Oh, we got a great one for you today from Kenny Bunk, Maine.
We sit down with a guy named Jeff Park. Jeff was a professional
soccer player for MLS, but he is the ultimate underdog and his grit and
determination will inspire you. But first I want to remind you about Cobblestone on
Maine in the village of Webster. Dan Bresnahan and his family own that.
Dan's dad was the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills back in the Super Bowl
years. That's right, and now Dan is the owner of Cobblestone on Maine.
It's an eighteen hundreds cobblestone church that has been thoughtfully renovated and repurposed into
a charming, one of a kind dining experience. You got to get over
there. The menu items are fantastic and they're all fresh and locally sourced,
really creative appetizers, great salads and handhelds, and a full selection of delicious
entrees, all in an inviting farm style atmosphere. They've got an upscale bar,
They've got intimate dining. It is the perfect place to just hang or
have date night. Cobblestone on one o nine West Main Street in the Village
of Webstern, online at Cobblestone on Maine dot com, comedy at the Carlson
Ticket and showtimes at Carlson Comedy dot com. Leo's, the official bakery delian
Cafe of Bilified, has everything you need for back to school munches and snacks,
including quick meals like Leo's delicious Tomato Pie served hot or cold, made
fresh daily at Leo's in their own pizza oven and topped with tomatoes and cheese
Oh so good. Plus all the boarsheads meats and cheeses and Leo's Deli,
And don't forget the desserts, cookies, pastries, cannoli, cakes, pies
and more for your sweet tooth treat. What's the best thing about Leo's Say
it with me? Everything on Despatch Drive in East Rochester and open every day.
Back of all trades. The name says it all. Myers reminds you
that we are technically still in summer. R V shoppers, you got to
take advantage of the endless summer savings at Myers r V superstores. You're gonna
find great family camping options, starting it under five dollars a day. You
can shop top RV brands like Brand Design, Winnebago, Keystone, Forest River,
and Jaco, and just think of like even the football games. It
would be so fun to go see, let's say, the Buffalo Bills on
the road. A lot of these NFL stadiums have an RV section in their
parking lot and go in there a day or two in advance and have everything
that's yours right. You don't have to worry about a hotel and not being
exactly comfortable and not feeling like you're in your space, because you will be
in your Myer's RV. You can even see the new Coachman Viking Saga twenty
foot bunkhouse travel trailer for just four dollars and seventy five cents a day at
check out the new Keystone Arcadius Select bunkhouse style fifth wheel for just three forty
five a month. Myers RV has three convenient Rochester locations for you to check
it all out. The newest one is in Webster, the original in Caledonia
and on Route ninety six just east of the village of Victor in Farmington and
always open online at Myers RVs dot com. The Bill Moran podcast, Well
Hello and welcome, Thanks for getting your pod on. Thanks for telling a
friend. That's how we spread the word about the Pirate Ship. Today from
Kenny Bunk, Maine, where I didn't expect to do a podcast. Uh.
It is my younger brother's birthday and every year he has a huge Labor
Day party. It's called moran Stock. Even went and got a fluorescent sign
that I put on my social media that you can see for moran Stock.
And then it's just this big debauchery party with an eight piece band, and
he's got some really interesting friends, including Jeff Park, who is here.
But you didn't spend the night. No, you didn't camp out, you
missed out. I got a I got a young one. That's h not
the easiest day. Things go a little bit sideways. Got you holds the
youngest six six Okay, yeah, so SHOT's bit by a bug. Good
luck. So here, Now this is gonna be interesting because Jeff, you
were a professional soccer player in Seattle. I was. I was drafted by
They were called the Metro Stars at the time, the Metro Stars. Then
they changed over to the Red Bulls and then oh in New York. Yeah
okay, yeah, wow, she's there. I was there for about five
years. How did it draw when you were playing down there? So we
were in Giant we were in Giant State, were playing in Meteeah, well
the old before the MetLife. And I mean we got like twenty five thousand
yeah if you're lucky, Yeah, but you're in an eighty thousand I know,
over seventy thousand person stadium minute. Why do you think like when it
comes to that level? Because four years now, my boys coming up and
my oldest is twenty two and his brothers twenty one, and I'm a thirteen
year old. They played soccer. There's been a real push for youth to
place soccer in this country, and yet it still doesn't really catch on.
And we see celebrities like I live in our home base is Rochester, New
York. The Glacier families from there. The Glaciers own the Tampa Bay Bucks,
but they also owned Manchester United. So there's a real interest from Americans
in European football, but yet we don't. It doesn't seem to play at
that level as much. Yeah, I mean, I think it's a combo
of a bunch of things. I mean, first, it's like, you
know, most of our parents didn't play the sport in my generation. I'm
forty one, so yeah, they didn't. I'm fifty two. My parents
didn't know, they didn't play or you know, they only knew like when
Pelee came in, you know, he did his you know us tour thing
right with the Cosmos and they were able to draw like eighty thousand people somewhere.
Yeah, you know, and so you didn't have your parents pushing you
to play soccer. They were, you know, pushing you to play football,
right, Baseball, basketball, the sports they knew. Yeah, and
so you didn't have that push and that knowledge from that generation. So I
mean when you're looking at like spreading and pushing the sport, there wasn't anybody
that was able to do that at the time and very few. So it
was what was the attraction then for you? As you say your parents didn't
play You're a guy in his early forties. Now, well, I wanted
to play football, but my dad played football, and he was like,
you're not playing football at seven o'clock at night. You know, if you
got school the next morning, you're not playing football. You wanted me to
stick with my academics, Yeah, you know, do alright with that and
then I can play baseball or basketball. Where did you grow up? Right
outside Philly in Downingtown? Okay, so it's about forty minutes west of Philadelphia.
Yeah, so at that time it was that the Horse Country. Lancaster's
about forty minutes thirty five forty minutes another west of US. Okay, So
they that's where all like the Mennonites, and yeah, they had great food.
