Northern Michigan University Men’s Soccer – Coach Alex Fatovic
On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Alex from the Northern Michigan Men’s Program. We talk about recruiting a mix of domestic and international players. He describes their picturesque campus and how it is very unique. Lastly, we discuss how he focuses on creating meaningful relationships with his players. Learn more about Northern Michigan University 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 up at Northern Michigan. Welcome coach.
Coach: Thanks. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it, Matt.
Matt: Yeah. Thanks for being here. I, I have a feeling, uh, your temps are a little colder than, uh, Braden’s in Florida today, but, uh, I think we’re, we’ll both survive, right?
Coach: That’s right. We’re surviving. That’s right.
Matt: Well, Hey, we’re talking here end of January, 2024. It’s a kind of the, you know, maybe, maybe you’re headed down here this weekend for ECNL Florida event. I don’t know. Uh, but we’re, we’re in the. The throws of the college showcase season. So what, what is your kind of recruiting calendar right now?
Are you done with the 24s and you’re moving on to 25s? You still wrapping up a couple of things. What’s your normal calendar look like?
Coach: Yeah, I think, I think we’re just like everybody else, probably just wrapping up a few things. We’ve got most of our 24 class done, but we’ve got a couple of spots left and, and we always want to keep it competitive.
If I don’t think recruiting ever really stops, uh, whether it’s for the current year or next year. So we’re definitely on to 25 and we’re excited about some of the guys that have shown interest, but we’re also going to be quite a young team next year. So, you know, it’s not like, um, where we feel like we’ve got a lot to replace in 25.
so we really want to focus on finishing up this class strong and and get not really to the local. Our local clubs in the Midwest and, and, and making those relationships that I don’t think were necessarily made prior to me being here. Um, so we’re just trying to get in our region [00:01:30] specifically, like, Hey, this is a, this is a really unique place to go to school.
It’s not a dime or dozen college campus that’s in the Midwest. Like we’re in a, we’re in a pretty special place. So, um, for the right kids that are still looking for places. And I’m just amazed at the amount of talent that’s not committed for 2024. At this at this late juncture, so there’s still a lot of good players out there and we get a ton of interest every day.
And so we’re just trying to get out to as many as I said, Midwest clubs as we can just to finish out this class.
Matt: So in terms of, uh, I mean, you mentioned the clubs, but in terms of events, kind of what’s on your, your hit list for events that you like to go to, to go see players at,
Coach: well, there’s always MLS next.
I mean, that’s where we start. So I think those are big events to go to, you know, coming from the world I was at where. Uh, you almost had an unlimited recruiting budget. You could get to all of them and there was barely a dent. Um, but now, you know, we’re, we’re division 2 state school. So we don’t want to have unlimited funds just to to kind of jet set, like the D1 world.
So, we’ve got to be pretty particular with with what we’re doing. So, right now we’re focusing on. MLS next events and their league games that we can get to and see all the local clubs and local. I mean, within the Midwest region. So all the MLS next academies, MLS academies that play in the Midwest, we’re making a focus on getting to those league games in addition to, you know, the flex in Maryland coming up in May or, or getting out to [00:03:00] G a cup if we can, or the showcase and in Phoenix over the winter break.
Matt: Okay, well, do you guys do you guys do any I. D. camps or do your staff work external camps? Are they a part of your recruiting process?
Coach: Yeah, absolutely. So we have 2 or 3 I. D. camps a year. I think that’s a big piece as well. Um, is that it shows who really wants to come here? You know, a lot of. And we have to be honest with ourselves.
A lot of a lot of kids are going to look at the map and say, no chance. But the ones that make the effort to come and really are excited about our location, which is a fantastic place, um, you know, the camps are a big part of that because it shows the effort getting up here. So we actually have a camp coming up in February.
We have good numbers for it. So we’re still a few spots left, um, 18th. So that’ll be our winter camp. So it showcases our, our superior dome, which is, you know, full field, full length, full width. Yeah. You know, indoor facility where, you know, we can, we can work on the functional things that we want to work on, but it also gives campers the opportunity to see what it’s like to be a student athlete here during this time frame.
And then we have the summer camp, which again, gives a lot of options for guys that want to come up here because it’s in the summertime. It’s beautiful here. So, um, those are a big part of our recruiting process because, as I told you, it gets the kids on campus. And now they see how special Northern is.
And it makes that discussion a little bit easier, to be honest.
Matt: As, as someone who has vacationed before in the upper peninsula, Michigan in the summer, it is a, it’s a great time to be up there. Um, well, [00:04:30] one thing that you notice when you look at your roster now and a lot of division to men’s rosters, is there some international flair there?
