Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Back on the Rond Deuble Show with Ben Darnell in
your afternoon Drive.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Joining us now one of the hottest teams in our area,
the Harford Athletic and one of their best players, Sebastian Anderson,
even though he is only I think twenty two, He
joins us on the hotline. Now, Sebastian, how you doing buddy?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Something? Man?
Speaker 3 (00:21):
I'm good?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
How are you good? Good? How are things in that
locker room?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Man?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
How psyched are you guys? Hey?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
It seems exciting. Man. We got yes, some good results
and now we're home for the whole month, so we're
excited to be home to play in front of the
home crowd and get three points.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Got tomorrow we got North Carolina FC. That is the
Yaeger Meister Cup, which is new. It's kind of like our.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
End season tournament favorite cup.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Have you guys been told what you're going to get
with this Yeager Meister Cup after you win it? Is
it going to be a humongous cup full of Yaeger
Meister that everyone gets a sip?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
I mean, we can hope, you know, they haven't told
us that might be the prize? Who knows?
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Tell us about being so young? And getting brought up
in this game of soccer, and at sixteen, you're like
playing pro. How was that initially? Like, when did you
make the decision. I'm not going to go to the
normal route like most kids do. I'm not going to
go through the whole, you know, high school experience, college experience.
(01:24):
I'm dedicating my life to soccer and I'm going to
become professional. Take us back to that conversation with your
family and your friends of what made you made that
decision in the first place.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yeah, so, I mean it started obviously when I was younger.
I started playing when I was young three four years old,
played my whole life. I think for me, I knew
I was a little bit different than some of my teammates.
When I was younger, probably thirteen fourteen years old, I
was getting called into the US youth national team setup,
which is however many kids per camp, twenty thirty kids
(01:56):
of the best kids around the country. And I was
in that mix for two years kind of just with
with that same group of the best best players around
the country. And I felt comfortable there, you know, I
felt like that was my level, That's where I belonged.
And after those two years, I kind of had that
mentality where I was like, Hey, why why not try
(02:17):
to play professional?
Speaker 1 (02:18):
You know.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And so my youth fifteen year, I'd moved over to
the Colorado Rapids because they had that professional outlet, you know,
like if I play well here in the academy, I
can start training with the first team, and if I
trained well with the first team, I can eventually sign
professional there, you know. So my youth fifteen year, I
moved over to Rapid, spent a year year and a
half in the academy there, and then ended up signing. Yeah,
(02:42):
when I was sixteen, they invited me the preseason with
the team, and I performed well. One of the right
backs got injured and I was playing all the games
with the starting team, so it was like, hey, we
might have to sign this kid. So after that, I
ended up signing in April that year when I was
six team.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Talking to Sebastian Anderson of the Harvard Athletic. All right,
so I coach sixteen AAU baseball and I've had these kids,
some of them for like five years, and most of
these kids just want to make their high school team,
maybe go somewhere and play college. I love some of
the quotes, reading some of the stories about where you're
just like, I kept my head down. I just kept working, working, working.
(03:22):
Explain to like a fourteen, fifteen, sixteen year old somebody
male or female, how hard you have to work on
a day to day basis when you're not at the field,
when you're not being coached or playing games, just the
stuff you have to do to make yourself better when
people aren't watching you.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Yeah, I mean, like you said, some people are trying
to make their high school team, trying to play college
and that's totally fine. You know, that's something a lot
of people strive for. A lot of people can achieve
that as well. But I mean, I think for the elite,
elite few that want to move on to that next level,
like you said, doing what no one else is doing.
(04:02):
You know, it's the people that aren't out partying, the
ones that aren't eating junk food, all that stuff, and
it's a twenty four hour thing. Really, you know, you
have to do something that will different differentiate yourself from
your competition. You know, like, what are you going to
do that makes you one percent better than the person
standing right.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Next to you?
Speaker 3 (04:20):
And I think that mentality if you're young, and if
you take that to heart and want to move on
to the professional level, that will take you far.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
And this Brandon Burke keeps on stealing guys from Colorado
like the whole team. He just keeps plucking from where
he was at when he was with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks,
and you're one of them as well. Hey, Dibbs talks
about this all the time, just being a youngster, whether
you're a rookie in the pros, whether you're starting as
a freshman in college and high school, you have to
be ready to take the position to somebody else. And
that can be an emotional thing where you're the young
(04:53):
guy and you're trying to learn from the senior. You're
trying to learn from the guy the vet that's been
on the roster for a while. But but you are
your own person and you've got to get into the
lineup somehow some way. Talk about that mentality, just being
a youngster, and I know you're not now because it's
now like you're playing with guys that you're actually older than. Finally,
but talk about that and being the young guy and
(05:15):
trying to fit in with the older guys. I don't know,
making waves and not making waves, Like, how has that
been to navigate through the course of your career.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Yeah, I think as a young person you're always just
told to stay humble. You know, you put your head down,
you work, you stay humble, and you learn from the
guys that have been playing in your position for years,
you know, And I think just keeping that mentality of
being humble being there, but also when it's your time
you have to grab it. You know, you're not just
(05:46):
the number two or the second string whatever you want
to be in that guy's position, So you stay humble,
you learn from him, but you also have to, like
I said before, differ, differentiate yourself from him and do
what makes you you make those decisions, all that sort
of stuff that that differentiates yourself from them. So it's
obviously a balance. You know, you want to be be
(06:07):
friends with all the guys in the team, you want
to be be nice to everyone, all that, but at
the end of the day, in the professional level, it's
a business. You know, if you're not the one performing,
you could be gone the next year, you know. So
I think always having that in the back of your
mind is helpful. You know, you have to always know that. Yeah,
I want to be friends with everyone. Yeah, I want
(06:28):
to be a good guy all that, But when it
comes down to it, the coach only selects a certain
few players on the field every week, you know, and
you want to be one of those guys. You kind
of got to have a kind of ruthless mentality for
that as well.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
What's it like being so far away from home. I know,
you're twenty two when you're a grown man now, but
you know you had to leave home when you were
sixteen and start this pro career and stuff like that.
