Brockman, a Pennsylvania native who majored in education and wants to eventually go into full-time coaching, graduated in December from George Mason University. He moved to Long Island in March to play defense for F.C. New York, a brand-new United Soccer Leagues PRO team.
While it is the same game, Brockman said that the professional style of play is more technical than the college style.
"Everything is so much cleaner," Brockman said. Professional players are more in control of the play and further developed in their athletic prowess. They also have to think faster to keep up with the game.
Playing professionally also means playing with more international "footballers," as much of the world calls soccer players. This exposes athletes to different styles of play and different game philosophies.
American players tend to focus more on fitness and nutrition, said Ben Algar, a British player for F.C. New York.
"In England, you do a lot more ball work," Algar said.
But the cultural glamour alone of playing professional sports is not enough to justify the work and adjustments involved.
"You really have to want it," said F.C. New York player Troy Cole. "It's a misconception that it is easy."
The USL PRO season runs from March to August, twice as long as the college season. Once their season ends, many players train with a Major League Soccer team until the end of that season in November. The physical and mental grind rises to a level that it never reached in college. It requires a new kind of discipline.
In addition to the physical and mental adjustments, Brockman has another hurdle to face: a torn right ACL that has sent him to the sidelines for the remainder of the 2011 season.
It is not a new situation for Brockman. As a freshman at Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania, he tore his left ACL in a spring match against Mason, the school to which he would eventually transfer. He was forced to sit out his sophomore season.
In 2009, he transferred to Mason, a school with about 30,000 more students than Saint Francis and head coach Greg Andrulis, a former MLS coach.
Now Brockman hopes to spend his off-season working with his former team at Mason, recovering from surgery so he can play again in the spring.
Rebecca Dell can be reached at becca_2@myfairpoint.net
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Brent Brockman looks on as his team, F.C. New York, practices on a foggy May morning. Brockman is out for the season with a torn ACL but hopes to be back on the pitch by next year. Photo by Rebecca Dell |
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| The hour is early, but F.C. New York players remain focused during practice. Photo by Rebecca Dell |
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| Brockman shares a house—dubbed "The Jungle"—with several of his teammates, and soccer gear fills the house and yard. Photo by Rebecca Dell |
Professional Athletes Deal with Injuries by Rebecca Dell
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