How, how much is international recruiting a part of what you do each year? And has the transfer transfer portal changed how you recruit at all?
Coach: Yeah, I think those are, those are big questions. So from an international standpoint, yeah, we’re probably in the 40, 60 range ratio. Um, and I think internationals bring, bring a lot of different, um, Things to the table in terms of their quality on the ball and those things, but but really as what I see as as great characters in a culture, you know, it’s it’s nice to have that diverse culture within your locker room.
So, um, and I’ve been in some locations that aren’t as friendly to international recruiting in terms of the admissions process. And I think northern Michigan has made a real strong push to to be a little bit more. Active in that regard with students, not just athletes, but across the board, bringing in more diverse international student body.
So it’s made the transition for international athletes really, really healthy here. So they do, they do thrive here. But, yeah, we, in terms of, like, the full landscape, we do look at the portal, but but not as time as you’d think, because. Why are you in the portal? There’s so many kids in the portal. You know, there’s something like 900 Division 1 players that are still out there.
700 at the Division 2 level. So that’s over, over 1, 500 college soccer players that are on the portal right now. Uh, [00:06:00] what, why, why is that? And, and, and is that the player we, we really want to bring into the locker room? So we have to do our homework on that. Um, is it, is it better to go through the junior college route?
Where someone’s played two years, they have that experience, and it’s natural to move on. You know, I’m in that junior year as a junior college player versus. A current freshman that wants to transfer already. Why? Why was it tough? Did you not play a lot? Are you not willing to be resilient and push through that?
What, what was the, what are the dynamics of the school like? There’s a lot of things that kind of go into that choice of, all right, I’m gonna transfer. And so sometimes it’s healthier to just be at the natural place with a, with a player, whether it’s an upcoming freshman or junior college transfer, or maybe an international player that.
Um, that is taking a gap year and and done some university abroad, and it’s coming in as maybe a 20 or 21 year old. So there’s all different dynamics and how they fit into your team, both as as players, but really as people as well. Like, how are those cultures? Different perspectives on life based on their age and where they are, how’s that going to fit your locker room?
So those it’s not a perfect science. I think everybody will tell you that as recruiting. It’s it’s trying to find the right makeup. And and so we look, we look at all avenues from recruiting standpoint. But for us right now, when, you know, being only about a year and a half into this job. We really wanted to make an effort to bring in more Midwest high level MLS next players because I don’t think they were aware of our university prior.
[00:07:30] Um, it just, it’s, it’s a smaller school. It’s a little bit out there in terms of getting here. But once you recognize that, you know, we’re in a really tough conference. We have a really, really strong athletic department with great facilities and the support of the, the university, which makes it really, really nice place to play and to work.
And then kind of what you realize it’s also a different experience here. It’s not the middle of nowhere campus like we’re literally on the side of the lake. So the guys leave the field, and they’re jumping in Lake Superior here to start the recovery, like it’s just a different world. And so some, some players are looking for a different experience then.
The normal Midwest college campus experience where you just kind of in your bubble here, you can get out and explore the world. And, um, and it’s just it’s just different. So, um, that that’s kind of been our pushes is to really, you know, let the Vardars of the world know and and the wolves and I see wave and all the Chicago clubs that have great talent.
Like, hey, we’re only 5, 6 hours away and we can give your kids a different option as well as we’re really cheap in terms of tuition as compared to. A lot of other schools are size, um, you know, because we’re state, we’re state institution and that really helps. And we have great academic packages as well for, for out of staters, it’s almost better for out of state players academically.
Scholarship wise than in state. So a Wisconsin kids gonna gonna get more academic scholarship for the same for the same GPA as a Michigan kid. [00:09:00] It’s crazy how it works out. So, um, and and we’re, you know, we’re four or five hours to Milwaukee. So it’s it’s it’s not too far away. And they’re kind of closer than Detroit and there’s some good players there.
So we’re really trying to maximize the local recruiting as well as. Um, the international junior college, a little bit of transfers and then players that are out there in the MLS next world that are kind of getting left through the cracks will take chances on guys like that, that are good people and come highly rated because, um, they can perform and play at our level and make an impact right away.
And those kids are sometimes the hungriest. You know, how’s the L. Our freshman of the year. He came from San Diego, right? San Diego to northern Michigan and everyone’s how do you get a kid like that? Well, you know, sometimes they fall through the cracks and and, uh, you know, has he’s a little undersized and I know a lot of guys maybe don’t like that.