They do. They're good people. We still see them up in the
finger Lakes. Yeah. Yeah, the great furniture. Yeah, yeah,
great builders and we I've worked with a couple of them, and like the
you know, they're good people and they you know, they were a little
bit west of us. So our town was small at the time, and
then literally like twelve years later, our town was like quadrupled. Yeah,
and because great school district really good in sports. At that time when I
was going through the high school, we had a great crop of like four
generations of of of kids. Okay, so all of our coaches I didn't
know at the time, but all of our coaches that were you know,
pushing us at the at that level of the junior high, the high school
and all that knew we you know, this is the time to push and
you know, make a name for soccer in this area. Yeah. So
that's I mean, did you win like like where we are, we have
sectionals and then states and that sort of thing. Yeah, so I uh,
you know, I got into it when I was you know, seventy
eight, played in the wreck ball and all that got started getting really good
at it and then asked for junior high. We pushed our team like seventh,
eighth, ninth, tenth grade years were really good. So they knew
if they pushed us, you know, once we got to high school,
you know, are that four or five years, we're gonna be pretty good.
Yeah. So we won back to back States. Wow, yeah,
we were, we were, we were good, and then we should have
won it my sophomore year. Pulled that mic just a little closer, you
can just pull the whole thing, yeah towards you. We we uh,
we won States back to back, but we you know, should have won
it the year before that too, so we should have had three. So
did you go on a scholarship then the college I got? So it's my
grade sucked. I wasn't good. Wasn't good? Yeah, crazy, crazy
story. So I went to ended up going to Drexel. My coach,
my head coach for my high school team, played for the coach at Drexel.
Okay, so he's like, look, you gotta take this kid.
He's not so you went as a walk on. No I got. I
ended up getting a scholarship. I went, They gave me a scholarship.
I only went to like two or three visits. I played for FC Dalco
the best club in arguably in the country at the time, and I got
overlooked. My grades weren't good. I went to drect so they offered me
a full ride. I was like, I don't have any options, but
I'll take it. Yeah, so you know, they're like, look,
you gotta get your grades up. So crazy story was, I got to
the end of the year. I negotiated with my English teacher the semester before.
I was like, look, you got where are you currently when you
say high school school? Now you're negotiating at trying to get into college,
right, I need a certain GPA. Yeah, it's like a two five
or something like that. I was at at the time. I knew I
had to like basically get a's and b's. The rest of the school year.
Yeah. So I go like mid term like decembrish, I'm like,
listen, miss Purdy, that was her name. If I get high as
the next two semesters, will you raise that B that I got in the
second semester so that I got to get into college. And the lady was
like, you know, I'll give you a chance. Yeah, So I
go. I ended up getting like ninety three ninety four the next two terms,
and I go back. I get my grades at the end of the
year and I'm like, hoh shit, like I'm below the two the two
five. If I don't get a two five with my SAT but that wasn't
that high, I'm not going to college. So I call her. I
go in after the I get my final grades and I go into like the
administrative office at my high school and downtown. I'm like, I gotta call
this teacher. You know, I was supposed to she was supposed to change
my my past my in like, who are you saying this too? At
the time, I'm saying to the administrator like whoever, like was sitting at
the what are you just looking at me like you're crazy? So I said,
you know, I needed get in hold of her, can you call
her on the phone, Like, basically, my scholarship my college depends on
her changing that B to an A. Yeah. So I get in touch
with her. She's like, yeah, I did make that deal with the
Jeff all right. So I give it to the administrator right that was sitting
at the desk, and she's like, yeah, change it to an A.
She changes it. My grade from like A two is like a two
three nine went to a two five perfect. And I was in I was
in college, And let me ask you something, because I was much the
same way all the and my parents were teachers, right, But you have
kids, now, if you had just applied yourself, of course, you
know what I'm saying, Like you got nineties, you were capable, and
does that frustrate you, Like with your own kids, would you be harder
on them because of that knowing they have that ability? Like that was always
my thing too, is that most of the time if I showed up,
you know, it depended Like I ran track in the spring, and for
whatever reason, every spring my grades went up. I don't know if that
was the running was great with like add and I had something, but I
was always probably low eighties. If I showed up low nineties if I even
just tried a little bit, you know what I mean, and that that
kind of thing. It's almost like because when I graduated high school, my
father said to me, I don't know whether to shake your hand or kick
your ass. That's exactly what he said. Dumber than you got scholarships and
stuff. And I'm looking at a guy who clearly you're a smart guy,
athletic guy. You did it and you negotiated. I mean that's even like
that's even a skill. That's a better skill. Well, yeah, I
had to figure something out because I was like, look, if I don't
get it, I'm done. Like, I don't know, I'm not going
to community school. Yeah, I mean I know I have the athleticism to
play at the next level. Yeah, but how do I get myself to
be able to be eligible for that? What a great thing, though,
to learn to to have that drive, you know, if there's a goal
to be able to reach that and you did it, Well, that's what
sports teaches you. I mean, it's yeah, you got a common goal
obviously amongst the team, and then you got your individual goal of your own
performance and what you need to do to prepare yourself, and you know,
unfortunately I didn't learn the self performance part until I was like in my mid
twenties. What did your parents do? My dad was self employed. He
did a lot of landscaping contracting, and then he kind of found his niche
later in life with like, you know, basically subbing up with one of
the biggest companies in the country that owns water businesses throughout the you know,
all the states. So he kind of got tied up with that, and
that's what made him because I mean when I was little, I mean it
was it was tough. You know, We've got a self employed working all
the time and that's seasonal, ye that stuff. And he was, I
mean, he's arguably the hardest working guy I've ever met. Never stops.
It's just that you need good luck at times. And Mom was around.
Mom was around. She ended up doing her own thing. My parents split
when I was twelve, which that was that was arguably one of the biggest
obstacles in my whole life, you know, I mean I I kind of
went into the you know, not the dark period because as a kid you
don't even know it like that. You act out, you do stuff,
you start drinking and yeah, you know, smoking weed and stuff like that.
