College of Southern Idaho Men’s Soccer – Coach Alex Ferreira
On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Ferreira from the Southern Idaho Men’s Program in Twin Falls. We talk about how they focus on getting the best players out of Idaho and Internationally. He describes their nice, mid-size town with athletics that have an expectation of winning. Lastly, we discuss his adaptable coaching and playing style. Learn more about College of Southern Idaho Men’s Soccer.
Matt: [00:00:00] Hi, everybody. Welcome to Discover College Soccer. Today, I’m lucky enough to be joined by Coach Alex from the College of Southern Idaho. Welcome, Coach. Yes, thank you for having me. Yeah, thanks for being here. Now, uh, this is your, the first season of the program, right? You, you came in and had to start it from scratch.
Is that right?
Coach: Yes, last year I arrived on campus, um, to recruit both the men’s and the women’s team. Um, we hired coach Andrew to then take over the women’s team in May. Um, but most of the recruitment was done at that point and, and coach Andrew and I worked together for both the teams through this fall.
Matt: So with, with, with a year in, uh, hopefully you feel good about how that first year went, are you, are you looking, I guess, how many of the current students are looking to return versus how many are maybe looking to go play elsewhere? Are you, have you been able to, to try to help them on that recruiting journey on the second half of being a two year program?
Coach: Yeah. So, I mean, that’s pretty much the, the. The moment that we’re in now, right? So for the men, we were able to bring in 11 sophomores. Um, and then we ended with 9, um, 1 was ineligible, for example, and we find out from the his previous school, but, uh, so now we’re in that moment of, okay, now they have their film from where they were their freshman year, they, they’re all finishing their, their film from the 2nd year.
Now they’ve been sending me their film to [00:01:30] look at as well and kind of give them feedback on. Um, But, uh, that’s where we’re at right now is, um, moving them on into the next place.
Matt: Okay. Well, I know, you know, To your program, you gotta recruit twice as much as everybody else, so now that the season’s over and you’re hitting that recruiting trail, where is it that you’re looking to try to find players?
Coach: Yeah, I mean, so we do want to have the best players from the state of Idaho with us. Um, how many of those players are going to be good enough to play in our NJCAA Division 1 conference? Um, kind of changes every year. Um, and so then after that, I mean, we will look at the players from anywhere in the States, but outside of Idaho, we mostly go international from there.
Matt: So, with the international, uh, recruits, what’s that timeline look like? You know, we’re talking November of 24. Uh, are you, when do you think you’ll be happy with or? Quote unquote closing that class of 25 that you’re going to bring in.
Coach: I mean, I would love for it to be kind of towards the end of January. Um, I think all coaches would rather be finished with it sooner than later and happy with what they’ve brought in.
Um, but it tends to, to tend to wait on somebody, you know, high quality players have multiple options and then they’re weighing things out. So, [00:03:00] um, you tend to be waiting on a couple longer than that.
Matt: Are there domestic tournaments that you like to go to that you find are good for recruiting?
Coach: Yeah, I mean, obviously tournaments in Idaho.
We go to coach Andrew and I are both involved in ODP in Idaho. So we’re working with the select group of players in the older ages. And then I’ll be at surf cup, um, coming up looking at men and women. Um, and that’s kind of the domestic tournaments that we go to, but also we went to Las Vegas last year for the mayor’s cup, I believe, or, or the player showcase now I’m forgetting which one exactly that, but, yeah.
Sorry to offend anybody who’s involved up there, but yeah, we look at those Las Vegas showcases because Las Vegas is not that far from us as well.
Matt: Okay, what about camps? Do you guys have ID camps or do you or your staff work other ID camps? Are they part of your process?
Coach: Yeah, I’ve been to, I’ve been to a lot of exact ID camps in particular.
Um, I’ve been to Boise State’s ID camps, Idaho State’s ID camp. So we kind of go to the camps of bigger schools, um, as well that have a larger pool of players. We had ID camps last year, um, but, you know, there just tends to be more, those tend to be very local players, right? People aren’t traveling from, you know, Washington to come to a junior college’s I.
D. Camp.
Matt: No, that makes sense. Well, whether it’s I. D. Camps or these tournaments or international video, [00:04:30] what is it that you’re looking for in a player both on the field and off the field stuff?
Coach: Yeah, I mean, I think, uh, some we’ve learned some lessons this year after in our first in our first year of a program is for the men.
I’ll speak to more about this is just having an effort to buy in. I think young men, um, are kind of in trouble in the United States in terms of they’re struggling to economically. They’re struggling socially. They’re struggling in a lot of different ways. And so we want you to come in, um, have a good attitude and buy into the team and, and, and make a big effort to, and, and I want to help you as a young man, if you’re coming to play for us, um, recognize that life isn’t going to be easy for you.
