By: Dylan Moroses
Men’s soccer was not always one of the University of Maryland’s most successful and popular sports programs like it is today. In fact, Men’s head coach Sasho Cirovski couldn’t even find Ludwig Field when he arrived to College Park in 1993 to interview for the coaching job.
“Soccer wasn’t important here,” Cirovski said. “Yet, I knew this place had massive potential. It’s a great location with a great infrastructure of players within 200-300 miles of here.”
Molding Maryland into a national powerhouse did not come easily to Cirovski, who committed countless hours to the recruiting front, recognizing that success starts with “winning people.”
“I wanted to do it because I felt like Maryland was a sleeping giant in the college soccer world,” Cirovski said.
Since Cirovski took the coaching position, Maryland men’s soccer has made it to the NCAA National Tournament more times than under all its previous men’s soccer coaches combined, and his only losing season came in his first year.
The on-field success derives from the consistent standards he demands from his players all year, on and off the field. With some that might exceed the standards of professional teams, Cirovski said.
“Sasho was always trying to match us up with professionals to see how we would do,” L.A. Galaxy defensemen Omar Gonzalez said in an April Capital News Service article on former Maryland players on the U.S. team. “I thought it was great for guys’ confidence.”
Cirovski never wanted instant success. Instead, he wanted to develop a program that would sustain winning traditions for years to come by bringing in players with character and love for the game, he said. The rigorous year-round training and constant competition for starting positions drove a number of recruits away, Cirovski said.
“When you start with having consummate respect for the game, then you put in the kind of effort demanded to be successful,” Cirovski said. “I tell recruits all the time, ‘If you don’t love this game, if your not ready to work everyday to get better or compete for a position, then don’t come to Maryland.”
Cirovski has had a wealth of professional talent come through Maryland during his tenure, with the current stars including defensemen Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza and Clarence Goodson, as well as, midfielders Maurice Edu and Graham Zusi. Under Cirovski, Maryland has produced more than 50 professional players playing both domestically and internationally, according to the CNS article.
When the 2014 FIFA World Cup begins in Brazil, Maryland alumni have their former coach’s confidence that they will be ready for the biggest stage in soccer.
“Omar, Maurice, and Graham were national champions and Clarence played in three Final Fours, so I expect our players to be ready for their moment.”
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