That derailed me for a while. But I always had that thing in
me that I knew, you know, I could turn it on at any
time, and I did it at the right times. I mean obviously,
like you know, I had friends that all played sports with me, and
they all kind of fell by the wayside. Still my best buds, Like
we hung out all the time. It's just that they chose to party and
hang out with the girls and stuff. I just chose that I could try
to find that balance and I ended up finding it. But you know,
it always hurt my grades because I ended up going to summer school to you
know, my junior year. I was like, shit, I gotta bring
all my grades up now. Yeah. But even that self awareness, I
think it's really an important thing at a young age, right, what are
you junior or sixteen? Yeah, And at that time, I had a
lot of anger towards my dad and everything because the divorce and what was going
on with the family, and I kind of, you know, I leaned
on myself. I didn't really you know, I had a relationship with him,
but I didn't have that that he was my guide to hard work.
He wasn't my guide to like, what's the blueprint to success? Would you?
I always use this term, I said at once, and my mother
got really offended, But I go, you're almost like a feral child.
Yeah, you know what I mean, you kind of figured it out on
your own. And I don't know that that's necessarily a bad thing. I
think like parents today try to do. I mean, there's way right in
the term helicopter parent. We hear it. You're also coaching now you must
witness some of that, you know with parents in sports. Yeah, a
little bit, but that's uh, I think that's amazing. Student. You
get to Drexel, yep, and you do all four years. I did
four years. I got to my fourth year and it's a five year program
there. Okay, so I figured out. I was like, look,
I gotta just get by, you know, I'll load my schedule and then
I'll pick and choose because at that time, you were I don't know if
they still can you can go through the semester. That semester and you can
go halfway through and drop classes that you're doing bad in. Yeah. So
I was like, I'm gonna load up and like that whatever I did,
Yeah, whatever I do good in I keep, whatever I do bad,
I drop, And then you had to keep a certain credit load, right,
and plus now you're a student athlete, which is like a full time
job. Yeah. So I ended up doing real well in the beginning,
and you know, I had like a three zero or something like that,
and then it started spot like going down and I'm like, all right,
I need to just keep it at a certain level so that you know,
I'm eligible for that season. So I there was multiple times where I think
it was like two years my sophomore in junior year, my coach Lou Mill
came out to me. It was like, look, Jeff, I gotta
get a tutor for you the whole time, or you know, you need
a man up and be a man and figure out how to do this this
balance of school, partying and and soccer. And I'm like, f off
man, like I got this, Like I'm gonna you know, now you're
coming to me now when I'm not doing good. But you know, where
were you when I was, like, you know, starting every game basically
as a freshman, running the show, helping the team win games. You
were started right out of the game. Yeah, alright out of the gate.
I was a center back in high school and then college soccer is completely
different than like I played with Delko. We played in the flat four.
We were able to like I was playing right back, getting up and down
the line, and more of a defensive position. Yeah okay, so but
still but still like I was getting a position. I get into college and
so I end up playing like like in a three back, and I ended
up. He was like, look, I don't give a shit what you
do. You're gonna mark their best player and just follow his ass all around
the field. And I'm like, you were that good a defensive player.
Yeah, I'm like, but not sexy. I was like, this isn't
what I signed up for. Man. I was like, but I'll do
it. So I would go in and I would I'd play the game and
I would literally just run around with like some of these all American kids and
just just lock them up for the game. But I was running everywhere on
the field like I wasn't playing a position. I was just you know,
canceling out their threat so that we would you know, we would win games
to one, or we'd lose games, you know, to one. But
it wasn't you know. It wasn't what I wanted. So I finally went
to him my like junior year, and I'm like, I'm done with this
man, Like I don't want to be running around the field and just looking
like I'm not affecting the game all card of the game. And they're like,
yeah, I'm affecting their game, but not ours. So he's like,
all right, I'll give you a chance. He puts me in like
midfield attacking center mad I end up scoring like six or seven goals in like
five games, and then all of a sudden we were winning games like three
two, and then it came conference and he's like, go right back to
that market. Not like why, I don't know he was. He was
a forward I believe as a coach, but they shifted their mindset like from
us winning games like high see. That's like to me that you're you're coaching
not to lose, which I think is a bad exact form. And that's
how I looked at it. Look you're I was like, if we can
win, that's all that matters. Like if we win four to three,
if we win five two, like it doesn't matter we won, Yeah,
like you care more about like if we, you know, tie games,
or if we you know, leak goals, Like who gives a shit?
If you if you're winning, who cares? Right, So he ended up
shifting me back to that man Mark system and we went into the conference and
we did all right, but we same same mentality. We would win games.
Now, what's the form. Everybody's familiar with its kind of well the
college football format. So it's somewhat confusing, I think for people along the
way. But do you get into like with hockey they have the frozen four,
do they do the same thing. Do you get down? Yeah?
No, they So you got your conference, you gotta win out on your
conference. We we never won. I don't believe the conference and we never
got But we had a couple of years because we had like basically all the
Philly kids that were kind of rejected from big schools. Yeah, but we
we had like we had probably like eight nine Delco boys that were like we
we had a legit tea. So guys you had already played with then,
yeah, like they were either yeah, they were either a year above me
or a year below me. So we had a great group. I mean,
unfortunately we didn't really do the best that we could. There was a
lot of like injuries and stuff that happened, and you know, guys didn't
really perform like they did at club in college because I mean, everybody thinks
they're the ship when they're in you know, when in big, big games
and stuff. But when things get hard and you're you're playing a basically like
in a beer league, you're like where guys just beat the shit out of
each other the whole time, it's different. You know, like the game
wasn't sexy then it was who's got who who can basically bully the other guy.
I played soccer for a brief period and I didn't really understand the game,
and we didn't have it coming up growing up. So I had gone
to West Point to a summer camp to learn to play. I still couldn't
really figure it out. So I used to just run through guys and there
was one team they would punch me right in the face every time. For
whatever reason, I kind of liked it. I did. I enjoyed that.
