Luther College Men’s Soccer – Coach Chris Garcia-Prats
On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Chris from the Luther Men’s Program in Iowa. We talk about how they are open to recruiting everywhere. He describes the beauty of the town and campus. Lastly, we discuss his intense style of coaching that holds players to high standards. Learn more about Luther College Men’s Soccer.
Matt: [00:00:00] Hi everybody. Welcome to Discover College Soccer Today I am lucky enough to be joined by Coach Chris from Luther College out in Iowa. Welcome.
Coach: Yeah. Thanks Matt. Thanks for having me.
Matt: Yeah, thanks for being here. I was lucky enough to, to talk to Coach Holly, your women’s coach a few months back, so it’s nice to, to close the loop and get the guy’s side covered as well.
Um, so let’s, let’s first talk about, uh, the recruiting side of things now that your season’s wrapped up. And this is, uh, well at least, at least down here in Florida, it is showcase season, uh, extraordinaire, I think. My, my daughter played a tournament last weekend. The IMG Cup is this weekend. They’re over, over at IMG Academy.
So, um, when do you usually start talking to players and really kind of getting in that recruiting class together? Right now? Are you closing off, you’re 20 threes or is that pretty much wrapped up and you’re looking at 20 fours? What’s that look like for you guys?
Coach: I mean, I would say it’s a pretty fluid process for us.
Um, Luther’s kind of a rolling admission kind of, um, kind of set up and, and I would say admissions kind of plays a pretty big, you know, kind of presence in kind of how we kind of at least navigate the calendar, you know, with regards to kind of our process. So we’re. We were wrapping up 20 threes, you know, in contact with 20 fours, obviously in communication with 20 fives.
And so I think that’s a little bit of a, a pretty fluid process for us. Um, and so I, everyone’s pretty unique, to be honest. I mean, we’re kind of in that same setup right now. We’ll have, we’ll be in, uh, St. Louis for the EC and L showcase this weekend. Um, my assistant was in Des Moines, [00:01:30] we’re doing some C N L regional games this past weekend.
So, um, you know, it’s like a little bit of a, a mix, you know, mixed bag in terms of, you know, that timing in some. Sometimes the timing is a kid that’s been in the process like super early. Um, but I would say even with us, because of a rolling a mission, we may have some kids that aren’t committed at the moment and are looking for places and maybe they, Hey, I wanted to go here and there’s no spots left available.
And so, you know, we’re kind of in that, in that conversation. And so, um, I mean, we had. . We had a kid who committed to us like August 5th last year for a fall season. And so, um, maybe not ideal, um, but also came in and ended up being a starter for us. And so, um, kinda a unique kind of process for us. And so my timeline is all over the place and, and even setting a timeline for me, um, maybe would maybe be good for just like a processes standpoint, but also.
The dynamic of, you know, when people are contacting us and when that kind of first contact happens varies, you know, quite a, quite a bit.
Matt: Sure. Well, you mentioned E C N L, uh, showcase and regional games. Are there other tournaments that are kind of, you know, must, must visit events on, on your list, uh, that you guys go to at all the time?
Coach: Yeah, I mean probably, you know, we kind of hit up some of our state cup events, you know, some Minnesota State Cup, Iowa State Cup, Wisconsin State Cup. Those are kind of the, the tri area that’s been, that we’ve been able to be pretty successful from a domestic recruiting standpoint. Um, Shaddock Showcase, which is actually where Holly.
[00:03:00] Played and I actually recruited Holly, um, to play here, played for me, um, for, for three years after, after transferring in as a division one player. Um, so showcase is probably one that kind of happens in January that kind of, for me, kind of targets, you know, some of the, the top teams kind of in the region.
Um, so those are some of those, again, the E C N L events, we kind of hit, you know, Rockford is, you know, not super far from us, so we kinda hit some of those events. Those are kinda the showcases I have gone to kind of some of. , the Disneys and the Castles and you know, surf cups and some of those kind of around the country.
Um, I don’t know if we’re, it’s interesting cause we end up going there and like watching the Minnesota team. Um, so, you know, for me that’s not always the, that makes sense. And so, and we get kids from outside the area. We got some kids from California, Arizona, president’s Day kind of in. and Phoenix has kind of been an area that we’ve been able to be pretty successful with.