And we came in and and through some fortune played a lot and ended up getting freshman of the year. You know, those. So there’s a lot of kids that are kind of right now that are still unsigned, uncommitted that can play. and make an impact at our level for sure right away. And I think, um, that’s almost lost in this timeframe in terms of recruitment.
Like some players would would rather go to a division one or higher level division two and with the risk of not getting a chance to play, uh, and and they’re okay with that, you know, and guys that come here, they’re gonna get a chance to play right away. Yeah, no, at least earn it.
Matt: Absolutely. Well, besides, uh, having the [00:10:30] United States is largest natural cold plunge in your backyard.
Um, talk to us a little bit more about the school. I mean, you’re up in the up, but I’m sure there’s folks not familiar with with the university. You know, you’ve been there a little bit now. So kind of give me your highlights. What are some really cool things about the school that maybe you haven’t mentioned that maybe we won’t find just going through the website.
Coach: Yeah, for sure. So I think 1 of the cool things is the amount of different degrees they have here and also like niche degrees for specific people. So, for instance, if you’re really an outdoors person, they’ve got outdoor recreation management as a degree, you know, if people want to be, you know, work in department after resources or, or, um.
You know, being that industry, like, the recreation industry, um, there’s a lot of that. So there’s, there’s really specific degrees like that. We have a really good sports science, sports science degree, where you could kind of take a different concentration and go more as an athletic trainer. You could go into sports management, you could actually go specifically to sports science and then into our master’s program.
So I think there’s a really natural. Sense of recreation and health up here and well being. That’s a big part of the university. Um, you also get a university. That’s that’s kind of mid size. So the best 7000 undergrads. So it’s not it’s not tiny, right? It’s not like a high school, but it’s certainly not as big as some of these other schools where your student teacher ratio is pretty low.
It’s 21, you know, your professors, they know [00:12:00] us. So there’s a real sense of community up here. Um, but because I think, for instance, because of the division one hockey and some of the history that’s up here in athletics, uh, just just because of, you know, Mary and Tommy’s are coming from the, you know, there’s a real sense of, uh, of pride around northern Michigan athletics because we’re the.
Sort of the biggest campus in the U. P. So, um, the guys are treated like pro athletes and it really shows. And again, being in some division one institutions prior to this, um, I see no difference in how our athletes are treated. And I think that’s a really special piece, whether you’re men’s soccer or. Ice hockey or volleyball or football.
I think all the athletes are treated really well here and and and really regarded within the community. So that’s a special touch. But Marquette itself is a community. It’s it’s your typical college town seaside town. There’s always something going on. So for instance, there’s a cross country to, you know, race that went on last weekend at the dome.
There’s the U. P. 200, which was like, uh, um, Mhm. Dog sled race that’s coming right through downtown Marquette in a couple of weeks. So you would think winter time, there’s probably not a lot going on. It’s probably more in the winter, you know, there’s, there’s always events and things going on the dome and our players and our student athletes are are intertwined with that.
And I think that’s a really special experience that maybe has been lost in the, in the era of big time Monday athletics where you kind of get lost in shovel here. You’re part of the community and it’s really true. So, okay. Whether you’re, you know, from here or not, I don’t think it matters to the local community.[00:13:30]
It’s just a really special place. So, uh, but there’s also a lot of natural beauty, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s just a picturesque location for, for a school, but certainly our field, you know, it’s, it’s unreal in terms of the views we get. And, um, yeah, so it makes for an interesting dynamic for, for the right person that wants to explore and get out there and kind of be in a different environment.
Awesome.
Matt: Let’s rewind a few months. Let’s pretend it’s October. You’re kind of in the middle of that, uh, conference season. Walk me through what a typical week is going to look like for your players in terms of when is training meals, practices, uh, classes, games, all that kind of stuff, right?
Coach: So for us, um, our, our, our general schedule in conferences, Friday, Sunday, Saturday, Sunday, Saturday.
Um, and whether, you know, you’re at home or away for those two fixtures just depends on the week. But for instance, for a home week, uh, we typically be off on that Monday. So the guys, you know, usually try to schedule a lot of classes on that day. And then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday is preparation for the next match.
You know, it starts with a recovery on Tuesday. So that group of players that played, you know, 45 minutes or more is still kind of in a recovery mode. So we’ll get in for a recovery lifting circuit. Uh, we’ll go out to train guys that did. Didn’t play a lot of minutes. We’ll probably have a heavier load.