But that's a because there's a lot of movement in soccer and a lot
of communication and it's actually if you if you watch at the professional level.
It's it's a beautiful game. I mean when they're playing, he can almost
see the patterns and the triangles and the you know, if you know what
you're looking for. So from Drexel, you go, yeah, so it's
from Drexel. I spoke to my coach. My coach was like, look,
Jeff, you want to play at the next level. And I was
like, yeah, definitely do And he's like, all right, well I
think you can. I'll make some phone calls because he obviously has been around
the game for so long, he's got connections with different people. Fortunately,
you know, he was he coached and knew Bob Bradley. He used to
it was the Metro Stars coach at the time, and they were like,
look, we'll get you a trial with them and Kansas City because they knew
both coaches. So I was like all right. So I basically said to
myself, all right, I know I'm going somewhere, right. And it
comes the end of the year and I'm like okay, So I finished it
my senior year fall season, I go into their like are you gonna sign
up for classes? And I'm like, fuck, no, I know what
I need to do. So I drop out and not drop out of school.
I just don't sign up for classes. So I spend the winner there
at my the Drexel training facility, and I was like, I'm going to
train as hard as I can. So what like being a student athlete and
all, you know, I think it's a it's a different thing. One
of my sons is on a Division two team. He's a thrower, so
he's and there's workouts and scheduled stuff. But when you're doing a team sport,
he's more individual, right, it's his performance, his practice, and
they got you know, a bunch of guys. But I think it's got
to be very different because then there's also meetings, right, and you probably
were watching film and so that that believe it or not. So the game
has progressed so much from when I started, when I was in college and
then when I was in pro. When I was in college, we watched
a little bit of film, Okay, not much. You know, like
things weren't really as available then. You didn't really have like the they had
all Like all the technology now is come where you can literally have a camera
on every single player or know their distance travel like we used to wear like
the monitors and stuff. They're like little sports pro level, the pro.
In college, you didn't have anything really, So it was just starting to
develop in the in the early two thousands, and you know, I we
we had our meetings, but not really So I went in and knowing that
I was going to go to the next level somehow or at least be seen.
So I trained every day. What would that what would that take?
What like what would that be? So I wouldn't I would get up at
like six o'clock in the morning. If you have a coach or were doing
this on nobody really impressed. Nobody even know, like they didn't really know.
My only guy that knew really what I was doing was my athletic trainer.
Why did you not tell anybody? I don't know. I think I
think, yeah, I think it was just like, look, I'm gonna
do this on my own, Like I have a big belief a lot of
times, right that if you have an idea like that, ye don't tell
anybody because they're gonna go damn man. Everybody tries to get to that level
and they start to put the doubt in your head. And if you just
go and do your thing, you can do it. I love the surprise.
I love like being the guy that nobody like. I've always been counted
out, been cut from. I got cut from Daco when they first started.
I got from States. I got like overlooked constantly. And what made
you keep coming back and not give up? What is that? It was
just a self drive. Man. It was like it was just like the
I mean, I don't know, a deep belief in yourself, just that
that that belief and this is all self made because you remember, like you
is your dad? My dad's pushing me at all? Or dad was a
yeller and he was like, you know, he didn't know the sport.
Ye my mom didn't know the sport. They just they just knew I was
a great athlete. Okay. They were like whether he's a baseball player or
a basket obviously not basketball wasn't tall enough. But baseball I was really good
at and and soccer. So even till this day, I joke with my
parents, I'm like, do you even know like what all sides is?
Do you even know what position I truly play? And they would be like
trying to spit it out to me. I'm like, you've watched me for
like twenty five years, and but that's that's that's it is the American way.
But it's a great testament to you. Yeah right, Yeah. I
was just like, look, it's like me going to your work and being
like, oh, I know you're the the director of the of like your
office area or you're like the head secretary whatever, but like I don't know
what that is, and I ask you and I watch you go to work,
like once a week I come and watch you like do your thing,
run the office, run your appointments. And then I come back to you
and I go, but what do you really did? You know? I
mean, like the same thing with my dad, Like I always a self
made man, so I'm like it's not like I go up to him like
all right, so do you actually do the payroll yourself? Yeah? Like
I know all that because it's like I guess it's just like I've been in
sports and stuff so long that I and I've traveled, I've been able.
It's just funny that you think after twenty five years that they would take like
more of an interest to even learning watch a YouTube video anything. But I
think that their response was always like I just love watching you play sports.
Which is quite a comment. Yeah, like, and it is a compliment.
I mean, my parents sacrificed everything for me, you know, like
they might not have been there always, but they are always willing to like
get me the new cleats, always will in to drive me to practice.
Shit, they forgot to pick me up sometimes, but like, I think
that's normal. And then like my dad and my mom would they were divorced,
my dad got remarried, and they would drive up from the Filly area
up to New York when you were when you were I was playing for five
years, they came up to every single game together. X uh step mom
in the cart, my dad wi them. Yeah, they would sacrifice everything
to come watch me play. So it was pretty cool. I mean,
I look back on it now and I'm like, man, like, it's
all my mom's just she's very She's an unbelievable woman, very spiritual, very
like can forgive. And obviously you know, well for the first years it
was a shit show. It's like, well, I'm trying to overcome everything.
That's a amazing testament of love, which I mean it sounds corny,
but it really is. And the fact that they would put aside their differences
piling a car and come see you play at the pro level. But take
me back to that. You're training, You're doing this on your own.
What are you doing? So every morning I'd get in there like probably like
six thirty because I knew the trainer okay, only had a window of like
an hour and a half to be there with me. Oh so this guy
would help you just kind of it's funny. So what do you do is
I'd go in, I'd run like two miles, just all out on the
treadmill in his in his like office area. What is it like sprinting?
I'd run as fast as I could give me a mile time. So I'd
like I'd run under six minutes every single time. Yeah, so but I
was never done that since I was like fifteen minute and it sucked and I
never was a runner. But I'm like, I gotta do this, like
because I know at the next level, old guys are going to be fitter
than me, stronger than me, and I have to like stand out somehow.
