State Fair Community College Men’s Soccer – Coach Jaime Beltran

On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Beltran from the State Fair Community College Men’s Program in Missouri. We talk about when his recruiting starts as a 2-year college. He describes the school’s unique size that allows for small classes, but big opportunities. Lastly, we discuss the advantages of having terrific staff. Learn more about State Fair Community College Men’s Soccer.

[00:00:00] Matt: Hi, everybody. Welcome to discover college soccer today. I’m lucky enough to be joined by coach Beltran from the state fair community college men’s program. Coach. Welcome. 

[00:00:09] Coach: Hi, glad to be here. Thanks for the invite. 

[00:00:11] Matt: Ah, thanks for coming on. Uh, you guys are out there in, uh, in Missouri, I believe, right?

[00:00:15] Coach: YESS, Sedalia, Missouri.

[00:00:18] It’s about an hour to an hour and a half east of Kansas city. So awesome. 

[00:00:24] Matt: Okay. Well, we’ll, we’ll get to, uh, the school kind of component, uh, here in a minute, but let’s start with, with the recruiting side, uh, of things which I know people are interested in and being a two year college, uh, things probably are a little bit different than if you were a four year institution when it comes to recruiting.

[00:00:41] Um, so, you know, what, what is the timeline for you in terms of when you’re typically. Starting to talk to kids, kids committing. I mean, I’m assuming it’s probably a little bit later than if you were a four year institution. 

[00:00:57] Coach: Uh, it, I think it is, uh, we, we do start hearing some from, from some kids a year, two years out, but it’s not the norm.

[00:01:05] And usually if we get that kind of contact, we will tell, you know, we will connect, communicate with them. Let ’em know, thank you for the interest, but we don’t start really heavily talking and pushing things until. Usually when they’re in their senior year, it’s usually around the middle of September of their senior year that we start getting some of the serious interest and where we start responding a lot because we’re looking at that year.

[00:01:34] yeah, 

[00:01:35] Matt: no, that makes sense. Now how. Important or, or how much, uh, of your recruiting comes through through talking to, um, other coaches, you know, club coaches, other college coaches, that kind of thing, or is it a lot of you looking at players or players reaching out to you? What’s the mix there?

[00:01:55] Coach: There’s literally a little bit of everything. Yeah. Uh, we, we have, uh, we have probably one avenue that most four year schools would not have, which is four year schools. that will send those players that maybe the kid cannot afford the, cannot afford their school for the, for the first two years.

[00:02:13] And they wanna make sure that they have the funding for those last two. Cuz the two year schools tend to be less expensive in, in, in general. Um, We might have some that for whatever reason, they feel like they need that year might not even be soccer wise. It might be academically that they need a, that they need a year or two somewhere else.

[00:02:30] So we’ll, we’ll hear from them. We’ll hear from club coaches, we’ll hear from players directly. There’s obviously thousands and one agency out there as well that sends us emails. So yeah, just kind of runs the gamut. Um, High school coaches. We probably talked to high school coaches a little bit more than a lot more than, than, than your average big four year school.

[00:02:51] Just because these are the kids that might be looking at the last minute for whatever reason. Um, it’s not always lack of talent. In fact, we’ve had some great players come through that, but they maybe got overlooked or maybe their families couldn’t afford to play the call, the club soccer that has all the letters behind it because of costs and things like that.

[00:03:08] And so sure. So we find some gems that way. So 

[00:03:12] Matt: in terms of going out and, and seeing players, you know, you mentioned high school stuff, but are you also, uh, going to the alphabet soup of, of tournaments and, uh, and league games and stuff like that? 

[00:03:25] Coach: We, we will, if we have some players that we know we’re, we’re, we’re targeting, they’re gonna be in that area.

[00:03:30] Um, we do, we, we go to the tournaments that everybody goes to for sure, as long as we, you know, they’re within their, within our area and we can go, uh, we do a lot via word of mouth. We do a lot through, you know, former players sometimes communicate with us because they’ve had good experiences with us. And, and that, that helps a lot.

[00:03:48] Cuz the players are already. Interested in knowing a little bit more about it. Uh, but yeah, we go to tournaments. We, we, we will go to some of the high schools, you know, final four and things like that in our area. Uh, it, it, it all just kind of depends on how the calendar breaks down and how much, how many players we’re looking for at that time.