Wednesday, thursdays are the main training days in preparation for friday’s match. And then, and then friday we’re into the match weekend with a recovery on saturday. Usually we practice in the [00:15:00] afternoon. So guys manage their classes in the morning. Um, and then we’ll have like a 2 to 6 window where we’ll knock out our team video will be in the weight room and we’ll do our activation.
Maybe there’s another team meeting or or individual player meetings that happen in that time frame. Um, and then and then they have the nights of themselves, you know, and that’s a typical during the season. Week, because really there’s just so many matches in such a short amount of time. There’s only so much you can do.
Right. So I think right now they’re, they’re training at a harder level because we’re training four times a week, you know, at a high tempo versus two or three during the season, because really you’re in rest recovery mode. Um, but you know, we, like I said, we manage what we need to do as a team and that two to six timeframe and the rest of the time the guys are in classes and doing what they need to do academically.
Matt: Okay. Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the team soccer side of things. You know, we talked recruiting, but is there a roster size that you feel is ideal that you guys are trying to hit each year?
Coach: Yeah. Usually in that 28 to 30, I think it’s healthy. If you get more than 30, that’s great, but you got, you got a lot of extra problems and trying to keep more guys happy that necessarily aren’t playing.
And. Um, can you really give everybody that attention that you need? Um, and then if you kind of get below 28, then a couple, you’re, you’re a few injuries away to, to not being able to go 11 v 11 at training. And, uh, you gotta get out in the goalkeepers as well. So I think anything between that 20 and 30 markets is probably a healthy roster size.
Um, [00:16:30] and, you know, we’re, we’re, we’re competitive. And if we bring in extra guys, tough decisions might have to be made, you know, the expectation is here to win. Um, And we’re given the resources to do so. And I think it’s, it’s, it’s highly competitive. You know, we, we go up against some good teams. I mean, when you got to play Saginaw Valley twice a year, you know, Parkside, same thing twice a year and, and they’re perennial, you know, you’ve, you’ve got to be competitive.
And I think that’s the edge that we’re trying to find this, this winter and understand that, you know, playing time is not guaranteed and, and we’re always going to be trying to bring in new players. And I think more of the word gets out about how cool this university is. Um, there’s going to be more soccer players that are at a high level that are interested and they’re going to push our guys to get better.
For sure.
Matt: Let’s talk about roster, but the other part of the roster is the staff. So besides yourself as the head man, tell me more about your staff. What roles people play? Are there other support staff in the athletic department that help out with the team, what’s that all look like?
Coach: Yeah, so we’re lucky enough to have a full time assistant actually just hired a new one.
Um, Adam was the previous one who took a, an opportunity, you know, as a, as an assistant coach, you got to take those, those next steps. So, uh, in the off season, we, we had some, some interviews for the assistant coach position and chance kind of stuck out. He was at another division two institution this year, um, also as a head coach of the junior college level.
So a lot of experience in recruiting and, and obviously managing a team himself. So, uh, he’s, he’s still getting used to things been up here a couple of weeks now. We started [00:18:00] training last week, so he’s definitely fitting right in. And then we’ve got a, you know, additional, uh, volunteer goalkeeper coach that kind of services both the men and the women’s teams, trains the goalkeepers.
And, uh, they’re part of both staffs. Um, and then that that’s us in terms of our staff and within the men’s soccer program, but we have a lot of support staff within the administration and within the rec program as well. So, um, there’s, there’s more than enough people to assist and I think what’s great as well as, um, the emphasis on our strength and conditioning program that they’ve put, uh, with 2, 2, full time strength trainers.
One that’s dedicated to our team, which is fantastic because it’s a big part of what we do in the offseason. So, um, yeah, we’re fully staffed here and, and I think we’re, we’re ahead of a lot of teams in terms of resources that we get, um, to have a full time assistant, a chance of position. So we’re excited about that.
We’re excited about, you know, moving the team forward with, um, with kind of a new staff as well as players. We brought some new players in for the wintertime. So yeah, it’s a little bit of a different look, but we’re excited about the steps we’ve made going forward.
Matt: Now onto you though. How would you describe your coaching style, style of play?
You’re looking to implement that culture of the team.
Coach: Well, first off, I want to have a relationship with my players. I think that’s probably the best way to get the most out of them. Um, they’ve come a long way. They’ve, they’ve committed, they’ve left their families. Nobody’s from the UP currently on the roster.
So, um, I want to make sure that they, they understand their, their, their care for the looked after, even if they’re not. A guy that’s playing every game or starting every game or a 90 minute player. [00:19:30] So I want players 1 through 30 all to know that that I care about him as as young men, because, um, that’s part of the process.
