Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare notched his first professional minutes on May 27 as the Fire battled to a scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake at TOYOTA PARK. The Fire acquired the University of Virginia standout during the first round of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft, trading former Fire striker and 2006 team MVP Andy Herron to the Columbus Crew for the second overall pick. A six-foot four-inch defender, Soumare has already earned a spot on the starting XI through his aggressive defensive play and his ability to transition into the offense.
At the collegiate level, Soumare earned Second Team All-ACC honors and helped the Cavaliers advance to the 2006 College Cup semifinals as a defender, but now as professional, the Fire coaching staff will look to Soumare for his play in the middle of the field.
With an impressive list of accomplishments and now his first MLS minutes, Soumare looks to be a strong contributor for the "Men in Red" as the 2007 season progresses. Coaches Club had a chance to sit down with Soumare and discuss different in-game coaching styles the rookie has experienced.
Chicago Fire Coaches Club: What is an average day for a professional soccer player?
Bakary Soumare: "I have breakfast and come to practice. I usually get here (TOYOTA PARK) at nine-thirty. Practice usually starts at ten-fifteen. I get back to the locker room around twelve and hop in the hot or cold tub and get treatments if needed. Sometimes I stick around until one or one-thirty and then when I drive home I grab lunch. Then I like to take a nap sometimes. It all depends. Sometimes I stay home and watch television, watch soccer or whatever, and other times I'll go shopping-maybe a little too much. And that's about it."
CFCC: What is the difference between college and professional soccer?
BS: "When I first joined the team in the preseason, I thought it would just be speed of play and (awareness) but now not only do I play a different position-I was center back where everything was in front of me now I am playing defensive mid where things are in front of me and behind me. It is like a two-way street. After playing yesterday (against Columbus), I feel like it is so much different. As much as the reserve games help, it is totally different in the actual game and after seventy minutes yesterday I started getting tired-the legs getting really heavy and the cramps coming. It is just so much faster and it is very physical. It takes a lot of staying in tune. It is definitely a better level and harder, but I feel as the year goes on I will get better at it and that will make it easier."
CFCC: What is the difference in coaching styles from college to the pros?
BS: "I played in the back at Virginia and my coach would pick some things to tell me. Now having Dave, Denis, and Daryl is just awesome. They are great coaches. Dave is very calm and always being very careful with details and things like that. On the other side of that, Denis is always on me, which is good. So I have the best of both worlds. I think it's good for me. I played club and was always the biggest man on the team, so I was never really pushed by any of my coaches. It's just awesome that these guys are really pushing me as hard as I can go. It's making me a better player. Everyday I'm getting better and better because of the work they have done with me.
They want to make sure you do everything right-the real little things. Sometimes those little things are the things that can punish you during a game. They make sure you get all of those little things right. Then they work on your weaknesses. They know where you are good at and what your weaknesses are and that is what they use to make you better player. And I think it is working well."
CFCC: Who has been your favorite coach?
Bakary Soumare: In club I really liked Dave Masur, the head coach at St. John's. He is very intense. He's got a great soccer mind. As much I was probably the best player on that team, he was still pushing me pretty hard. "I really like Dave (Sarachan) though. Dave is just a very, very nice guy. He is a great person who is a great coach at the same time. I love playing for him personally. I know coming in everyone knows Dave around the league. Personally I cannot see myself on any other team. I'd probably put Dave up there (as one of my favorite coaches).
CFCC: How would you describe a good coach from a player's perspective?
Bakary Soumare: "Well you want someone that you can talk to. Someone that you can come up to after practice and say 'Listen coach, what do you think I can improve on?' - a coach that sticks around after practice and spends ten to fifteen minutes talking to you. There are coaches that when practices are over they just go back in their locker room.
That's why I say Dave is a great coach because he'll come to me after practice and talk to me for twenty minutes, which is fantastic as a player for an actual coach with twenty-seven players to give you twenty minutes to point out every detail. That is awesome. And it (a good coach) is just someone that knows the game. We went down with a lot of injuries and he was still able to make up a decent lineup and get a good result.
And it's not just Dave, it is the whole coaching staff. They just do a great job figuring things out, scouting the other teams and making sure we come out with the right lineup. Even the games we lost, it's more because of us as players. I think we had pretty good lineups out there and we just couldn't win, but that is just how soccer goes sometimes. If you hit the post, it's not because of the coach. And if you have a breakaway and don't score it's not because of coach. Unfortunately, they take the blame for it sometimes."
