July 30, 2001

Talking with George Gelnovatch

Q: How beneficial is the experience that the Virginia players gain from playing on the U-20 and U-18 National Teams?

A: It is very beneficial. We have three players (Arena, Eskandarian and Martino) on the U-20 team and three players (Dinnal, Hartman and Tuman) on the U-18 team. The level of competition that they are playing at is such a high level - they are playing against professionals. The speed of play is faster, it is more physical, everything about it makes you better as a player. That type of playing experience is invaluable and it is my hope that their experiences add up to something special in the fall. Just the fact that they are playing is one thing, but the fact that they're playing at that level against professionals, world class players at that age group, it is fantastic.

Q: What is the importance of playing the exhibition games on this year's schedule against European teams?

A: Soccer is the world's game, and anytime you go to Europe to play, most of the time you are going to find better competition at any level. From the youth level to the professional level, soccer is great there, it is a part of their culture. The trip is also going to be a good experience for our team so well all can see how these kids, who are basically their own age, are living and breathing soccer and how it is a part of their everyday life. It will give us all a chance to see how important it is to their development. It is a great opportunity for us as a team to get away, play some soccer against some great teams and to receive a good cultural experience.

Q: In what areas does this year's team show marked improvement over last year's squad?

A: This year's team has a lot more depth than last year's squad. In particular, the backs and defensive positions are stronger. Last year down the stretch, we were missing some key players due to injuries and we did not have the depth we needed to replace them. Now, we are very deep everywhere. But my one concern about the amount of depth is trying to keep a lot of players happy. That is going to be one of the biggest challenges of having a lot of depth on this team. When you have a lot of depth, you are going to have a lot of talented players who are not on the field as much as they want to be. How the coaches and players deal with that issue will be the deciding factor for us putting together a championship team. The more minutes you can get guys who are not playing, the more you will keep them in tune with the team and keep them happy. That is the challenge, to develop a harmony with your starters and your reserves.

Q: Does this year's team have what it takes to win the 2001 National Championship?

A: In my mind, this year's team has as good of a chance as we have ever had. Now, "as good of a chance" does not mean we will win the National Championship this year, but I feel it is as good of a chance as we have had since 1997. I know every year I say we have a good chance to win a national title and we will be able to compete for one - and we can - but this year's team has a better shot at doing it than the team of 1998, the team of 1999 or the team of 2000. We are in better a position to win championships, whether it is ACC or NCAA championships, than we have been in since `97. That comes from not having lost players to Project 40 and now having players on the team that are juniors and seniors to lead the way instead of having to rely of freshman and sophomores. Right now, we have a very good combination of experience, talent and depth and that is what you need to win championships. Hopefully, all of those attributes will make the difference for us this season.