[00:04:07] And, uh, uh, and yeah, we will do some stuff through video sometimes, cuz we don’t just recruit locally. I mean, we’ll recruit everywhere. Uh, 

[00:04:15] Matt: Well that was actually gonna be my next question in terms of what kind of. Breakdown. Would you say your roster has a kind of local state regional? Like what, what, how does that work?

[00:04:27] Coach: So usually what, uh, what we like to do is try to have a. Have it broken down in thirds. Uh, it’s not always gonna be exactly this and it’s not that if I have 10 from one thing, I have to have 10 from another, but in general terms, what I like to have is about 10, uh, uh, one, not 10, sorry. One third of our kids would be in state.

[00:04:50] Uh, I consider that quote, unquote, local, anything that’s in state is fairly local for us, especially with men’s soccer, uh, about a third would be out of. And about a third would be international. Okay. Uh, sometimes the international side will be a little bit bigger and sometimes the out of state, sometimes the in-state, it just kind of depends on how we, how, how, how we get those, those groups that year.

[00:05:10] But in general, that’s kind of our initial goal. And then obviously, We’re not gonna turn away a kid from five minutes away just because we have more local kids that year. Sure. We’re not gonna turn away a kid that’s maybe played for his national team just because we already have extra international guys and things like that.

[00:05:29] So, so it’ll vary, but, but in general, that’s how we like to try to break it down. What about 

[00:05:34] Matt: camps? Do you guys host camps? Does your staff participate in other camps? How, how do camps kind of fit in as well? 

[00:05:41] Coach: We go to, uh, we go to other camps and, uh, uh, my assistant coach went to a couple of things at Texas.

[00:05:47] He’s got a lot of contact in Texas and in the El Paso area where he’s from. Uh, and I have gone to things locally. We currently don’t host one because we’re not in a big Metro area. and with our current situation, we don’t have the ability to have housing over the summer. Sure. So that makes it a little bit hard to do things like that.

[00:06:09] And also we work really closely with, uh, Paul Clover soccer association, which is the local club here in town. So more than anything we’ve. Participate with them in their annual soccer camp. Um, that is something that we would like to be able to do in the future. And, uh, there are some changes to our residential, to our rest hall situation, to our dorms and all that.

[00:06:31] And when, and if those happen during my lifetime, we will, we will look to add that component. But as of right now, we mainly attend other people’s camps and, and things like that. OK. 

[00:06:42] Matt: Um, Now the one question on everybody’s mind usually is, uh, cost. Right? So in terms of, and, and I’m not holding you to specifics here, but can you just give me an idea O of let’s just say an out-of-state player, uh, kind of the middle up ground, um, You know, what are they looking at?

[00:07:02] What, what things does the state fair offer in terms of both academic money, athletic money? What are they looking at? Potentially out of pocket for an average soccer player? 

[00:07:11] Coach: Okay. So our costs are like, like, like a lot of two year schools are not very high to begin with, which helps us out.

[00:07:18] Obviously when you have a low starting base that helps even if you don’t have a ton of scholarship money, we, um, we have. We run the game form. A lot of our Missouri kids can use a program called a plus, which is a program that the state has where they can go to any, any two year school and have tuition be free.

[00:07:39] If they’ve taken care of certain things during their senior year in high school, they have some tutoring hours they have to do and some community service and some different things. So we do have, we have the ability to do that. And. Like you said the out-of-state cost, which is the same for whether they’re from Texas or any other state in the, in, in the country or international.

[00:07:58] We have just one out-of-state cost. Um, that will go between 13 and 14,000 a year, including everything. When I say everything I’m talking about tuition, housing, meals, um, And a small, an estimate of what we think their books are gonna cost. It’ll usually go between 13 and 14. If somebody takes a bunch of extra credit hours, cuz they’re trying to graduate faster or they have a specific goal, it could be a little higher, but in general it’ll be between that 13 and 14 that’s before any financial aid or scholarships or anything else.

[00:08:30] Stage fair. Doesn’t have a ton, but they do have some, uh, academic scholarships, which could cover anything from a thousand dollars to, uh, full tuition. Obviously full tuition is not gonna be something that happens for a lot of people, it is gonna be very competitive. Sure. And, uh, and they’re gonna have to have some S a T or a C T scores.

[00:08:53] Fit a certain standard, uh, to be considered for those. But we’ve had a couple that have gotten, you know, somewhere in there and then athletically, we are allowed to give, uh, some athletic money. Um, we are allowed to stack if that happens to be, if we happen to have a kid that has the academic numbers and has the top, the soccer ability, uh, what we cannot stack is go beyond the cost of tuition.