So I'd do that and then he would, you know, rub me
down, get any I saw me, get any work done on me.
And then I'd go upstairs and play like an hour and a half of one
on one basketball with him, and I'm like, I know basketball, and
I know that that type of those types of one on one movements and you
know, jumping, sprinting, you know, being able to like fall,
get up shoot, land and the movements were similar but very different almost.
I was last training mentality. I had never heard of that. That's very
interesting. But the fitness level is unreal, yeah, because it's like you're
going at it for an hour straight. You know, you'd take your water
breaks, but you're going and you're jumping, getting rebounds, getting slammed,
fall and getting up shooting, you know, trying. Like it was different
movements that I was like, look, I don't do this in soccer all
the time, so I need to work on everything. So I'd play for
like an hour hour and a half with him. After I ran them like
the two miles, then I'd go down into the training room, like the
weight room, yeah, and I'd just go at it for like another hour
when you were doing weights, I mean, lighter, more reps. I
did everything at that time. I didn't. I just don't want to get
to soccer players aren't really that big. I mean the a big, but
they're not. They don't put on the muscle or the like that. Well
you're running, you almost want to be leaner. Yeah, So I'd work.
I had the the weight trainer in there with me, and he would
just show me some you know, whatever exercise I need to do for that
day. I didn't want to take up people's time because I didn't want him
to be like, well, Jeffson here doing this and he's I got other
teams coming in, he's distracting them. And so I did my thing.
I just kept going and I did that every day for you living on campus
at the time. Oh yeah, she's living on campus, not taking any
classes, and no one's flying at you with hey man. No, I
don't know how I pulled it off because nobody once asked me, like,
I guess because the season was over and they're like, we don't really need
him anymore, Like he's not like my my college coach didn't pick up on
nobody went to him, like Jeff didn't register for any classes. Yeah,
So I was like, I don't care that I keep going. And then
like but it was like how many days and a half, how many days
a week are you doing that? I was doing it every day, five
six days a week, five six days a week, the same routine,
the same routine every day. I get in the cold tub after it stretched.
I did everything just to keep myself become so popular now, Yeah,
and you're seeing them like I've been taking a cold shower to start my day
for a couple of years. But it's a cold shower, not even close
so cold top, but it gets the It's like it gets the I think
it was like all the like adorphins and neurons and everything going. And you're
people still do that at all, not so much. I mean I did.
I had such a when we get to that part of my my life.
Yo, I had such a strict regiment for so long. Yeah,
I mean I've let myself obviously go of that because I'm not the hardest thing
is I don't like as athletes, as you leave the game, it's like,
what do you have as a goal or what drives you? Yeah?
Next, And that's the hardest thing. And that's why we I mean,
I'm not going to say we all, but that's why you know a lot
of us have problems with the next part of our life because you don't have
that at the locker room. The well you hear. I mean one of
the things. You know, I've been around a lot of the Buffalo Bills.
They do training camp at my old Alma Mata in Rochester, So for
years we would go and interview the players and you would see guys, I
mean, even like Tom Brady talking about it's when this is over, the
roar of the crowd, that kind of appreciation for what you did. And
I mean, I would think like professional athletes at any level, you know,
it's it's an amazing thing, and it's like being a gladiator, right,
You're going out there. It's both entertainment and sport and you're doing something
that people appreciate you all that they can't do. Yeah you know, yeah,
I mean we so we had I had like different phases of my career
where it was like I had that feeling, yeah, the roar because it's
like I went to Seattle and that's that was a proper club. Yeah,
through and through. So you go when you try it out for the revenue.
So you did how long did you train this way you were training for
I trained about a month and a half. So it comes to draft.
I think the draft I'm trying to remember back. I think the draft was
in what do they have anywhere? Like? Okay, so four people who
are fans of the NFL. There's the combine they do. Okay, they
had it. I got I didn't. I was on the waiting list or
something like that. Some bullshit. Okay. I mean, I don't know
if that's true or not. They just never invited me. They did not
invite you to the combine. Okay, So I go. I go,
right, so now you get a tryout though, because they know the coach.
But no, I'm still in Drexel. I'm doing one of my last
days. It's the draft day, okay. So I'm sitting there and I'm
like, I'm listening to the early part of the draft like on the internet,
and I'm seeing people get drafted. They didn't. I don't even know
if they had audio then it might have just been like popped up. So
it pops up, and I'm like, all right, they're twenty in.
I'm like, I'm just gonna go work out. Like I don't even think
I'll just bank on the tryout. So I go. I go, already
tried out. No, So I go into I go and start training at
Drexel again that day the day of the draft, and I get done like
three hours later, and I look at my phone. I didn't even go
back to check the what was going on with the draft. I look at
my phone and they're like fifteen voicemails and like all kinds of shit going on
with my phone. So I'm like, what's going on? So I get
out of the gym, I walk, I shower, I go out and
I'm like, I got the old flip phone. I'm like trying to scroll
through see who called. And I start listening to them. They're like,
holy shit, man, you got fucking drafted. Bro, look at you.
So I'm walking out and I'm like, I he's They're fuck. They're
messing at me. Like the guys my teammates all knew I was on,
you know, going like to try to go on trials. And I get
home and I'm like, I're not home. I'm like halfway and I listened
to like four or five and everybody's cheering in the background, and then I'm
like, oh my gosh. So I call my dad. I'm like,
Dad, I think I got drafted, and he's like my response to it,
how the fuck do you think you got drafted? You either did or
you didn't, which is a national thing to say, but that would have
been I didn't know. So I'm like crying. I'm like, holy shit,
like this is everything I've worked for for the last like ten years,
like fifty, you know, fifteen years whatever. And I get to my
room and I pull it up and there I was the last pick of the
draft. Wow, mister mister irrelevant. Yeah. I went on the ESPN
first take when they had it back in when I after I got drafted.
