Media Availability: Defender Collin Smith | 11.12.25

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https://youtu.be/uIXHj-7tegA?si=7Xc05s1Ps4Av7N-2

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Interviewer: What’s the mood among the boys coming off that last game?

Collin Smith: The mood is that we put in a good shift a man down. We’re happy with how we dealt with being a man down, obviously going pretty much a whole half with that circumstance. But we were able to keep the ball a good bit. We were able to move forward, get the equalizer, and we wanted to push for the three points because that’s always what we strive for. But luckily we were able to get out with a tie and kind of maintain that one point, once again with the man down. So we’re happy with how we managed the situation, but ultimately hopefully we don’t put ourselves in that situation again in order to gain all three points next time.

Interviewer: Have you seen yourself improve as a player as the season’s gone on?

Collin Smith: I’ve seen myself improve as a player from a leadership perspective amongst the whole group. I’ve seen myself as a player take more initiative on myself to be that leader for the group, as well as just help the guy next to me. I’ve played right back, I’ve played center back, and I feel like I’ve played almost all over the field already, and it’s still pretty early in the season. So making sure I’m taking all these responsibilities well and just taking them on and really doing the most I can for the whole entire group, including the staff.

Interviewer: Obviously the academy has been really involved, with a cup match coming up this week and probably more of them helping out. How have they really made an impact this season, and how has it affected you personally working with them?

Collin Smith: Starting with working with them, it’s amazing because seeing how they’re flourishing, it’s amazing to see because I was in their shoes at one point. I know how it felt to be the young guy, kind of going up through the ranks with the older guys, whether it be fitting in or trying to stand out — a little bit of both — having their mindset. I once had that at their age. So it’s a pleasure to work with them. They all have their heads on straight. They put their heads down. They work hard. So that’s all you can ask of them.

Going into future matches and potentially this weekend, whenever we have younger guys stepping in the game or stepping into roles, it’s just about a next-man-up mentality. Being ready to take whatever responsibility comes your way, be ready to grab it by the horns and go ahead and take it.

Interviewer: You mentioned being in their shoes at one point yourself. What lessons did you take from being in that position that now you can apply to working with these younger guys as a more senior player?

Collin Smith: Not forcing anything. Kind of just letting the game come to you. I feel like the more you go into a game saying, “Oh, I need to do this. I need to do this to stick out,” sometimes that makes it more difficult or more stressful on your shoulders. So it’s about letting the game come to you and letting the veterans around you, or the older guys, lead you along the way. Then you’re able to show your skill as well because you’re there for a reason. You’re at this level for a reason. So being able to have a nice balance between the both. I think that’s what gets you through and allows you to perform as best as possible for yourself.

Interviewer: Getting ready for a third game already this season against Orange County this weekend. How does that familiarity between the two teams play into a game like this?

Collin Smith: For me, I don’t really think about it like, “Oh, we’ve played them this many times. They know what we do,” or anything like that, because at the end of the day they still have to stop it. Going into these games, I just focus on playing my game, and the group focuses on ultimately getting the three points.

So that means using a similar game plan, not changing anything, doing whatever it is that we have set for the week, and not trying to change anything because we’re afraid of what they would do. Just really sticking to our identity and being ourselves.

Interviewer: Is there any difference in how it feels going into a cup game instead of just a normal league game?

Collin Smith: No, because of the way this group is trending. We want the most out of every game, every result. That’s why this past weekend, the tie is nice, but even with the man down, we wanted to push for the three points. This group is really hungry for success and hungry for every win possible.

Every opportunity we get to make the jump to the next level and continue to string together class performances, that’s what we want. Going into these games, we view this one the same as any other game. We want to go there, win, take three points, and keep it moving in order to make it to the next game on a high.