Um, so we kind of pick and choose and, you know, and try and evaluate, you know, are we, are we getting, you know, students from, you know, from these showcases? So, sure. Um, yeah, it’s kind of our process.
Matt: What about camps? Do you guys host any, do you and your staff work, any, you know, external camps, do they fit into your system?
Coach: Yeah, I mean I think the camp experience is a, is a good one. We do, we host kind of like a weekend, kind of Friday, Sunday, whatever you wanna call it. We elite camp, ID camp, pec camp, whatever you guys want to call it. Um, so we’ve done that and that’s been actually a really great tool for us. Um, you know, Luther is [00:04:30] in small town, Iowa.
you know, we’re about two and a half hours south of, of, of Minneapolis, four and a half hours, you know, west of Chicago, you know, north of Des Moines. So like we’re not in this like, hotbed of soccer in that regard. And so kind of getting them to come here to be a part of it for me, has been a, an important process for us.
And we can just kind of sell like who we are and the substance that you’re gonna get and, you know, proper training. And so we, we typically are our weekend. Camp in the summertime is gets about 40 to 50 kids. Um, and it’s kind of, they’re looking at us, you know, so we’re not bringing in a lot of other coaches, you know, into that camp.
So they’re really identified us as a, as a possible place for them. And so that’s, that’s been an area that we’ve been super successful with. Probably two to two to four kids from camp, you know, end up coming to Luther. And so there’s some, some great yield rate that we get that, you know, and we do a, we’ll do a spring id.
You know, that kind of gives an opportunity for potential seniors that are still looking at us or, you know, that perspective, junior and sophomore to kind of be a part of things. So I don’t work a ton of camps, you know, outside of that. Um, I’m a, I’m a Trinity University grad, kind of San Antonio, Texas. So I’ve gone down and worked, you know, for my former head coach, you know, at his camps.
And obviously that’s, you know, more of a, obviously there’s some obviously great recruit. Process there, but there’s some personal, you know, personal opportunity to be there. Go to my alma mater and, and be a part of that, you know, their, you know, that, that program consistently. Um, our new assistants kind of from the, is from, uh, Delaware, uh, played actually [00:06:00] Rowan, kind of good, good, uh, division three program in New Jersey.
And so we’ll probably use some of his, some of his kind of roots, you know, kind of in that area. Um, and so those are, you know, kind of some of the things that we do.
Matt: Okay. You, well, you mentioned, uh, Domestic recruiting. And when you look at your roster, there’s a good bit of international, which is not always the case at a D three.
So can you talk to me a little bit more about your, your international recruiting and how that works for you guys?
Coach: Yeah, I mean, we’ve been, lots of people ask me that question, you know, cuz again, I do think our roster looks very unique in the, the majority of division three schools in particular. Luther College has made that, um, a part of, you know, kind of the mission and a part of their, their institutional admissions process for three years.
And I’m talking about, you know, this is like 30, 40, 50 years. Um, eight to 10% of the student body’s international. And so that is, again, is not a huge population, but it’s, it’s a, an intentional, um, missional, um, Process for, for Luther. And so that for me is, is really core, you know, to, to what we do. And so probably about 10 or 12 years, you know, I got here in oh eight is kind of looked at kind of that process and sat down with our director and we kind of came up with some good plans and some processes and I learned kind of how that went about.
Um, and kind of joined in that kind of recruitment process. You know, I’ve been down to Brazil a couple times, you know, been to Germany. I don’t think that will go away. Uh, we’ve got a pretty. Good connection with some of the Northeast Prep [00:07:30] schools, um, which has kind of recruited heavily internationally over the years.
And so we’ve got a couple great connections with a couple prep schools kind of, um, in the area. And so that’s kind of added to it. Um, but just like domestic recruiting, if you get a kid from. This club or this high school, it just kind of starts to take a little bit of a, you know, some momentum. And so again, you know, when we’ve got a, again, we’ve recruited a kid from a prep school, Spanish kid from a prep school.