Oh, they had you on there. Yeah, They're coming my hair and
shit, and I'm like, my hair's all along and I'm like, no,
no, no, I'm going on with a beanie. So I go
on with a beanie and they're like, what do you want to be called?
The guys like you were number sixty they called like the I think it
was in football. They called him like mister irrelevant. Yeah, so I
didn't even think of it, like if they gave me some time to think
about it. And I was into like the WWF at the time. How
the ww I was like, call I would like to be called the Big
Show. And they started laughing their ass off, and I was like,
that's all I got for you, man, because it's like you said this
sean first take. Who was hosting? Was it stephen A? No,
it was it was a woman and somebody else. I forget who. Oh
it might have been you know the guy that had like two different colored eyes.
Yes, and I can't remember his name. Yeah, he was amazing.
He's kind of not in the he's not really in. Yeah, the
ESPN has done a whole bunch of changed, but he was there back.
That was back in two thousand. Do you say this on TV? I
want to show? Yeah? I want to be called the Big Show.
Okay, So I like I had I had. I wasn't like being overly
confident, but I was like, dude, I made the show. Yeah,
the Big Show. Yeah, that's kind of what through my head.
What happens when you when you say that on TV and now you're going to
go to a team and they probably heard about it. Did they give you
any ship? No? I didn't give us anything. They started laughing because
they knew I was. I'd been training at that point for like a month
with the team. But when I went up, so I drove myself up.
This is how funny it is. I call I don't even nobody calls
me to tell me I'm drafted. I'm like, what the No one from
the team called me. From the Metro Stars calls me, so I'm like,
what the Maybe they called my parents like home line or something like that
to get in touch with me, because it's like they didn't have my cell
So I'm like what do I do? So I called the Metro Stars and
I'm like, uh, this is Jeff Park and I think I got drafted
number sixty, Like what's my next steps? They're like, hold on you,
this is really Jeff and I was like yeah, Like nobody's reached out,
like can I can I talk to like one of the coaches or something?
Can I talk to Bob Bradley? Like yeah, let us put Bob
on real quick. And Bob gets on. He's like he's mister like military,
Jeff, what's going on? Man? Like yeah, congratulations, we're
gonna be starting camping like two weeks. Ready, get yourself up here.
I'm like, well, what do you want? Where do I go?
He's like get yourself to a hotel. This is like I'm like what all
right? So I get like any hotel, Like is there a team hotel?
Like what do I do? He's like, just grab yourself a hotel.
We'll we'll give you the perdium and we'll we'll pay you back after,
you know, if you make the team. And I'm like, okay,
here we go. This is on your own, on my own dime.
I'm in college, like this is hang on, like, this is on
your own dime. And if you don't make the team, if you eat
just only yeah you eat it. Professional sport is. But see this,
this is how it works. They know within like the first week, if
you're good enough to stay, and then they'll add you to the to the
team hotel or whatever. So I get ready, I get myself going and
my I didn't really have my car sucked. I get going in my car.
My fucking brother put something in like the oil or something in the gas.
My car breaks down on the side of PA Turnpike. I'm driving up.
I got practiced the next morning, right. Can you imagine if like
you just got drafted and she's just like, yeah, get yourself up here.
Yeah, and you don't show up, And I was like, there's
nothing stopping me. So I pull over on the side of the road.
My car's like got smoke coming out everywhere. Call my mom. I'm like,
you need to get your ass up here. I'm on the side of
PA. I need to get your jeep and you gotta I gotta take it
up. And she starts laughing. She's like, all right, I'll be
there. My mom and my dad, who were both divorced, jumping the
and so that they can. Like my dad's following her. My mom's swings
in front of me. I jump in her jeep. It's like nine thirty
at night. I gotta be up there and then get in the hotel,
check in and be ready for practice the first day of the next morning.
So I got up there and like that. That's awesome that they yeah,
any cars all. I was like, just take care of my car.
I don't know how you're getting it off off the PA Turnpike. Did you
ever find out how they did? They just totaled it. Man. It
was like the thing was so old. I used to do all kinds of
crazy shit in that car. So now you get to the Metro Stars and
so obviously you make the team. Well, yeah, after they I didn't
have all. I was on living off of was the perdium. Yeah,
so I didn't sign a contract until probably a week before the season started,
and they were fucking with me the whole time they knew I was. They
brought in all these guys, like these top names center backs and stuff like
that, like veterans from the league. Yeah, and I beat him out,
man, like I was able to. And I played alongside who's still
today arguably the best defender I've ever been around, the US has ever produced
was Eddie Pope. So he's like one of the he was at that time,
like arguably the biggest US player, him and Claudia Arena and all them,
but Eddie was the man, and I ended up starting next to him,
and him and I played together for a couple of years until him and
until Eddie and Bob got and like started knocking heads and then left. So
you signed that first contract, Yeah, my contract was twenty eight grand.
I was living in Hoboken, New York or New Jersey, and I ended
up jumping in with like the rookie that was like yeah, but there was
people making less than me. It was really unreal, man, So I'm
living how long is this season? Then? Dude? We went from at
that time. We went from I think it was March March. Yeah,
well we started we started preseason in January, and it was like the longest
hell of life at that time for me. Or you're you're traveling all over,
You're you're down in you know, Central America training uh in like ninety
eight degrees to get you ready for the summer months in so they fly you
all down there. Yeah, we go all over and we go to New
York are, we go to Florida, We go down to Central America.
When you're down in Central America? Do you play Central American clubs at all?
Yeah? Yeah, it was a different style. Yeah, you learn
things from Yeah. I mean their their technique is unreal. Man. Those
guys, you know, the crowds are crazy either throwing shit at you,
like literally like piss at you and like rocks and I mean I saw,
I'll get that later, but like I saw like a diaper getting thrown in
one of my coaches, like a dirty diaper, and like did it was
crazy? Wow? Luckily it was throwing preseason, so we didn't get that.
