Player Profile: Nick Kolarac

So Nick, how'd you come to soccer? What's your soccer story?

I was 3 years old when I started playing soccer. I played some other sports growing up as well but I was the best at soccer and fell in love with the game at a very young age. When I was around 11 years old when I started to play club as well as ODP. Won some state cups in PA West and also made the regional team for ODP twice. Played high school and led the country in assists my senior year. I went on to play D1 at Saint Francis University and after that played 5 years professionally!

Pittsburgh seems like a football town, are we wrong on that?

Pittsburgh is 100% a football town. The Steelers have been good for ages and very popular in Pittsburgh. Also, I feel like the people of Pittsburgh do not know much about the game of soccer or were ever introduced to it. Now, on the other hand, there are some people in Pittsburgh who are massive soccer fans and they support local soccer and know the game very well. So I would say the game is continuing to grow here in the Burgh.

Pittsburgh has a strong working-class image, do you think that's reflected in the style of soccer your club plays?

Yes, I would totally agree with that. Pittsburgh is known for having very hard-working citizens. Our club plays with a passion and energy that matches exactly that. We all put the work in every training and game to become a better club,

Last season was the first in the NPSL for your club, what lessons do you take from a 1-win season?

I knew going into the year it was going to be a challenge with a 1st-year club and a whole new list of players. But honestly we grew so much as a team and played very well --obviously, the results did not show that, but it was quality. Coming back for next season should be a core of players that did very well. Now we all know to feel comfortable around each other and know each other’s tendencies. We also know what Coach Tom preaches and wants out of us so I am very excited about this upcoming season.

Regardless of the lack of team success, you were named to your second conference XI, how would you describe last season for you personally?

Yeah, it was awesome being named all-conference I take a ton of pride in being named to the list. I think about me being the captain and an older guy on the team is to lead by example on and off the pitch. Being able to help some of the younger players through this experience of playing in the NPSL and helping each teammate grow into a better player. I played mainly holding midfield last year and my role was basically to build up possession or keep the ball as much as possible while being a solid defender in the center of the park.

You've played at many levels, including USL, what's the biggest challenge playing in a professional league? And conversely, what's the biggest challenge playing in an amateur league?

The biggest challenge playing professionally is the speed of play easily. The ball just gets pinged around and the players are so technical that it is basically like keeping possession in a pinball machine.

Playing amateur I would say honestly the league has more athletes. Players who might not be as good with the ball but are very strong and fast. That goes hand and hand with American college soccer being very direct at times.

What's the difference in the level of play between the USL and NPSL?

I would say for the most part the possession style of play. USL is a lot of possession-based and NPSL is very direct trying to get the ball over the back 4’s head and run onto it.

Do you have an opinion on pro/rel?

I am all for pro/rel in the USA. I think it could be hard to do money-wise for different reasons. But ultimately I feel like that is how you grow the game in the states. I also think pro/rel would help our national team tremendously.

What's the best spot to eat in Pittsburgh?

Wow, that is a tough one. I am a big fan of Mad Mex it is a very good Mexican restaurant! Another good one is Piper’s Pub in the Southside best soccer bar in the city.

On that note, if someone was visiting Pittsburgh, where's the one non-food spot they should check out?

Mount Washington is a very cool view and overlook of the whole skyline in the city. They also have some decent restaurants as well as the incline to ride up and down the mountain.

Chips Ahoy. Original or Chewy?

Chewy

What music do you listen to before a match?

I am a big fan of EDM music before the match. Always have been and I am superstitious so I never change it up always EDM before the match.

Cover graphic is the combined work of photographer Brad Oskowski (IG @mynameisbread) and graphic artist Cory Mizer (twitter @corymizer).

Getting the Opportunity: Pittsburgh Hotspurs

Like most large cities toward the eastern side of the country, Pittsburgh has a long history of soccer. Heidelberg and Castle Shannon were National Amateur Cup finalists in the 1930's. The Pittsburgh Strassers were among the founding NASL members in its 1946 incarnation. The fifties saw Heidelberg win an Open Cup. Soccer's popularity may have waned mid-century, but upon its resurgence through the 1980's and 1990's, Pittsburgh got itself in the game again. In 1988, the Pittsburgh Hotspurs were founded. Fast forward to 2019 and they are embarking on their first season with an adult soccer team in the NPSL.

Tom Ovenden, Club Director

The NPSL had lost the Fort Pitt Regiment for the season when PA West Soccer released that they would not be playing in 2019. After learning of this decision, the league put out a call to try to fill the gap left by the exiting team and Club Director Tom "Tommo" Ovenden felt obliged to take the chance. It may be slightly ahead of his business plan, but "when you get the opportunities, you just got to take them," he said. It had been an idea that he wanted to explore in order to pave the way for the youth sides and get an adult team at the top.

To move this ball forward, the team has shifted the focus of Tom Campbell, the Youth Development Phase Boys Team Leader, to also include the responsibility of Head Coach of their Adult Men's Team in the NPSL. Campbell has been coaching in the Pittsburgh area since 2013 and has been with the Hotspurs since 2017. "It had to be someone we knew," Ovenden explains. "We got a certain style through youth and want to carry it forward to the first team." Further emphasizing the continued development of their players, he elaborated that their NPSL Head Coach needed to understand the team's values along with the player and personality traits that are important.

The Pittsburgh Hotspurs intend to have close to twenty percent of their team be from within their organization this year with the goal of reaching fifty percent by 2023. In Ovenden's eyes, this is only the beginning as the Hotspurs set an example for other clubs in Pittsburgh and around the country. He hopes that "more and more and more clubs grow their program and start adult teams creating an exciting base for the game in America."

College prepares a person for many things, but when it comes to player development it is a "wasted four or five years. The current system doesn't help players," explains Ovenden. When he was 16 and 17 years old, he was playing on adult teams in England which got him used to the speed of the game and helped his improvement. After an injury took him out of play, he started to coach which, in time, led him to Pittsburgh. Seeing the lack of development options, the Pittsburgh Hotspurs began as a way to increase the level of play for local youth and the club is steeped in coaching experience. The club is so focused on the game that even their Marketing and Operations Director, Marikaye DeTemple, comes with coaching experience.

As this season is beginning to ramp up, Ovenden continues to remind of the importance of what he is trying to accomplish, "We want to be competitive but make sure we stick to our style and principles and put on a good show for families that believe in us." They would like to make a realistic push for the playoffs by next year. Tryouts will be held later this spring and their season begins with away match on May 25 against the 2018 Midwest Region East Conference leading Erie Commodores FC. 

Some in Pittsburgh may see them as taking up a desired spot in the community with the adult team. He explains that people aren't sure if Pittsburgh is large enough to handle more than a team or two. At this Ovenden is very direct, "It’s important to get our point across: This is the beginning of other clubs joining and raising the level. Whether youth club or church or pub team just get a team together and get out there."

- Andrew Rittenhouse