You know, it’s college soccer. We’re here to win, and that’s the expectation. But they’re also young men as well, that we have an opportunity to influence in a positive way. And so that’s that’s part of. How we coach relationship based. But in terms of the demands of training, um, the expectation is very high.
Number one, we want to keep, keep possession of the ball. We’re not really a direct team that wants to give up the ball. We want to be dictating the play. We want to be managing the ball. And that takes a really. Uh, special player, both technically from a discipline standpoint, fitness wise to keep a ball for a long time.
So the expectation is that they’re, they’re technically proficient on the ball and can keep it. Um, and then defensively, you know, there’s no break for anybody. No one’s got a free role and isn’t part of that defensive mode. And so can we win it right back if we lose it? Like, what’s the, what’s the mentality to win it right back?
And, uh, and if we can’t win it right back, can we be smart, be compact? Take our moment to try to rest and get the ball back when it makes sense. Um, those are expectations and I think from a training perspective, I would rather work on those functional pieces of the game in a full sided 8v6, 9v7, any day of the week versus playing non directional possession.
Or playing rondos and working on little tiki tac of things. For me, that’s not really, those are warm ups, those are ways to [00:21:00] improve your technique a little bit, but for us, the functions in which the game operates, we, I would prefer to train those in like a half, half field or 75 percent field, um, versus, like I said, Rondo’s or technical work.
That’s like not that’s not my my thing. And I think that’s where where chance is really excelled as he takes that part of the game that’s necessary. Creative technical work patterns, passing patterns, Rondo’s things that kind of get the fast switch muscles going in terms of possession. You know, chance has done a great job with that.
So I think we balance each other pretty well in terms of how we coach on the field. And but that that’s that’s the mentality in our our training environment is we want to train realistically. Yeah. And not train things that don’t really match how we’re going to ask them to perform in the match. And, and that’s, that’s what we work on day in and day out.
And, and, uh, you know, it’s a new group. The winter is always different as you know, because you’ve lost some senior leadership and they’re still jockeying to see who’s, who’s the next guy. So, uh, but the guys that come in and pretty good shape and have really been good the first couple of weeks. So we’ll see what happens week three.
We start tonight, so we’ll see what it’s like.
Matt: Awesome. Well, coach, you’ve given us a bunch of good insights and told us a lot about the school. Got one last question for you. And that’s if you had one piece of advice, one nugget of information that you would love all families players going through this recruiting process to know what would that be?
Coach: Um, yeah, [00:22:30] there’s a lot to know. So, you know, bringing it down to 1 thing is difficult, but what I’ll say is don’t close any doors. There’s so many opportunities to play soccer at the collegiate level. Um, so don’t pigeonhole yourself to the dream of playing for Notre Dame or for Clemson. Those are great schools and you should reach for the stars.
But institutions like ourselves that are still playing at a high level. Uh, but even even more so at the junior college and any I. A. And um, there’s a lot of levels for guys to play. And I think we get caught up in the big schools. And maybe we miss out on on really great opportunities because we’ve got our eye on the prize.
So go for the best teams. If you can make the Notre Dame roster and play for them. I mean. That’s awesome. And you should go for that if that’s your goal, but being realistic and where you are and and and not closing any doors because there’s a lot of great coaches out there. There’s a lot of unique universities and a lot of different experiences.
And I think that’s that’s what I’ve been able to demonstrate today. I think is that you come to northern Michigan. It’s a different life. It’s a different collegiate life, and it’s a different experience. And so you’re going to get that at different schools and different areas of the country. But don’t you, you might miss those looking at the big, the big name walking by.
And, and I think that’s, that’s my message to, to all those young players out there that are looking to play at the collegiate level is do your research, look at all the schools, look at all the levels and don’t close any doors. A player that or a coach that reaches out as an interested in you as a player.[00:24:00]
Um, You know, you should listen, listen closely and see if that’s a place that you might want to play.
Matt: Absolutely. Great advice. Well, coach, really appreciate the time. Wish you the best of luck here in the off season and for next fall. And, uh, good luck, uh, braving that Northern Michigan winter.
Coach: Yeah. Hey, we’re having a mild one.
It’s been in the forties, so it’s not all snow. Yeah. It’s not, it’s not all snow. Hey, man, it’s, it’s,
Matt: it’s 57 in Bradenton today, and I’m so, I mean, I, I gotta get the gloves on. It’s, it’s colder. Yeah. Get your gloves
Coach: on. Get your gloves on, Matt. Well, I appreciate the time. Take best of luck to you. Take care.
Appreciate it, and we’ll talk to you soon. Sounds good.