So now those two kids are talking and, Hey, what’s that experience like? Hey, I really, you and I were great friends when we were at this school and hey, is that experience gonna be good? And, you know, the financial component kind of works. And so, um, you know, so for me it kind of takes on the same kind of momentum and legs that it would for.
For any other recruitment and, and every coach knows like, okay, we’ve got this kid from this club, you know, is this our end to that club? Is that our end to getting, you know, uh, other kids? And so we’ve done the same thing with regards to, you know, international recruiting and that’s, and they, and it is a little bit different cuz they may not be at the same club, but they may be from the same town or, you know, and, and even just being able to speak the same language, um, And just able to navigate kind of that, that process.
And again, coming to rural Iowa, you know, it was like, Hey, how do you, you know, how do you get a kid from Rio to come to, to, to Iowa? Um, some of it is that process of, um, connection, um, and just what, you know, what we can do in terms of supporting, you know, our, our international students. There’s good, good support systems.
Um, again, that’s a mission that, that Luther has. And so I’ve just kind of joined into that process, [00:09:00] you know, as much as.
Matt: No, that’s great. Well, in terms of whether it’s domestic players or national players, you’re at a camp, at a tournament, whatever the case may be. Kind of what is your hierarchy of things that you’re looking for in terms of what makes a player you wanna recruit, whether that’s on the field stuff or off the field stuff.
Coach: Yeah, I mean obviously it is a priority. I think division three, you do kind of have to make some, prioritize some things. Um, you know, and so when you look at the recruitment process, right, like again, if you can find a kid that ticks all the boxes, right? Technique, you know, physi, physical attributes, good tactical decision making, uh, good mentality, um, you know, lifestyle.
You know, you obviously doing our research to find out is it a good teammate, is this kid gonna come and just add, to add to our culture and enhance, you know, the campus experience for, for everyone around them. You know, that’s kind of our, our goals. Um, . I think when I look at it, the, the kid has to athletically be able to compete at the collegiate level, right?
Because I feel like that’s, that’s one of those criteria that just can be really tricky. Now, is it my priority to say, Hey, we need to get this size kid with this kind of athleticism? The answer is no. But they have to be able to, to run and compete, you know, physically at the, at the, at the collegiate level.
And so that’s an important one. Technical quality for me, like the way we play isn’t actually a really important aspect. Of, of what we’re doing. And so, um, you know, the technical ability for players to be able to, to pass and to, to do the things that we need them to do from a technical [00:10:30] standpoint, tactical decision making is something that we can probably kind of work on.
Again, the higher levels they are, the better they are when they arrive here, but those are aspects that I feel like we, we work significantly on. In, in terms of how we play. Um, and then also just are they a competitor? You know, do they wanna win? You know, and, and, and if you’re not innately competitive, um, you know, our place is an environment that can actually kind of be really, really challenging, you know, in that area.
And so, cause you’ve gotta be able to kind of maybe stand on your own a little bit, uh, in the environment. Maybe you’re not playing early on in your career. So you’ve gotta have that competitiveness and that ambition to be able to. To stay and withstand some of those challenges that exist. And again, if you don’t have that competitive nature, um, you know, it can be super difficult.
Sure.
Matt: Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the school. Um, you know, as you mentioned, you guys are kind of in rural Iowa there and, and, but what are some things that, that maybe we don’t know about the school from, from just looking at the website that you find, you know, really make the school stand out and make it an awesome place for student athletes?
Coach: Yeah, it’s interesting. You know, again, I I, I made the comment kind of rural Iowa and I think, so it kind of con um, brings up some images in, in most people’s mind. And so I think that actually probably is something that’s one of our strengths. Cause I think people, again, you’re, you know, kind of, you know, your images of of of rural Iowa are, are a certain thing.
And so I think we actually do super well with, you know, kind of Minneapolis. We have kind of a lot of kids like the biggest. Um, group of students on campus is from kind of the, the Minneapolis area. And so, [00:12:00] um, and a lot of it is, it’s about a two and a half hour drive from there. But when you arrive into our community into decor, it’s, it’s again, post people think of kind of flat cornfield, rural kind of, uh, small town, kind of dead town, and it’s.
like the opposite, right? We’re filled with bluffs. We’ve got a river that kind of runs through town. So kids are, you know, and, and obviously right now it’s not happening, but like, you know, uh, kayaking and tubing and, and kind of involved in kind of, kind of some of those kind of things. So like the place really kind of like, and it did the same thing for me.