How often does your family get to see you play?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Yeah, I mean they're watching every game online, so that's awesome.
I definitely have a really good course system back home,
and they've actually come out and visited here Hartford already
and caught a game, so that was awesome. But yeah,
I mean I got kind of used to it, like
I said, with the Houst national team setup, those camps
are always somewhere in the United States. Between that every
(07:15):
few months, leaving for a week two weeks at a time,
and traveling with academy playing games away, like you spend
a lot of time on the road, you know. I
think It's just more about when you get to go
home and spend quality time with their family. Just really
cherish those moments.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
We've talked to a couple of your mates already, especially
you and your click of defenders. You guys take so
much pride in keeping the ball on the net, especially
at home Tranity Hell Stadium. By the way, tomorrow night
kick off at seven thirty Trinity Hell Stadium, Hartford Athleic
taking on North Carolina FC, a part of the Jaegermeister Cup.
But how has it been with Joe Farrell friend of
the show Love Joe, Anthony Cia the goalie which, by
(07:55):
the way, both of those lead the team and maybe
the league in chains as far as wearing chains when
they play. But fitting in with those guys, Like, how's
it been on the back end with the Hartford Athletic
and just the short amount of time that you've been here?
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yeah, I mean, like like you said, those those guys
are are great guys. You know, Anthony, I've hung out
with him a few times off the field. He's a
good guy off the field as well, great great keeper,
great shot sopper. Joe, same same thing, you know, He's
a great guy, but an incredible player too, you know,
and it's awesome learning from those guys. You know, Like,
obviously I've been in the playing professional soccer for this
(08:32):
my seventh season, seventh year, but he's been there same time,
even longer. And the thing that I like about Joe
is he's a winner. You know, He's gone to Phoenix,
He's won trophies, and I love soaking in just everything
he has to say because he knows what it's like
to be in a winning culture, be a winning person,
you know. So definitely hanging around Joe, it's awesome learning
(08:52):
from him.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Where do you guys eat?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
I mean, you get guys from so many different countries.
Is there a place you guys hang out, you know,
when you get together and stuff like that. Where do
you go as kind of a unit.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
So we actually have some of the guys coming over
for dinner at my place tonight, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
The details.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
We're we're cooking some pasta. The night we had some
actually made a nice stake the other night. But tonight's pasta.
We're gonna get some carbs in before the game tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
I love sweet. That is excellent.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
What has been all right? West Chester? To them punks?
Went down three to two. That was our last result
and that was on the road. Before that, a tie draw. Sorry,
I'm getting all my my soccer l football words misconstrued,
but India eleven was a four to four draw, so
and a draw before that. I'm with dibbs Man for
(09:47):
what we've been dealing with at the beginning of the season.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
We're hot. We're hot right now. What's been going on?
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Like, what's the turnaround, especially putting the ball in the net.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Yeah, I think, uh, like you said earlier, we have
a lot of guys can call around, a lot of
new faces, so there's definitely learning curve. You know, not
many of these guys have played too many games together,
so I think we're kind of finding the rhythm, learning
each other's tendencies, what certain players like to do, all that,
so it's a bit easier to play together. And then
(10:18):
just yeah, some of our attacking players finding their form.
It's good to get our number ten Samu involved last
game and score some good goals. Kyle did great in
that Indie eleven game with some help from Momo too,
So our attacking guys are are doing their part heating up,
and I think if us as a defensive unit can
keep doing well, clean up a little thing, clean up
(10:39):
some little things, and then we can get three points tomorrow.
And so the rest of this month.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
There you go, Sebastian, Thank you so much, best of luck,
and hopefully you know, as you continue to play here
and you continue to be successful, we can get you
back on the show and talk some more soccer.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Yeah, good luck on dinner tonight. Yeah for sure. Yeah,
absolutely absolutely, thank you, smash, thank.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
You, sir, Thank you guys.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I'm just looking at this roster, dude, it's twenty two,
twenty two, twenty five, twenty two, two, twenty one. Look
at this though, twenty twenty one, eighteen eighteen. There's not
many old timers. Man, it's a young man's game, definitely.
So like you said sixteen, there's two three guys on
this teamer eighteen.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
Big for the home matches, all month, for home matches.
To bring it people know what I'm talking about. Man,
you can't win at Trinity Health Stadium very easily. Loud
and proud byod, bring your own drum.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Have you been out yet? How many times have you
been out? You've been out yet? This year? Oh? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Absolutely, protect the fortress is a thing protect Thank.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
You, Sarah. Your son's a big soccer star. So how's
he do? Yeah? This will this. He's going to be
in the senior year four year starter.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
Now do you let him go to the supporter section
or is that off limits in the Bnemey family or.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
He hasn't said anything about it yet. Okayye Hahn said anything.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
But you guys are probably like watching the SoC all
the day.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
He's watching the soccer and and he goes to Wooster Street.
That's a thing for us. Oh okay, all right, we
go to Wooster Street and we don't get slices, we
get a pie.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
Okay, And that's like the the Hartford athletic tradition of
the Benemey family.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Absolutely love this.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
Awesome, absolutely awesome. They do have one of the best
mascots in the game too, Dylan. By the way, Dylan
school the pickle.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
He's not a he's an alien. He's like, he's not
from this planet.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
He's from a planet soccer and he was just playing
a pickle somehow, Someway.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Yes, he is the big Pickles, the big deal