[00:09:19] And books because we are an N JCA, a division to school. And, uh, in the NCaa, the divisions are not so much about level of play. It’s more about what are you allowed to put scholarships towards. Right. Um, and in division two, we can give tuition. We can give. Books, but we cannot give for example, room and board.

[00:09:41] Right. 

[00:09:42] Matt: Okay. Well, let’s talk a little bit about the school itself. Um, you know, as folks may not be familiar with that part of Missouri. Um, so besides what I can, you know, learn on the website just by clicking around, you know, gimme, gimme the, the, the good stuff, the, the things that are awesome about your school, that I may not find out there.

[00:10:02] Coach: So one of the things that’s interesting about the state fair is I think we have a little bit of a best of both worlds, uh, situation with a lot of things. We’re, we’re pretty unusual. For example, I know that the college has, and, and don’t hold me in an exact number, but they have over 3000 students in our main campus in one form or another, which.

[00:10:23] Especially for a junior college approaching a big-ish school size. Yeah. Yet we have a very small and, uh, family atmosphere when it comes to the residential side, because we only have, I think it’s about in the 300 student range that lives on campus. Okay. So that, that, so, so we have all the. Academic, uh, facilities and things that you would find in a big school, especially when they get into some of the technical trades and things that maybe you pick a, to your school for, uh, all kinds of technology.

[00:10:53] They just built a new workforce development, uh, building that has all kinds of brand new, uh, construction equipment and things like that. Uh, welding and things like that. Just state of the arts. Uh, and yet you still have that. Everybody knows you on the residential side, everyone. Tight knit. Um, you know, all the things you can get from a smaller place where you’re not just a number, uh, you do have a small class size.

[00:11:19] I think it’s about a 15 or 16 to one student faculty ratio. Last time I checked, uh, and we have some really, really good academic programs, which. Everybody likes to say they do, but I do not, it’s not universal in the two year schools that they’re really strong academically. And we actually have kids that have left here and say, we go, we went to a four year school and, uh, the state fair prepared us really well.

[00:11:43] In fact, it was much harder than my four year school. Uh, That can be a double edged sword. Sometimes, you know, you have some kids that will , they will have a harder time thinking they’re going, they’re going to two year. That’s not gonna be very heavy on the academics. And, and, and, and we are, and our instructors have really high standards, but I will say like, if somebody does the work and puts in the effort and takes care of doing their things, they will get all the support that they can possibly ask for in order to help, to, to help them pass and be prepared.

[00:12:17] Okay. Uh, from the athletic side of things that we have amazing facilities. I, I, we have, by far the best Grassfield in our area. Uh, it’s professionally maintained by an outside place. And, uh, it, it. It’s beautiful. I’ve been at four year schools. I’ve been at two year schools in different states and I’ve not, I’ve not had a field as nice as that.

[00:12:39] And we have a practice field that’s in pretty decent shape. Um, our practice field would be about in the middle of the road in our region. If we compared it to everybody else’s game fields. yeah. And it’s grass. And I cannot emphasize enough, especially when it’s 105 degrees outside that it’s grass . Yeah. Well, 

[00:12:58] Matt: I’m, I’m, I’m in Florida.

[00:12:59] So I hear you, the, the, the times we have to show up on a turf field is brutal. , 

[00:13:04] Coach: You know, the turf fields look nice from far away and, and, and it’s not, I like the fact that you don’t have to do all the maintenance and all that. But to me, if you were to ask me turf without lights, it’s just a no go. Uh, I don’t want anybody’s cleats melting on the field while we’re doing the first day of preseason.

[00:13:21] right. Well, 

[00:13:23] Matt: in terms of, of during the season, you know, you, you, you mentioned kind of some of those support systems and things, but, but let’s talk about what, like a kind of a day in life, right? So if I’m a, if I’m a player. What would a typical weekend season look like from, from, you know, practice to games, to class and, and times and all those 

[00:13:41] Coach: kinds of things.

[00:13:42] Sure. So obviously every year, things vary a little bit. Sometimes we experiment and we try things, but in general terms, uh, they’ll usually. Not have to get up at 5:00 AM or do anything like that because it’s our field and we don’t share it with anybody else. So we have that benefit. Uh, so they will go to class in the mornings.