Cause I grew up, you know, again, in a big city and arrived here and just like, it’s, it’s just, it’s actually like stunningly beautiful and I think it kind of catches people off guard almost. Like, you’re not ready for it. Like, your mind is, is this expectation and something different. And so I think our, actually, our location, I think actually, um, is a super big strength of ours.
You know, again, you gotta get them here and you gotta get them past kind of some of those, you know, kind of some of their. Obstacles in their mind. Um, but it’s also this super vibrant community, you know? And so, um, I think it’s considered the, the best small town in Iowa. Um, and it’s kind of been on all the, the different, you know, kind of, um, , you know, discover Iowa and different, different kind of aspects that follow kind of just different magazines and different areas.
Uh, and because it is super vibrant, like our downtown, super vibrant again, and when you’re thinking downtown or you’re not thinking downtown Miami, you’re not thinking downtown New York, right? Cause if that’s your images too, then that’s wrong. But it’s literally this, this place with restaurants and coffee shops and, and [00:13:30] micro brews.
Um, and just kind of some of these kind of aspects to. So just kind of a, a college town that is super, super fun, super ex, it’s super easy to navigate, right? If you’re a college kid, walking from campus to our downtown is super, like, normal part of your life. Um, and so I think those, while it’s a hurdle, right, to get people here, I think when people get here, they’re kind of blown away by kind of like the, the actual, the look of the, of what we have.
And so I think it’s, um, super cool.
Matt: So, . Awesome. Well, you mentioned, uh, earlier about the support of the school, uh, for, for your student athletes, especially, you know, ones maybe coming from, from overseas, but you know, how, how do your student athletes really balance the, the pull between sports and athletics and, and what are those support systems to help them, especially on the academic side?
Coach: Yeah, I mean, I think there’s quite a few. I mean, I think obviously our coaches are super involved in, we’ve got a pretty, um, experienced coaching staff and so kind of our ability to just kind of navigate the resources that we have. I mean, we’ve got a full, you know, kind of student support service. I think it’s center of academic achievement.
I have to remember the names of it cuz academic enrichment, I think, you know, it kind of changes names, but you know, really a place where our students can receive, you know, the, the writing, the writing center, right, where they’re getting a ton of, you know, help with regards to writing papers. Cause obviously, you know, our students are, are spending a lot of time doing that.
Um, tutors. You know, having access to tutors and the support services, disability services, kind of [00:15:00] again, navigating the different kind of needs that our student has. Uh, one of our students, like, um, one of our actually men’s soccer players, like, um, to, or, uh, dislocated is, um, thumb and so, Couldn’t write a pa, like, had to write a paper for one of his exams.
And so had to be in contact with our disability services to get that adaptation, the, you know, to kind of support him in that process. Um, you know, and our, I was connected to our, you know, the faculty member that, you know, was kind of involved in that communication. And so, um, You know, our coaching staff’s super involved in kind of that process in helping our students gonna receive those resources, um, that they need, um, kind of mental, mental health services on campus.
So we’ve got counseling services on our, on our campus, you know, which allows our students to, to have access on our campus to, to some of those services, which for me are, are quite important. Um, you know, to, to navigate, you know, the different things that our, that our students are, are dealing with or just things that they, you know, um, you know, their mental health, you know, on campus and.
Um, those would be some, some ones that kind of, that stick out. Um, yeah. And so, you know, again, and then, you know, again, and in coaches are doing lots of things to kind of support, we have, you know, some study tables that are, that are early. You know, our first years kind of create some good habits, you know, in regards to just kind of adapting to the, you know, to, to college life and just the intensity of, of, of, uh, of your.
Matt: Sure. Okay. Well, in terms of, you know, a day in the life of kinda for a, for a player, if you can [00:16:30] walk me back through, uh, a typical, I know there’s no such thing, but a typical week during the season, you know, winter players getting up, having meals, going to class, going to practice. Travel for games? What’s that kind of look like?
