the guiding forces on defense. John is a sophomore who started 17 games for the Cardinals as a true freshman, helping lead the team to four shutouts.
Solidifying the defense is senior captain Ryan Meyer, who has been a staple for the Cardinal defense the past two years. Lolla said that he sees the potential in Meyer to play professionally.
The aforementioned David Guzman is the undeniable leader of the midfield and joining him is sophomore ball wizard Gerard Voutier. Voutier comes to Louisville from the IMG Soccer Academy, where soccer your homework and your prom date’s name is Adidas. He brings a lot of ease to the game and is a very strong distributor. As a freshman he started in ten games and was third on the team in scoring.
Joining these talented returning players is arguably the top recruiting class in Louisville soccer history. Lolla brought in some of the best talent from around the world to raise the bar for the soccer program. Team Captain Meyer said, “We have a number of freshman that are being asked to step into some challenging roles and so far they have handled them extremely well.”
The gem of the class is midfielder Othaniel Yanez. New Assistant Coach Mike Avery was recruiting Yanez while at Notre Dame. When Avery signed on at Louisville, Yanez followed
Joining Yanez is forward Bryan Lowder who was named the Gatorade Thirst Quencher Tennessee player of the year, midfielder Dustin Dawes, forward Bryan Kanu, midfielder Zach Hernan, midfielder Steve Sloan who won two national championships with his club team and Fred Braun.
As Jurich said, all the pieces are there. Louisville now has one of the best soccer minds in the country at the helm of the program and a plethora of talent for him to work with.
This year’s schedule is extremely grueling. The Cardinals travel to Maryland to take on the defending national champion Terrapins and have big games against perennial powerhouses Notre Dame, St. John’s and Villanova at Cardinal Park. Guzman emphasized the importance for fan support for these big match-ups at home. He said, “The fans are our twelfth man; they make it a living hell for the other team.”
There is no reason for fans not to go watch and root on this revamped Cardinal’s soccer team. They are well worth the price of admission, which is free for students.
For more information about the soccer team, visit http://www.uoflsports.com.