And that you have to be strong. Uh, and so we want guys who are strong, have strong personality, strong character, and, and I’ll help them grow that.
Matt: Okay. Well, let’s, uh, and I’m not going to hold you to hard numbers here, uh, but. But one of the benefits of junior college generally is that it’s a much cheaper option for, for getting to college and playing.
And you guys are division one in the NJCAA. So you at least are allowed to give scholarships. Uh, kind of just talk to me about what is. Kind of the financial aid situation there. What would a player coming in there be looking at in terms of kind of average cost of attendance and that sort of thing?
Coach: Yeah.
So we have 24 scholarships for each [00:06:00] team. Um, see at CSI right now we have full tuition books and fees waivers for each of those 24 scholarships. We are able to give full rights, but that would be money that we have to raise through like our youth camps or, or our ID camps or selling merchandise, which we did.
So actually a lot of merchandise. This fall. Um, so we have the capacity to do full rides, but our scholarship that’s provided by the school is full tuition waiver with books and fees as well. Um, and 24 of those, and so that leaves you housing and food, which is depending on the choice that you choose. We actually have 3 housing options, which is really nice for doing your college.
Um, it can be between 3000 for your apartment and then you’re doing your food on your own. For the year, or you can do housing, uh, uh, dorm food and dormant food for around five and a half to six thousand depending on the meal plans that you choose. Okay, that’s awesome.
Matt: Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the school.
Um, you’ve been there a little bit now, so what are some of the things that kind of drew you to the program and to start the program? What are some of the things you found that are awesome about the school that maybe we wouldn’t know just by going to the website?
Coach: Yeah, I mean, I think the main thing when I saw this job position opening, I looked at the school, um, was that the programs here, the athletic programs here, when, um, we have 22 national titles with all of our other sports, our men’s basketball team, women’s basketball [00:07:30] team, cross country, volleyball are usually nationally ranked.
Softball is a great team. Baseballs have been has didn’t have a great year last year, but they are have a great year. Good program in, in terms of historically. Um, and so when you, on the outside, as somebody, as a, as a coach, you look at the program, you say, okay, the other sports they’re doing well means that they’re well supported.
Right. And so it’s like, okay, this is an attractive place to go. Um, then Twin Falls, Idaho is around 60 to 70, 000 people, um, which is a nice medium population. And yeah, I just wanted to live in a place around that size. And at a school that there’s an expectation to win, right? I don’t want to go to a place where, oh, it’s okay, you won two games this year, no problem.
Um, so I wanted to be in a place where there’s a big competitive environment and the conference that we play in um If you’ve looked at the men on the men’s side There were three teams ranked in the top 20 of the nation in our conference Alone, not to mention salt lake is is was the number one team at least in the last poll So
Matt: yeah, like
Coach: six games against top 20 teams in your conference play alone
Matt: Yeah, definitely a tough conference that you guys are in.
Well You Let’s rewind maybe a couple weeks where you’re still in the heart of that conference season. Walk me through what does a typical week look like for the players in terms of winter Practices classes meals games the whole kind of thing
Coach: Yeah, the way [00:09:00] we did it this year was the men were one to three essentially and that some days are beginning in the gym Some days were beginning in in the room I’m in now the booster room that has a tv for doing video review And some days were just beginning straight out onto the field that kind of depended week to week You where we were in the season, how many games we had that week, where we home, where we away because we’re home.
We had more trainings obviously, uh, rather than having to travel. Um, but basically those 22. 5 hours. Sometimes the guys especially would go into 3 30 between the booster room and the field training. But every day that we’re not traveling, we’re training except for sunday.
Matt: Okay. Well, one of the difficult things for, you know, somebody transitioning from high school to college can really be balancing the academics with the needs of the athletics and really making sure they can be successful in both.
So what kind of support systems does your school offer to help them be successful both on and off the field?
Coach: Yeah, I mean, the school offers tutoring. Um, they even have online tutoring. So, for example, when we’re traveling at the hotel on a Friday between a Thursday Saturday game. Um, tutors can Skype into, um, uh, with a student, uh, for helping them with this, uh, with a particular subject.
They have to schedule that, you know. So, for me, I, I think what I’ve learned this year with the men especially is that I want to be really big on personal [00:10:30] responsibility because that’s what these young men need. They need to be responsible for themselves and they need to be responsible for their results.
They don’t, yes, they need support and guidance. But mostly they need to be told your results depend on you. And I think that’s what’s going to lead us to make a generation of men who are stronger than, and have success.
Matt: Okay. Well, let’s talk a little bit more about that team. Um, you, you mentioned, uh, kind of the number of scholarships up.