Our asses kicked too bad then when we started playing them in bigger cup
games and stuff. Like that, which was insane, Like when we played
Monterey in them Yeah, I'll tell you that later, but that was I
saw shit there. I'm like, oh my gosh, I can't. I
mean, but it was like preseason was tough, man. And then I
didn't sign, like I said, until like the week before the season,
and then they named me the starter, not the first game, but the
second game, and I started the rest of the rest of the time in
all five years in New York, playing in Giant Stadium. Yeah, and
then I but then I got me in. Uh. Bob Bradley kind of
got yeah, didn't really see eye to eye anymore. And then he got
fired, and then Moe Johnson came in. Was basically like he threw me
out. He threw me this is when I when things started clicking. He
threw me out of the team for the rest of the year. There's like
a week left and he's like, go to the fuck home. You know,
I'm tired of you sulking and going back and forth with like all your
shit, get a personal trainer and come back next season and you'll have your
spot again. Why was that? What was going on? It was just
like at that time I was getting blamed for everything as a rookie. I
was like, or my second year, sorry, I was like, things
were just you know, I was just tired of getting blamed for shit,
like everybody, like the coaches were always like, oh, you should have
done this. It was tough, Like mentally it was tough, Like I'm
like going through all like the grind and everything like that. I had big
expectations because after that year, my rookie year, everybody was like, you
know, you have chance to be on the national team. You need to
just keep yeah, keep pushing yourself. Eddie Pope was next to me.
I was like, shit, I don't have a there's I can learn from
the best. But I was immature, you know. I mean I was
still getting out of like I was still I kind of fell into that like
you know where I'm starting to like, I know I'm good enough, but
like, oh, I'll take the foot off the pedal a little bit.
Well, there's also probably you're in one of the biggest cities in the world
and there's a certain segment. I mean, I don't know, but I'm
gonna say hockey has the hockey bunnies. I would assume that there's women yeah,
and you know, now for I mean definitely for the guys that wanted
them, they were there. Yeah, I was. I was dating a
girl who ended up being my wife at the time, and I just I
was focused on that and I knew what I what I wanted to do.
It's just that, you know, I was still partying like I was in
college. You know, I was still do dumb shit. I was like
I went down to like Monday night football games and like Philly, Yeah,
and like got hammered and then like the next morning, Dan, are you
an Eagles fans? My middle son is an Eagles fan, but they're some
of the I mean, they're that's violent there, but you're I was an
Eagles fan, So yeah, no, no one's gonna mess with you.
But I mean that's the closest thing we have to Central Americans throwing bags of
piss snowballs with batteries. So yeah, it's like did I used to.
I did a lot of dumb shit, Like I drove back up like six
in the morning and like was hungover. Yeah, you know, and you're
thinking that it doesn't it doesn't. You're thinking no one's seeing this or they
didn't really see it. Because all of us young kids, we were all
like they knew, like they could smell the alcohol on us and stuff,
and they were they weren't like, please buy it. But like I didn't
do it all the time. But it's just like it wears on you.
Man. You're traveling, uh like forty fifty times a year, and you
know, you're not going first class, you're not going even private, you're
going in commercials. So you're sitting with everybody. Yeah, and you know,
like you're getting your ass just beat up everywhere you're going. You're flying.
I was flying probably like thirty five forty thousand miles a year. Wow,
and just you know, on the grind. So and I wasn't like
and we never determined. The season starts marches that time, March, and
then it goes to it's going to like November November. Yeah, so it
was a long season. And then and then and then you have like basically
you have like the first week you're finished normally, like the first week of
November, and then you're off like the rest of November December, and then
you're back in the first week of January. But it's like, you know,
I always had a routine where I take three weeks off completely, let
my body completely heal, right, heal, and then you know, then
go at it again and you do two three days and then you get into
preseason, and it's just so when this coach, this new coach comes in
and says, get a trainer and all, that's when it sort of clicks.
Yeah, it was starting to click. I was starting to like that's
when my body, Like I was like, my body's breaking down. Like
I didn't. I didn't have many injuries, like I had a hamstring here
and there and some ankle tears. But so I was like my wife's brother
at the time, we were like, look, we got to figure a
way to like keep you healthy, strong and push you so that you you
you do all your hard work basically in the off season and then you work
your ass off during the season training. But also but you're like your levels
aren't going to drop. And I was like I was doing everything, man,
like I would. I work like NonStop starter all the time. I
got into like the you know, I was are there bonuses and things much?
I was stupid. I ended up getting like a an agent, which
I was like, this is dumb. So I ended up after like two
years, I was like, I'm going to sign a new contract. Well,
after you sign that new contract at the time, it's like you get
it's like a one year contract with like three or four year option for club.
Okay, so you're screwed and it only goes up like ten percent a
year. So dude, by the time I was done five years, I
was making I think like it was like fifty five sixty grand and how much
are you spending on personal trainers? And then I was I was a lot.
You know, I was able to like I was probably to get sponsored
and stuff. Well no, so my no, not like to that.
So I worked my own Nike deal. If that's what you're talking about.
I did that. I worked my own Nike deal. And that's like for
later. But I literally sat with my cell phone in my pocket and it
was warming up and the Nike heads scout slash like runs Brad's self was his
name, ran Nike Soccer, and I called him like fifteen times a day,
wrote them emails and it was like I needed a Nike deal. And
he finally was like you got you got fifteen minutes, I'll call you blah
blah blah, and I'm like, shit, dude, like I'm in the
middle of training, just quite the hustle. You get some hustles. So
I was like fuck it. I was like I run over act like peing
and I get on the phone with him and I'm like you. I was
like, you need to you need to sign me. I'm gonna be I'm
gonna I'm gonna make the national team. He's like all right. He's like
all right, You're gonna sign with Nike. And it was like a ten
thousand dollars deal. But it was like, dude, now I got all
Nike gear, everything I want. I can wear Nike every time. Do
they give that an addition to paying you or is that in It was like
here's your payment. Isn't even in cash. It's like here's your product.