[00:14:01] We try to, obviously we’ll work with a kid, especially if they’re, if they have a class that they have to have. And it’s their last semester and they need to have it for graduation and things like that. But in general, we ask them to try to be done by three o’clock and we usually start practices around three 15.

[00:14:18] So they’ll have C during the day, they’ll go to lunch in the cafeteria, do whatever they need to do for, you know, homework, cuz they won’t be in classroom eight to three. It’s not like high school they’ll have, uh, and in the afternoon we have the women’s practice in the men’s practice. Sometimes stay flipped, but we’ll have the two sessions in the afternoon.

[00:14:36] Um, About two hours first for our practice session. And then we have some activities in the evening that will, that, that keep us rolling and keep us focused. For example, every Monday we have a start of the week meeting. Unless there’s something specific going on that week that we need to do paperwork about something, or we have to talk about something.

[00:14:58] The school wants us to pass on to them. It’ll be about a 30 minute meeting, but we just set our goals for the week. We talk about the schedule for the week. This, you know, we’re gonna change this, or we have a game on. Thursday. So we’re gonna make sure that we’re hydrated, you know, just all those standard things that you would do, just an organizational meeting to keep everybody focused on.

[00:15:17] Uh, we have two nights that we will have study hall. Uh, those tend to be Tuesday, Thursday, but obviously if we have a Tuesday game, we may have to, we may move it. I don’t think they were gonna focus on study hall very much after a big win or a big loss. Right. So , uh, so we’ll have to, and, uh, our study hall.

[00:15:36] Policy is pretty simple. If you’re doing what you’re supposed to do. You don’t need me to tell you where to be. So if they, we check them, we have them show us our grades online or send us a screenshot each time, uh, that we have a meeting. And if they have all ass and BS, they’re welcome to come. If they want a quiet place or not, you know, keep, keep helping, keep them on schedule, but they’re not required to attend.

[00:15:59] If they have CDS then they do have to come. We’ll require them to be at the study hall. And if they have any DS ORFs at that time, which we hope that they don’t. But you know, it happens when you have a big roster, you’re gonna have a little bit of everything. Uh, if they do that, then we ask them to sign up for tutoring, which is, which is available.

[00:16:16] Um, so that’ll happen two days a week. And then on Fridays we usually play games. And look at game film of either things that were important from the week they just passed or an opponent for the weekend. Uh, we usually have one game during the week. Sometimes there’s two, but usually it’s one. And we usually have a game on the weekend.

[00:16:37] Uh, this coming year, for example, we play every Saturday. It’s pretty consistent and it’s nice. And then on Sunday, unless there’s a game cuz of a reschedule or that happens to be a different weekend or a playoff thing, they get a day off, which is more so that I can get a day off cuz I get tired.

[00:16:56] Matt: wow. Yeah. Everybody needs that recovery day, no matter what. Um, exactly. So, well, let’s talk a little bit about the team and the soccer side of things. So is there a typical roster size that you like to keep each year? 

[00:17:09] Coach: Um, you know, you’ve gotta balance what we want to have, making sure that we have depth at every position we want.

[00:17:15] Competition makes you better. And then there’s also the side of, well, the school wants a certain number of players and a certain number of people on the roster. So we usually end up in the 28 to 33 range. There might be a year that we have 34. There might be a year that we have 27 COVID years.

[00:17:34] You know, we went as far as 26. Yeah. Uh, I think everybody had their challenges during those COVID things, which looks like we’re almost out of. Um, but yeah, it’ll be, it’ll be in that range. We like to have two to three players per position. And, uh, and yeah, we, we, we just. Like to breed that competition, that idea that if you’re a starter today, you need to keep working so that you can continue to be a starter tomorrow.

[00:17:59] And if you’re not a starter today, that doesn’t mean that it’s shut it’s over, you know, show us, don’t tell us that you belong on the field. Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:18:10] Matt: Well, you mentioned you’re a staff at, at some point there. So what, how big is your staff? What role does everybody play? What other. Folks are there in the athletic department, in the school that are, 

[00:18:20] Coach: that is there to help as well.

[00:18:22] Okay. So we have a, we have a pretty healthy, uh, healthy group. It’s uh, myself as the head coach, I run. Most of the stuff’s from the head coach we have, uh, assistant coach. Who’s going to be working with us a little bit less, cuz he’s taken over the women’s side as far as on the field and things like that.

