Pro Debut
May 25, 2005 02:31 PM | General
May 25, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For someone who has wanted to play professional soccer for as long as he can remember, Aaron Pitchkolan sometimes has to pinch himself to make sure he’s not in the middle of a dream.
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| FC Dallas midfielder Aaron Pitchkolan, is congratulated by teammate Roberto Mina for scoring his first professional goal, Sunday, May 22, 2005, in Carson, Calif.
(AP Photo/Danny Moloshok) |
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind for Pitchkolan, who in February was a second-round pick by FC Dallas in the Major League Soccer supplemental draft.
“Unlike other sports when you get drafted you don’t get a guaranteed contract. It’s basically a tryout,” the former WVU standout said.
Pitchkolan played well enough during the preseason to earn a spot on FC Dallas’ reserve team. Two weeks ago a rash of injuries helped make room for him on the first team.
He saw his first action in a victory over the Colorado Rapids on May 18, subbing for an injured Carey Talley in the 10th minute. Pitchkolan played the rest of the game and even managed to get a yellow card after disagreeing on a call. That was the first appearance ever by a West Virginia University athlete in a MLS match.
“Carey Talley got injured so I was on the bench and not expecting to go in that early,” Pitchkolan said. “I think it was kind of a good way to get my first minutes because you really don’t have time to get nervous. You just kind of get thrown in there and you’re not thinking about it too much and I thought it was a good first appearance for me.”
“It’s fantastic and a huge step for our program,” added West Virginia coach Mike Seabolt. “Along with winning games on the field, the other thing that you want to do is promote your athletes whether it’s going on to become doctors, lawyers or professional soccer players.”
Pitchkolan made his first career start last Saturday, May 22, against Chivas USA and he managed to score a goal and assisted on another. FC Dallas won the match 5-2 to move past Los Angles into first place in the Western Division standings with a 5-1-3 record and 18 points.
“A lot of people picked us at the beginning of the year to win the whole thing. It’s just awesome to contribute and be a part of such a good team,” Pitchkolan said. “Playing with such good players like Eddie Johnson and Carlos Ruiz … you’re really kind of star struck.”
Yet Pitchkolan said he was fully prepared to make his first pro start last Saturday.
“About a week ago the coach came up to me and said with the injuries we’ve had we’re thinking about starting you and that just blew my mind,” Pitchkolan said.
“It has been a total change and an absolute surprise for me,” he added.
Pitchkolan’s pro aspirations really took root at WVU, where he followed coaches Keith Fulk and Seabolt after spending a year with them at the University of Tampa.
“It was really all about Mike Seabolt and Keith Fulk,” said the Auroa, Colo., native. “Going from Tampa I really liked those guys and I thought they would improve my game and give me the best opportunity to become a pro. West Virginia ended up being the place and it ended up being a good choice.
“There are a lot of things that I learned at West Virginia that has transferred right over to the professional ranks: how you carry yourself and your overall professionalism,” Pitchkolan said.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder developed into one of the premiere midfielders in the Big East Conference, earning third-team all-league honors while helping the Mountaineers to 12-7-1 overall record and the school’s first post-season appearance in the Big East tournament in five years. Pitchkolan also earned a spot on the NSCAA all-South team.
From the time he recruited Pitchkolan as a skinny 18-year-old midfielder Seabolt felt that he had the potential of one day becoming a professional.
“When you saw him at 18 you had to really reach to think he would be a pro some day,” Seabolt admitted. “But he got better and by his junior year he showed new levels of athleticism and ability on the field. Then, I think his confidence soared from there.”
Seabolt and Pitchkolan both agree playing in the Big East Conference was a great boost to his career.
“A lot of professional players come out of the Big East,” Pitchkolan said. “It is obviously one of the better soccer conferences in the country. Nothing can actually prepare you for playing professional soccer but the Big East Conference comes real close.”
“For people that follow basketball more than soccer Big East basketball is known as a great breeding ground for NBA players and that is the same way with soccer,” said Seabolt. “In my opinion Big East is the closest approximation of the pro game in the country, even more so than the ACC.”
In addition to being a faster-paced game with much more athleticism, Pitchkolan says the pro game is also very taxing mentally.
“In college you don’t have to be focused for the whole 90 minutes but in professional soccer you’ve got to really stay focused or you’re going to cost the team,” he said.
For Seabolt, he can’t even begin to put a value on what Pitchkolan’s success will mean to his growing Mountaineer program.
“I look at it more for our guys that are here right now,” said the third-year coach. “We can say here is a guy that played for us last year and the success we’re having here at West Virginia led to success after school. It is something for us to be proud of and something for the rest of our guys to aspire to be.”
This weekend Pitchkolan will in Washington, D.C., to face D.C. United on Saturday, May 28. It is a trip Pitchkolan is looking forward to making.
"There are quite a few guys from West Virginia going over. I think Mike is going to come over. It should be a lot of fun,” he said.
Pitchkolan is aware of the fact that he’s carrying the West Virginia University banner in professional soccer right now.
“Somebody has got to start it off,” he shrugged.
“Hopefully they can get some more good recruits and West Virginia can really make a name for itself nationally,” Pitchkolan added.
