Player: Shane O'Neill

When we sat down with the Colorado Rapid's Shane O'Neill, he was recovering from a knee injury sustained earlier this summer and focused on getting healthy and returning to the pitch as soon as possible. He was also coming off a big year, which culminated in a trip to the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. In our interview, Shane provided perspective about what it was like to play in front of 60,000 screaming fans, as well as his ambitions for 2018. 

1. Where are you from? I was born in Ireland, then grew up in Boulder, Colorado.

2. How old are you? 20

3. What teams do you play with today? I play for the Colorado Rapids. 

4. How did you start playing? I played in youth leagues for as long as I can remember. Starting off really small, I was always playing. People ask me what age I started, and I honestly don't know. I just started playing young and it was always my passion and my number one sport. [When i was 15 or 16], I played with Colorado United down in Littleton, then as a junior in high school I joined the Rapids Academy. For my first 6 months with the Rapids Academy, I was playing forward and not playing that well. And then they moved me to midfield and I started playing really well. And my senior year, I trained with the first team every day. I got signed from the Academy to the first team once I graduated high school.

5. What’s your signature move? Maybe a Cryuff turn to forward if someone's coming in to try to take the ball from me. But, to be honest with you, I don't really do too many "moves." I think the coaches would be mad at me if I'm doing too much of that from the back.

6. What’s one skill you think any player needs to cultivate? I think your first touch is crucial, because it sets you up for everything else in the game. By just working on that day in and day out, it will take you so far - setting you up for a good shot or a good pass. Whether it be your chest, your head or your foot, if you have a good first touch it will set you up for success. And I'm still working on this. It's still not the best part of my game. It's just individually going out to the field everyday, or as often as you can, working with the ball. That improves your game.

7. Who are your soccer heroes? I'd say John Terry as a center back. Growing up, I was always a forward, so I always really liked Zlatan Ibrahimović. But I really like the way John Terry plays the game. I've always been a Chelsea supporter, so John Terry's always been the one guy. I really like the style of center backs like John Terry and Nemanja Vidić [formerly of Manchester United].

8. What was your favorite moment of World Cup 2014? I was pretty excited when Netherlands beat Mexico. I'm not really a Dutch supporter, but I didn't want to see Mexico do well. If the U.S. was going to get knocked out in the Round of 16, I definitely wanted to see Mexico go out. When Holland scored that equalizer with Wesley Sneijder I was pretty pumped up. I guess playing with the U.S. under-20s against Mexico didn't help. We played Mexico in front of 60,000 people. It was absolutely the best environment I've ever played in. The tunnel where we'd walk out was underneath the stadium...so we couldn't see the stands. Me and Dillon Serna [a Rapids teammate, also on the U-20 team] ran out and the stadium was completely packed an hour before kickoff. And the boos started coming in for us [from Mexican fans], and we just started laughing. We were just beside ourselves, passing the ball to each other, just stunned. We had no idea how many people were going to be there. And then Mexico scored after about 2 minutes and it was like, "OK." And it really got us going. We were buzzing all over the field. We should have won the game, but we lost in extra time and I got sent off in the 115th minute. It was an unbelievable experience, but I was pretty happy to see Mexico go out [in Brazil.]

9. What’s your greatest moment on the pitch? Scoring in the U-20 World Cup against Ghana was pretty nice. I felt I was playing a really good game, and then scored. We ended up losing the game, which obviously nullifies it a little bit. But I thought I was playing well and, in that moment, I was extremely confident in my own game, driving up the field and getting involved.

10. What’s your worst moment on the pitch? Definitely against Philidelphia Union. I played injured and it was the last game I played [this season]. I got injured in the Columbus Crew game [the week before] and I'm the kind of player who, unless I can't walk, I'm going to play. And I think I learned my lesson the hard way. I tried to play against Philadelphia Union and my knee was not right. And it was a nightmare of a game. We tied 3-3, so it was a decent result, but I was all over the place personally. It's the worst feeling when you lose your man on a corner. It's just a terrible feeling.

11. How do you get past bad moments like this? It's tough. Especially in games. In training it's pretty easy. The next day you just come out firing. In a game it's tough, because when you let your team down you've really got to pick yourself up and forget about it. You've just got to put it behind you and try to complete the next pass. The next easy thing to do, just do it right and you start to get your confidence back.

12. What’s the “ultimate soccer experience” you’d like to have? Playing in the full-team World Cup. 

13. What music do you listen to before a big game? I listen to anything. I don't have any superstitions or anything like that. I'll just listen to whatever's on my iPod.

14. What soccer talent would you most like to have? If I'm playing center back, probably being ferocious in the air. If I was just a beast with my head, it would take my game to the next level. If I'm playing midfield, pace. It's the one thing you can't teach. Guys like Bale, Ronaldo and others just have unbelievable speed and it makes it very difficult to defend those players. 

15. What do you most value in your teammates? You value the teammates who go out to training everyday and work as hard as they possibly can. It's tough, because when you're playing a lot of games you also have to be a leader yourself. And sometimes that's calling another player out, and sometimes it can get awkward, but that's what you have to do.

16. What advice would you give to someone new to soccer? I suppose just enjoy the game. Growing up, it was the sport for me that was everything. But I remember going to restaurants and overhearing conversations from different tables with people wearing [soccer jerseys], saying, "You need to go to this soccer camp, and this college camp" and so on. And I think if my parents had been like that, I wouldn't have ended up where I am. You've got to let kids enjoy it for themselves and see where they take it. There shouldn't be any pressure.

17. What sports and activities do you enjoy off the pitch? Me and Dillon Serna play tennis sometimes. And I swim and hike. We golf too, but I'm terrible at golf. 

18. Where will we see you in 5 years? Hopefully on the national team. If I keep my head on straight and keep focusing and improving and working hard, then I'll have a chance. I definitely have to improve parts of my game, but for being just 20 and from where I was last year and the year before, I can't really have asked for much more. Right now, I want to get my knee healthy and so I'm focusing on that and getting back into full fitness and full sharpness. And if I can keep improving my game, in a couple years I definitely think I could be a fixture in the national team picture. It's just all down to how much I want it.