[00:18:38] But he is a retired gentleman that has played professionally in Mexico and has coached for years, uh, for FC Dallas clubs, club teams out in El Paso. Uh, he has coached at the pro level in Mexico and in the US, because he’s already retired and uh, he does this as a labor of love. For the little bit that we can do, that’s why we can afford to have him as assistant

[00:19:01] Right. Um, you know, as then we also have another coach who is a part-time coach who helps us with a lot of the organizational stuff and he is a man that can fix anything. So he takes care of our, helps us with equipment and with things like that, he takes care of painting our fields. And he also helps a little bit on the field.

[00:19:20] and then we also have a goalkeeper’s coach who is, uh, who is also a part-time person. I wish I could have him have him here every single day, but the budget is the budget. And he also has an outside job that takes care of him a whole lot better than I could. So he’s there about two times a week on average, and, and just, just with a goalkeeper session on that, uh, for a smaller athletic departure.

[00:19:41] Two year college. I think it’s huge that we have a goalkeeper’s coach, even if he’s not there every time, uh, we are adding another, uh, part-time, uh, helper and, uh, this person is gonna be a volunteer this year. Just a. We’re hoping that that opens up some doors as the programs continue to separate, maybe, you know, he’ll have his foot in the door and if not, it gets him started with college coaching and it gives him an opportunity to do some things later on.

[00:20:08] So that’s, that’s kind of the makeup of our staff right now. Okay. Well, 

[00:20:13] Matt: You know, How would you describe your style of coaching? The team style of play, uh, and kind of the culture of the team on the field. 

[00:20:21] Coach: As far as our style of coaching, the biggest thing that I try to emphasize to them in preseason every year, and we try to carry through the year is everybody is here for a reason, and everybody has a role.

[00:20:33] Not everybody’s gonna necessarily have the role they wanted, cuz not everybody can be your number one, striker. I mean, we just can’t. But everybody has a role. The guys that are, that are working hard, trying to improve and maybe are not seeing the field at all a lot. They’re there to help us get better for the games until they get their opportunity.

[00:20:50] Uh, the guy that maybe came in and decided. I’m not gonna see the field, but I’m gonna be a manager and I wanna still be involved with the team. He’s got a role. He helps us do things that help us be successful. So everybody has a job. Everybody has a role and, uh, we just believe and know your job and do your job.

[00:21:09] Uh, which sounds simple. It’s simple on paper, but it can be, you can get into weeds about it as well. Um, as far as effort, we just want you to give us the best that you’ve got. And that’s what we’re gonna commit to give you as well. We don’t expect you to be somebody that you’re not, but we want you to grow into the best soccer player you can be while you’re here.

[00:21:29] Oh, that’s great. Whatever, whatever that might be. Yeah. Uh, as far as style of play, we. Well, I, I, I played in Italy, but I am from South America. So we ha . So it’s a little bit of, uh, of a dichotomy. I keep telling you, we have the best of both worlds in a lot of things. We hope it’s the best, not the worst of both worlds.

[00:21:48] right. Um, so we, without the ball, we’re going to be extremely organized. Everybody should know exactly where they’re supposed to be and they need to get there fast. And, uh, and it’s not just the four guys in the back that under defenders, we have 11 defenders when we don’t have the. Obviously we don’t ask our center forward to drop all the way to the, to the, to our box every time.

[00:22:09] But everybody works together to get the ball back. We want the ball when we don’t have it. And then as soon as we get it, There’s a decision to be made. Are we in a position to counter attack quickly and unbalance the other team? And if so, we’re gonna take it because while I believe in keeping the ball and playing on the ground and being possession oriented, we don’t need to connect 20 passes to get a ball to a forward.

[00:22:34] That’s already one on one against the keeper. if we can put him there in one path, let’s do it. What I don’t like to see is what I call boom ball or kick and chase. When we get it, unless warmed, there is just heavy pressure. I don’t wanna send that ball forward and put our forward running after a ball against four guys and the keeper with no support.

[00:22:55] So if the counter’s there, we’re gonna take it. If it’s not there, then we want to keep the ball. Don’t give it away. Don’t lose it. And if we do, we want it back. . 

[00:23:07] Matt: Simple, but, but simple but difficult. Right? 

[00:23:10] Coach: Exactly. Sometimes, sometimes playing simple is one of the hardest things that you can possibly do. Yeah.

[00:23:16] Yep. 

