Fittingly, after their many years on SFU’s men’s soccer team, former Clan head coach Alan Koch and forward Jovan Blagojevic returned to Burnaby Mountain to play their first professional game on their former home field.
With Koch as head coach, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) played a pre-season intrasquad game at SFU Field 4 on Saturday, February 28. The players were split into two teams: one in a blue kit and the other in a grey kit.
For the first-time pro-head coach, the step from coaching student athletes to coaching professionals is a big one.
“The higher you go in the game, the better the player is. We had great players at SFU, SFU will continue to produce great players, but these are professional players now,” said Koch. “A lot of them come through the college ranks — some are from SFU, some are from other schools, some of them signed as professionals when they were very young.
“The guys have the same winning mentality as the group we had at SFU,” he continued.
Just over a month into his new role, Koch has a clear vision of the style of play he wants to implement — one similar to the style he employed while at SFU. “At SFU, we had a high tempo, fast paced team, a very attacking team and possession-based team. I will do the exact same thing here. We’ll possess it, we’ll try and build from the back, look to play as much, possess the ball, and obviously go to goal and hopefully score a lot of goals,” he stated.
Joining Koch on the Whitecaps USL PRO affiliate was Blagojevic, who broke SFU scoring records as a forward on the Clan. When asked whether Koch had changed in his transition to the professional level, Blagojevic responded, “I still think it’s a little early to say. But he seems relatively the same. It’s a little bit of a different approach, it’s more professional. I haven’t seen that friendship side of him yet, but it’s still early. We’ll see how it goes, but it’s looking good. I’m really enjoying it. It’s nice to still be under him.”
Blagojevic was the first Canadian university athlete drafted into the MLS, and was invited to to the pre-season roster of the Whitecaps FC 2 — which will be cut down to form the final team roster.
Former Clan teammate Alexander Kleefeldt was also invited to the pre-season roster; however, while Blagojevic was signed to a team contract shortly after camp began, Kleefeldt was released from camp.
Blagojevic made an immediate impression on his new team; playing on the much stronger grey side that won 5–0, he maintained an excellent pace and was able to create space for himself multiple times on the wing. He also scored his team’s fifth goal, a powerful half volley off a deflection from the centre back.
For Blagojevic, the biggest difference between amateur and professional play is that “there’s just no room for error. It’s a lot cleaner play, it’s quicker, faster, and more intense. It’s a lot more mental [. . .] you’ve got to be perfect right from the start.”
Coach Koch waxed nostalgic about coming back to the school he coached for six seasons: “It’s kind of ironic, [to] leave and then come play our first game where we actually come back to SFU. It’s kind of special, actually. I love this mountain. It has a special place in my heart. It’s nice to be here, and I’ll come back a lot over the next few years, that’s for sure.”
The WFC2 will return to SFU to face the Clan in a pre-season matchup on Thursday, March 19 at 3 p.m. at the Terry Fox Field.
