 Welcome back to our weekly episode of "Interviews with the Players." This week's focus is on our attacking midfielder/supporting striker, Tope. He says he plays and makes passes like Kaka and we don't question it as long as we get goals and passes out of him. Enjoy.
What is your name? My name is Tope Ayoola
Alright Mr. Ayoola, what do you do? I am an Associate with Morgan Stanley/Van Kampen Investment.
Good deal. How do you see SSFC as a team? SSFC is a unique team…because it is mostly made up of friends who have been playing soccer together for the past four to five years. We have superb individual talents, but we continue to struggle making these talents work for us as a team.
I see. SSFC lost their last 2 games to the same team, what do you think was the problem? There were several different problems why we lost twice to the same team. One of these problems is the fact we failed to adjust to the other team’s formation during both games. We always tend to change the position a player plays…rather than change the way they play the game. It does not matter where a player plays, if he does not know what his responsibilities are when with/without the ball. And this type of player becomes a big liability to the team.
Point taken, how could that be resolved? We need someone on the sideline who will read other teams’ formation for us so that we can adjust as appropriate. We don’t only need a coach, rather we need a good coach.
Speaking about a good coach, you were present at Eldridge when a potential coach spoke to the team. Do you he'll be able to help SSFC? How? The guy that spoke to us at Eldridge seemed to know what he was talking about…and he seemed to know about soccer. However, any potential coach must be willing to attend all of our practices, friendly matches, and league games in order for us to reap the benefit of having a coach. The two potential coaches we have now are good in their own ways, but they have to understand our team…, and we need to understand their management style. We need to know if we our team mentality is/will be compatible with their coaching style.
What do you think the best formation for SSFC is? I believe the best formation for SSFC is 4-4-2 flat. We are relatively still a young team…trying to find our form. And the best formation for a young team is a formation that is not too complicated. We need to master the most basic formation before we start trying the other complicated ones.
Where do you think SSFC will finish on the table, considering this is our 1st season with HFA? I think we should be able to finish in the top 4 or 5 spot. We will have to minimize our goal differences to achieve this goal…and that means our defense has to do a better job of not conceding goals, and our offense must score more goals.
Interesting, a couple of spots ahead of Poborski's prediction. What do you think your greatest asset is as a football player? My greatest asset as a football player is my ball-handling and passing skills. I must confess that my skills in this department are simply superb!
Interesting. The best soccer game you've ever watched? I have seen a lot of really good soccer matches, but it’s difficult for me to pick the best one. Although, I can tell you the most disappointing soccer match I ever saw was Nigeria versus Italy second round of USA 1994 World Cup. I couldn’t sleep that night…it was just too depressing.
I feel you on that. What's your favorite soccer team and player? I like AC Milan, and I like Kaka.
Now to get to know you outside soccer. If they made a movie about your life, who should play you? Will Smith…people often say we look alike.
Ofcourse you do. What superpower would you like to have? It will be nice if I can predict the future of financial markets all over the world. I will also like to have an option to be invisible, occasionally,…so I can slap people freely when they say stupid things!
Hmm, interesting superpower. What's the last book you read? Greatness: Reagan, Churchill, and the Making of Extraordinary Leaders. – By Steven E. Hayward
What would you like to be doing in ten years? I will be running several of my own businesses (with my wife)…which will probably include a hedge fund/private equity firm.
Next Week: Ofili |