Coach: Yeah, I mean, I think a pretty, pretty typical training day is, you know, we, we typically put their, you know, most of their academics and work study cuz kind of few kids are, uh, at Luther do kind of work study to kind of, uh, be a part of their experience. So eight to. two 30. Right. It’s pretty typical, you know, in terms of, and again, that can ver, you know it Sure.
The class schedule varies and kind of when they work, but that’s pretty typical and we kind of stay away from that a little bit. You know, obviously, you know, I may spend some time with individual players kind of throughout that time, just based on some meetings and so forth, but they normally get down around two 30.
You know, to the locker room. They, they, they, the music kind of gets blaring. They go and do the, you know, the athletic trainer to our medical staff, and then our typical practice is three 30 to five 30. So spend a couple hours within that we’re including kind of some of their gym workout, you know, their, their lifting could included in that.
Video analysis meeting could kind of include that. Um, and so we’re using that kind of two hour window to kind of really jam pack a lot. I think we try and respect their two hours, um, as much as we can, just because of, you know, as soon as they get out of, you know, training, they’re back to the training room.
They typically eat lunch together. Luther’s residential. You know, so all of our students live on campus and so that kind of campus experience is quite, um, important and part of kind of like their, their life here. Um, so they [00:18:00] eat together typically quite a bit, and then they kind of both, you know, kind of go into that, you know, that study period studying.
again, I always kind of prefer if guys are going to bed early, but everyone’s kind of a little bit different with kind of how they go about their, their study time. Some kids are studying at, you know, 10 to two, you know, other kids are, you know, kind of seven to 10 and kind of, they kind of navigate that a little bit based on their own kind of sleep schedule and what their class schedules looks like.
And so that’s pretty, that’s pretty normal, you know, a game day, you know, we’re on a charter bus depending on kind of where we are. Most of our games are regional games, so within kind of a four hour radius, so those. Those probably look the most different. Um, you know, can leave as early as 6:00 AM We’re kind of on a charter, you know, have snacks and breakfast for them to kind of get as they get on.
Most of them are napping, napping slash sleeping, depending on what that looks like. Um, you know, we stop for a meal typically for pregame. We, we train, we travel actually a lot with our women. Um, and so that’s maybe a little bit of. Uh, experience for, for us. And so our, our connection, Holly and I are super close, spend a lot of time, kind of know each other’s teams from a personal standpoint, but also kind of like bouncing ideas.
You know, Hey, I watched your old game, like, have you thought about this? Have you thought about this? You know, so there’s some, some unique qualities that go into that. Um, , you know, and so that’s kind of, you know, can be some late night, you know, evenings, you know, getting off the charter bus. But for me, traveling’s fun.
You’re just with your team, you’re spending time with each other, um, hopefully celebrating a win on the way home. Yeah.
Matt: That’s awesome. Well, [00:19:30] let’s talk more about the team and, and the soccer side of things. So do you have a, a roster size that you’re trying to, to hit each year?
Coach: We don’t, I mean, we don’t have anything, you know, we’re an enrollment driven school, so that’s obviously a component that, that kind of revolves around kind of some of the roster sizes.
We were, we were at 45, uh, this past year, and so that was the kind of the size of, of where we were at. I think we’ll kind of be in that 40 range here moving forward. Uh, we’ve been as high as 58, which is maybe not something I would, uh, suggest or encourage. Um, but, you know, so that’s kind of typical. It kind of gives us.
For me, that 40 range gives us this opportunity to, um, develop guys. And then also we’ve been able to kind of, some of our seniors have, you know, maybe not had the opportunities to play, but also be involved and, and make a big impact in our roster outside of just the kind of the playing aspect. And so, um, we obviously have those conversations with, with our older guys and say, Hey, looks like, you know, you’re now behind.
A freshman, you’re now behind a sophomore and so we need, you’ve got some choices to make in terms of your own college experience. Do you want to continue with our team and, and play and, and lots say yes. You know, and they want to kind of involve, you know, their, you know, and make an impact. Again, maybe an off the field aspect, some leadership areas.
