Head Coach Carter Poe on AFC Cleveland’s 2016 NPSL National Championships
NPSL 2016 Champions were crowned this past weekend, after highly competitive soccer season: AFC Cleveland defeated Sonoma County Sol to claim the 2016 NPSL National Championship title in a thrilling 4-2 victory on Saturday in Independence, Ohio. AFC Cleveland forward Vinny Bell recorded two goals on the night to claim Man of the Match honors as AFC win their first national title in club history. An inspiring journey rewarding effort and commitment – here is an exclusive feature on AFC Cleveland.
SoccerToday spoke with head coach Carter Poe on his thoughts of the season and what areas built the team for success. And, most of all, congratulations to AFC Cleveland on a successful 2016 campaign!
NPSL Soccer News: AFC Cleveland claimed the 2016 NPSL National Championship Powered by Mitre with a 4-2 win over the visiting Sonoma County Sol FC. The match took place in front of a sold out crowd of 2,205 at Stan Skoczen Stadium in Independence, Ohio. This was Sonoma County’s fourth appearance in a national title game. The Sol last won the NPSL National Championship in 2009.
SoccerToday Spoke with head coach Carter Poe on the club’s memorable 2016 campaign and what is next for his AFC Cleveland team.
Diane Scavuzzo: Congratulations! What has made your team so successful this year in the NPSL?
Carter Poe: We have strived to create a professional environment with high standards. In addition, I think bringing in the right people has been key.
This year we had a great core of guys who love the game, are hard-working, tough guys, and love to play together. That makes all the difference.
Diane Scavuzzo: Let’s talk about your players — Who are your top goal scorers?
Carter Poe: Vinny Bell and Brian Potocnik are our top goal scorers, I believe.
Diane Scavuzzo: And, who is your top performing goalkeeper — what are his strengths?
Carter Poe: Anthony Flowers was our top performing goalkeeper this year. I think Anthony’s main strengths are his commitment and work rate. He gives everything he’s got 100% of the time and is always extremely professional.
Diane Scavuzzo: What was the AFC Cleveland training schedule?
Carter Poe: I’d rather not give this away because I think it is something we do that others don’t — and, that is an advantage to us.
Diane Scavuzzo: When did you know your team was going to win the 2016 NPSL Championship?
Carter Poe: I did not know until the final whistle blew. The team we played had scored a ton of goals and so as long as there was still time on the clock I wasn’t counting them out.
Diane Scavuzzo: Who do you think helped your team the most reach this goal?
Carter Poe: I don’t think there is one single individual that I could point out. It was a collective effort of every guy on the field. Only as one unit could we achieve what we did.
Diane Scavuzzo: Do you believe your team could beat a MLS team?
Carter Poe: I don’t know if we are in a position to beat an MLS team at the moment.
If we were playing an MLS reserves team, and we had time to train and prepare for our opponent, then I think we could give them a good game.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is special about your coach’s training, approach, philosophy?
Carter Poe: I don’t think there is anything special about my training or philosophy.
I simply work hard to create a strong environment where players want to improve and get better. It’s all about having high standards and accountability.
Within this, we always set up training in a tactical manner so as to prepare our players for their next opponent and give them ideas on how to solve problems.
Diane Scavuzzo: When did you first become involved with the NPSL?
Carter Poe: I first became involved with the NPSL 5 years ago when AFC Cleveland first started. I tried out for the team prior to the inaugural season, made it, and was subsequently selected as captain.
Diane Scavuzzo: Do you want the NPSL to be considered a pipeline to the pros? Is it already?
Carter Poe: I would like that. I think in some respects it is because players will use it to grow during the summer season when there is no training with their college teams.
In addition, many teams schedule exhibition matches with pro sides, so the NPSL can be a good way to gain valuable exposure to pro coaches.
Diane Scavuzzo: How has soccer changed, if it has, since you became involved?
Carter Poe: I think the level of the NPSL league has gone up. When we first started, there were a couple teams in the league that were perhaps not as competitive as others — teams that you thought would give an easier game, but anymore there are no easy games.
Diane Scavuzzo: How important are the fans to your players?
Carter Poe: I think the players really enjoy the support they receive from the fans and it’s motivating for them. They know the fans are going to back them rain or shine, win or loss.
Diane Scavuzzo: Who do you think was your team’s biggest rival in the NPSL?
Carter Poe: I think our biggest rival over the last 5 years has been either Detroit or Erie. Both always have strong teams, and our games vs them are always extremely difficult.
Diane Scavuzzo: Goal for next season?
Carter Poe: I don’t think we can say we’re shooting for re-creating what we did this year. I think we’ll instead keep our same, basic goal that we started the season with — that is to try and get in the playoffs, and see what we can do from there.