[00:23:17] Matt: Absolutely. Well, you know, a lot of times when people think about going to a two year college it’s to then be able to take the next step to a four year and keep playing. So how, you know, how successful has your program been at, at helping kids who want to go to the next level? Get there? You know, what’s kind of, kind of.

[00:23:36] Average kind of year look, what does that look 

[00:23:39] Coach: like? So, uh, before I address that part directly of your question, I do wanna say one thing that I think there needs to be a little bit more education in some areas about, um, Especially when we speak specifically about men’s soccer because of costs, because the accessibility for international students that have played at a high level because of eligibility, there is a misconception amongst some people that, oh, it’s a two year school.

[00:24:06] It’s only gonna be a little bit more intense than high school. And. It might be the biggest jump you will ever make. Uh, we routinely play and outplay for your colleges. You’re gonna have two year schools because of that influx of talent from overseas, from not having eligibility requirements, being stiff, not having requirements of age limitations and things like that.

[00:24:32] The level of play at the two year schools is gonna be a lot higher than people realize. Um, so. That’s that taking the opportunity to kinda, oh, absolutely. Educate a little bit with that. Uh, having said that, obviously we do want them to continue. We have a few players that choose not to because they come to a two year school because they want to get to work within two years.

[00:24:54] They want to have soccer experience and all that, but they’re getting a two year degree and that’s what they wanna work on. For example, I have a kid from Florida since you said you’re from Florida. Yep. Uh, from the Naples area that he wants to be a mechanic and he’s in our automotive program and it is a two year program.

[00:25:09] And when he’s done, he’s like, I don’t wanna see a classroom ever again, that could change in the future. But you know, he’s got he’s in the right program. He’s in the, in the two year, uh, two year, uh, degree. Um, the best way I can answer your question is I’ve never had a single player. They did their part in the classroom and what they put on film and what they did for us, for us to be able to recommend them.

[00:25:33] I’ve never had a single one that did their part, that didn’t have multiple options when it was time to move on. Obviously, if you don’t pass, my recommendations are not gonna do a whole lot for you. right. If you don’t pass any classes, you’re not going anywhere. Uh, but, but if they’ve done their part, they’ve always had multiple options.

[00:25:50] We have a lot of our guys go N a I a. Um, we’ve had a lot of, we’ve had, I’ve had players go division two division three division one, uh, we’ve we’ve run the gamut, but, uh, I’d say out of our graduates. They want to move on and make that a priority over other things. Uh, 90% of them find a home. Um, they’re not all going to the top 10 schools in the rankings, but they, they will, they’ve all found homes.

[00:26:20] Okay. 

[00:26:21] Matt: Sounds good. Well, you know, I always like to end these with the same thing, and that is what we didn’t talk about? What did we miss? What is it that you want folks to know that maybe we didn’t cover about the school, your program, the team, or, or recruiting in general or the college selection process in general?

[00:26:35] Anything you want? Go for it. 

[00:26:37] Coach: I feel like I kind of already said a little bit talking about that, that, uh, and JCA is a much higher level when people realize. But, uh, the other thing that I would say as far as what we look for, what’s gonna make you successful here is we want kids that are not necessarily a finished product yet to understand that they’re not and come.

[00:27:00] With a humble attitude and ready to grow in order to learn, uh, some programs, recruit players that are already the, like I said, a finished product, and then they have to cuz maybe they don’t get a program in two years if they don’t win for these next two years. Yeah. We want kids to come ready to learn because we are going to do things differently than your high school coach did them.

[00:27:23] We’re gonna do things differently than your club coach did them. Um, my background. Pretty, I, I, I think pretty unique in terms of where I played and, you know, Italy and South America is not what you hear from all for most people. And we might do things slightly differently, but I, we wouldn’t do them the way we do them.

[00:27:42] If they weren’t effective. I’ve been doing this for over 13 years as a head coach in a college level four and two year school. So we’ve learned something along the way, uh, trust the process, come in, humble, ready to learn. And that will, that will create opportunities for you. On the field, but also off the field, as you learn how to do that, uh, if you’re willing to learn, you’re gonna have chances to grow as a soccer player and as a person.

[00:28:08] Matt: Oh, love it. Well, coach, I wish you the best of luck, uh, this coming season and really appreciate the time and, and hopefully, uh, we’ll, we’ll see you guys, hoisting that NJCAA trophy, uh, when it’s all said. 

[00:28:21] Coach: That would be wonderful. I hope that becomes prophetic. All right. Thanks, coach.

[00:28:27] Thank you, appreciate it.