For me, those are the high character people cuz like, To not be able to play is a super tricky, you know, aspect of things. So, um, but yeah, so that’s probably about, we’ll probably be in that 40 range. [00:21:00] And then cuz your
Matt: conference, a lot of the teams have the, that reserve squad development, developmental squad, whatever you want to call it.
And, and you guys do that as well? Is that right?
Coach: We do. Yeah. So it’s a little helpful, you know, that there’s some, some other programs around the area that kind of allow us to do that. So, cause again, we don’t wanna be, you know, driving all over, you know, the region for, for reserve games. So it’s super helpful to be able to kind of have that, for sure.
Yeah.
Matt: And earlier you mentioned your staff. How, how big is your staff? What kind of roles does everybody play?
Coach: Yep. We’ve got a full-time assistant coach and that’s kind of been something that’s been, been new actually. So Holly’s got now a, a new assistant coach as well. Um, and so yeah, we’re kind of working through that.
Um, so we have a, i I call, um, and so sorry guys are knock my, um, yes, we got full-time assistant, our goalkeeper coach has works with, with both teams. And then we’ve typically had the kind of a student coach, uh, who kind of helps us.
Matt: Okay. And then how would you describe your style of coaching and the team’s overall style of.
Coach: Um, intense, demanding, high standards would be, um, some of the things that, that, that players would describe me as. Um, and so, um, I think it’s kind of probably one of my strengths, but maybe also some of my weaknesses. And so, um, kind of, uh, my ability to kind of. To push our team to, to a high standard, I think would be one of my strengths.
Can that be kind of taxing at times? You know, for our, for our players? I think it, it does. I think our older players navigate that much better. [00:22:30] Um, you know, cuz we’re, we’re able to, over their four years, find those less intense times to just. Be in different moments in the office, talking, you know, talking non soccer stuff.
And so the relationship grows. For me that helps, you know, kind of my intensity in a lot of ways. Um, and then the way we play is, you know, very passing oriented, um, very pressing oriented. Um, trying to dominate and control games is really at the core of, of what we’re trying to do. So we’re trying to control the ball, control the game with the ball, and we’re trying to control the game without the ball.
And so for me, Super difficult, you know, to be able to do, do that in, in both ways. But that’s kind of the standard I feel like, of the top teams in the world. And so are we trying to emulate a lot of those ideas. And also we have, for me, I also have the quality and the talent of players that can try and execute that at the highest level.
And so is it challenging? It’s super challenging. Is it getting us to play that way? Uh, tricky, uh, for sure is, but I think it’s the ambition. It’s the, it’s what I want to do, you know, for, for us. And I think have the players that that can.
Matt: That’s great. Well, we, we’ve talked about a lot of different things and covered a lot of ground, and I always like to end these the same way and that’s what didn’t we cover.
What else would you like folks to know, whether it’s about, uh, the college recruiting process, your school, your team, or anything else? I’ll give you the last word.
Coach: Yeah. No, I appreciate that. Yeah, I mean, I think, I mean, I think Luther, uh, provides a an awesome experience, you know, for, for student athletes, right?
I think soccer players, um, can come here and get challenged to play at a high level. Um, and a, I think with a, [00:24:00] an experience coach who, uh, kind of understands the college game, but also has great ambitions for, for what we wanna try and do. Um, and also I think Luther provides, you know, our students just an great educational experience as well.
And so, uh, Of both, you know, with, with someone who cares about them at a place where you’re cared for. I think in a, in a community that is, uh, that is amazingly supportive of the college. So, uh, it kind of ticks for me a lot of the boxes and it’s why I’ve been here 15 years and it’s why, you know, I’m excited to, to continue on my endeavor, on making our, you know, our program one of the best.
Awesome.
Matt: Well coach, congratulations on making the NCAA tournament again, and you got a great program over there and we wish you nothing but the best. If you get down, uh, this way to Florida and you’re recruiting, gimme a shout or maybe I’ll see you Billy at the convention.
Coach: Awesome. Thanks Matt. Appreciate it.
Matt: Thank you. Take care. Okay.