Is, is there a roster size that you are, find as ideal that you’re going to try to hit here in year two?
Coach: Yeah, we, we were 26 at the beginning of this year. Um, and I think that number was good to be honest. So I think right around somewhere between 25 and 27, maybe 26, 28. Um, so that would be, you know, two to four walk ons.
I think that was good for us this year for the men and that’s where I would want to be again.
Matt: Okay. Well, besides the roster of players, do you have a roster of staff, uh, assistant coaches, other folks in the athletic department that help out with the team? Kind of what are their roles?
Coach: Yeah. So, um, coach Andrew helps me as the associate head coach of the men’s team.
Um, we had a goal. We were super lucky to have a goalkeeper coach this year. Alex Maya, who was, um, a professional in Brazil for many years. He just happened to [00:12:00] be on campus for this year. We’re trying to retain him for next year in a, in a paid position, but he’s on campus doing sabbatical. He’s actually a professor at the University of Sao Paulo doing a sabbatical in Idaho for agriculture.
And he just was wrote me and was like, Hey, I like soccer. I want to be involved as a goalkeeper coach. And I was like, fantastic. We’re going to have one of the best goalkeeper coaches in the conference for sure. Um, and then Zayden is a local guy who’s been coaching, helping us out. And we have our strength and conditioning coach, Travis.
Um, so yeah, we’re, we’re trying to add a third, well, obviously myself, coach Andrew, and then a third, um, paid coach, um, for the upcoming years, but that’s in process.
Matt: Okay, well, what about you as the head coach? How would you describe kind of your style of coaching, the team style of play you’re looking to implement there?
Coach: Yeah, I mean, I, I’m open to play in different styles depending on what your players are, right? Um, this year I would say that we didn’t have like a big target striker and so we, we really tried to play out and, and play through for, for the most part, but there was sometimes the way that. The other teams play, for example, we see even in Premier League, even with Manchester City, they’re playing more long passes this year than ever before.
Why? Because the other team is pushing players forward, pushing players higher, and leaving themselves 1 1 in the bag. So yeah, then you go for the longer pass. I think [00:13:30] I’m more adaptable to any situation, rather than saying, I have to play this way. Um, the training style is what I would say is we played a lot, but we did, um, specifically work on things that we want for the next match, right?
When the other opponent, we think the other opponent is going to press with these two players. I want you to play out like this. This player will be open and we go out and train it. Um, and so trying to be as specific to the game as possible.
Matt: Well, the season has ended, you get some winter break probably, and then you got the spring.
What do you expect your first kind of spring offseason to be with the team? What’s that going to look like?
Coach: Um, heavy in the weight room, we’re going to build a bit of a strength base, um, obviously, but there’ll be like Monday, Wednesday, Friday in the weight room, and then training after that. But then Tuesday and Thursday straight to the field.
So. I mean, we’re, it’s, it’s kind of funny. I mean, I, I played division three. And we were like training like two, maybe three times a week. We had three games in the spring and here in Juco. Um, I mean, we’re training every day, Monday through Friday. Um, so we’re training so much more than I was training when I was in college and we have more match days as well.
So we have six match days with our roster is around 24 now. will probably even play two [00:15:00] matches each of those days. So try to get 12 games in the spring training monday through friday. So right back at it to be honest.
Matt: Yeah, it sounds like it. Well, awesome. Well, coach, I appreciate your time. I’m going to leave you with one last question.
And that is, if you had one piece of advice for anybody going through the college recruiting process right now, what would that be?
Coach: Uh, market yourself. Um, Understand how to market yourself, make a good video, understand what you are and what you aren’t, you know, don’t, if you’re not a guy for Clemson, don’t write Clemson, you know, target schools that are, that play, that you’ve seen play, that, that you think you could fit.
You know, if you’re a smaller striker, don’t go for a school who you look at their, their strikers from last year, and they’re all big guys, um, and then, and be persistent, right? I mean, a lot of, uh, the amount of emails we, all of the coaches receive is, is insane. You know, I wouldn’t say write them every two days, but I mean, once a week, twice a, uh, once every two weeks.
I think. You know, until they give you an answer of a yes or no. Um, or at least they, they, I would say, try to change up your email a little bit each time as well. Um, but market yourself. If you want to get in, you have to market yourself. Um, that’s going to be your, your main tool and, and be willing to go to new places.
I don’t, I don’t think, I think limiting yourself geographically is a mistake for a young guy trying to find an opportunity, [00:16:30] especially.
Matt: Couldn’t agree more. Well, coach, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining us. Best of luck as you, uh, continue this first full season with the team and hopefully you just continue to build and get better and better as time goes on.
Coach: Thank you, Matt. Thank you for having me.
Matt: Thank you.
