UAB Men’s Soccer Season Preview with Jeff Kinney

BIRMINGHAM – After plenty of uncertainty, the UAB men’s soccer season is officially set to kick off this Saturday in Conway, Ark. as the Blazers take on Central Arkansas. Putting together a 10-game fall schedule was not an easy task after August 21 when Conference USA decided to move fall sports championships to spring 2021 in line with the NCAA. UABSports.com sat down with UAB men’s soccer head coach Jeff Kinney to discuss the rollercoaster of an offseason and how the fall schedule came together. 

Describe the challenges you and the team have faced during the uncertainty of this season. 

JK: “It’s always tough to find motivation when you don’t know what the season is going to look like. I definitely saw in our training where we had a season and then it looked like we didn’t have a season, then all of a sudden, we had a season back. I think they have responded quite well to that, but it has been hard to keep them motivated knowing that they’ve given up their summer for a season and then all of a sudden it was gone. Our worst week of training was during that time that we didn’t know if we had a season or not. For the most part the guys have done a really good job of staying focused. They want to play; they want to get the games in and for us we see it as an opportunity to develop.” 

How has the team been able to handle their emotions? 

JK: “They handled it pretty well. We talk all the time about being ‘Steady Eddie’ and they have done a good job of that. It’s difficult to not play a real opponent during preseason because you get sick of playing each other all the time. You want to make it as competitive as possible, but you don’t want to be kicking each other. We have had a little more pushing and shoving in practice than usual, but we don’t mind because it makes the guys compete. I have been proud about how they have held themselves accountable and avoided doing the ‘normal’ college student activities, they have seen the bigger picture.” 

How hard/easy was it to find teams to play in the fall? 

JK: “It was extremely difficult. I think right now there are only 16 teams that are even able to play. The good news is that those who are able to really want to play. Unfortunately, we are having to travel more than I would like to get those games in, but it is a very competitive schedule against really good teams. We have a number of teams that went to the NCAA tournament last year, so it really benefited us in a lot of ways, but it hasn’t been easy. Especially with the changes, any given day our schedule could have changed.”  

Do you think playing teams like Clemson and Wake Forest will help you be better prepared for Conference play in the Spring? 

JK: “Adding Clemson and Wake Forest is huge for our program. Those are two of the top teams in the country and we did that because we wanted to play the best teams no matter what. For us in particular we know that we have this fall as countable games that can develop us for the spring. In more important ways, getting those teams to come back to Birmingham is extremely important for this program moving forward.”  

What are some of the benefits of playing the second half of the season in the Spring? 

JK: “Having 10 games in the fall is ideal for us. Unfortunately, with COVID we have had some guys that have had to be quarantined, now they won’t be missing an entire season. We have guys with injuries that won’t miss the entire season, where in a normal 18 game season pushed into a fall, they are missing half the games. Having these competitive games in the fall will definitely prepare us more than if we had scrimmages. In a lot of ways, it has kind of worked out perfectly.” 

How do you plan to prepare for a season that spans two semesters? 

JK: “It will be different, but I am looking forward to it. The guys will get some break to recover and then they will come back at it hard. The guys do a great job of holding themselves accountable when we aren’t able to work with them. I think we will have the upper hand over some programs that maybe don’t have the kind of leadership we have with guys who are willing to go hit the weight room and work out on their own. The other benefit is we will have games this fall and know what we are missing which will give us a chance to find some guys that can come in for the spring either as transfers or freshmen that choose to join us for the spring season.” 

What do you expect to gain from the fall season? 

JK: “Experience more than anything else. We still have a number of new guys that will be playing a lot, so that is massive. The other thing is overall team fitness and new tactics that we didn’t quite get all of last year.” 

What has your preparation been like? 

JK: “I told everyone from day one that we were going to prepare as if the season was going to happen like normal. Even during the spring when things were shut down, we were still meeting regularly on Zoom doing everything we could as far as tactical work, leadership work, working on our set pieces to prepare for what was next. We are in a pretty good position because of that preparation. The downside to it is it’s always hard when you don’t know to push yourself to the level that you’re at when you do know the season is happening. We ran into that a little bit with this team, but we have had a number of weeks to build our fitness back up and prepare the soccer techniques we need.”  

What are you most excited for? 

JK: “Just to see what we look like against a real opponent. It has been a long time since we had a game so for us it is extremely important to get out there and see how we can compete against a team that we haven’t seen on a daily basis.” 

What are your expectations for the season despite everything that has happened? 

JK: “I expect improvement from last year for sure. I expect the guys to show some leadership qualities that I don’t think we really had. I think the team will be more competitive. I thought we did a good job of bringing in a good solid freshman class that some guys will have a chance to jump in and help us right away. Our expectation needs to be competitive in every single game and when we go into conference play, we need to be prepared to be in the top half of the conference.” 

The Blazers open the season on the road against Central Arkansas Saturday, September 19 at 5 p.m. CST. The home opener is slated for Tuesday, October 13 at 7 p.m. against Georgia State. Check UABSports.com regularly for schedule updates and information. 

Men’s soccer season tickets are on sale by purchasing the 2020-21 Gold Card for $65 here. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all UAB men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, baseball and softball events for the upcoming academic year. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details. 

For more information on the UAB men’s soccer team, follow @UAB_MSoc on Twitter and Instagram.