Yeah, get ten thousand dollars worth of product. That was awesome. All
right, I'm cool with that. But now I got Nike and now I'm
a Nike man. Yeah. Instead of like you could cut your own individual
deals. There was no contractual anything again at that time. Now yeah,
And it was like he's like, I'm not giving you cash and I was
like why and he's like, you're not on the national team, and I
said, well, I'm gonna be there, and he's like, I don't
give a shit. When you get on the team, maybe then i'll talk
to you. I didn't get there for another four years, but I got
there. You did get on the national national team for year. So after
how so your five years in New York it kind of clicks for you.
It's reminding me as you say that. I don't know if you watched the
documentary on Netflix, Redeem Team, and it's the basketball team after you know,
our dream team. They were winning bronze and stuff at a game we
invented, right, it's not it's not soccer or football as they call it
over overseas U And I think like all the young guys, lebron and some
of the young guys were out partying and they're coming in from partying. It's
like three four in the morning, and here comes Kobe Bryant coming down to
go work out and get a workout in pre workout, and that's when for
them they all kind of went, that's it. So is that sort of
what happened with you? You kind of got to that discipline level. I
don't know, it was like I think it was at a point where I'm
like, either I'm gonna make this or I'm not. Ye, Like,
I'm at a point I'm at a crossroad, so whether I make it.
So this isn't the first time you ran a crossroad. Yeah, but to
get into directlow, you got it it. I've done a lot of dumb
shit, and I always know, like there's there's always a crossroad where like
I come to where I'm like, either I'm going the opposite direction or this
is my time to to excel at what I'm doing. Yeah, And like
so I do this, and I do it for like a good year and
a half and then I trained my ass off. I have a personal trainer.
I go to practice, get done practice, going to New York City.
I trained for another two hours with a personal trainer, and I'm taking
all these supplements and all this stuff. Like I'm going home after that at
like four or five o'clock in the afternoon. I mean you, I mean
meanwhile, I'm starting at eight in the morning training and I'm getting home at
like five o'clock. Because you've got the rush hower and all that bullshit up
in New York jumping in the Epps and salt tub and stuff. I do
all that. I'm like eat, I'm eating certain foods, I have a
certain diet, I have certain weighted out foods. I take my foods with
me on certain trips and stuff. Because the foods we were eating at the
time was shit. We were eating like slop compared to what they do now.
And I was part of the part of the reason for that, because
I was like, everybody made fun of me, but I brought all the
best foods. I ate the best foods, and I'm like, this is
how we should be eating. And like the teams started like years after started,
you know, putting that into their their their diets and stuff. So
let me just interrupt and I apologize. So, uh, I have a
friend named Brian Gionta. Brian was an HL player I Want a Stanley Cup
pretty young and then became I think the second American to be captain of the
Canadians, where it's like you know huge, yeah, life there. Yeah.
So and he's retired. He then went, you know, did some
time with the Sabers and then the Bruins and wrapped up his career and played
for Team USA Hockey. But he'll say to me like I'm watching my kids.
He goes, they'll go into the pantry and get like a sleeve of
oreos, and I go, you don't know what you're doing to your body,
you know. And I gotta think that that's sort of your mentality too.
Yeah, I mean it definitely was. And at that time, it
was like to Terrell Owens and all that. And I was watching these guys
and I'm like, they're freaks about like their profession. Yeah, I was
like, I need to I need this in my life to see if I
can get to the national team. I was never in the national team program,
which at that's how a lot of the kids came up. Yeah,
they and then that's how they get on the national team. So I'm doing
this speed forward. I end up one year half towards the end of this
is there's the end of my career in New York and this is why I
left New York. So I get to the end of the fifth year there
and I get pop for PDS. So I'm training my ass off doing all
this stuff, and all of a sudden, I get a phone call after
training one day. They're like it's like the Union or something like that from
so are they testing regularly. Oh yeah, I got I get tested like
four times a year, okay, and all during season. And the guys
like, Jeff, you're you're positive for like bullet own or whatever. That
was like what Mark McGuire tested positive? And I was like, well,
how's that possible? It was like all I take is supplements and stuff.
I don't know how it is, Jeff, but you know there's no way
you can get out of this really, like it's whatever. The like,
the policy is, whatever you put in your mouth is your responsibility. And
I was like, oh, so it took like a couple hours to digest.
Did you was there anything you didn't know? This is what I found
out. So I when when it happened, there was a goalie of mine,
he was training with the same trainer. We were taking these powder recovery
drinks. So at the time, I'm like, nobody's talking about how tainted
the powders are from like your supplement shop or anything like that. There's there's
steroids in there are in the powders. I used to think like at that
time, like you have to shoot something into my answer my shoulders. I
would too. I would have thought the same thing. Yeah, and then
they started coming after we got nailed. We got nailed. Then Richard Thus
from the Magic got nailed, and then like a picture from the Phillies got
nawn. All like on the similar stances, like we are all like shit,
like we're not. Can you guys sue those recovery drink companies. You
can't because there's like they it says like not FDA approved or something like that.
Most supplements will have that. I don't know if they've changed now because
I'm not really like yeah, up with it. But at the time I
send the so I send the bottle like a bottle of the stuff that I
have. And the crazy thing was, I mean the name of the names
sent it. I sent it to a lab and in Chicago to get tested.
I'm like, I gotta go. I gotta know what the fuck I
just took, Like I want to know, Like, so this is all
on your own again? Yeah, well, my like we it was like
four grand or something like that to get it all like completely dissected. So
I get it dissected and then or tested, and they come back They're like
Jeff reading this and the molecular structure is almost identical to the steroid. You
can't really tell the difference, but it's it's we've never seen anything really like
it, but if you look at it, it looks very similar. So
I'm like, fucked, I'm done. So I get called into the Uh
what is their policy in MLS have one? That's this is why it's you're
saying, I'm done, and I'm going on, look, thought, we
all watched the stuff with baseball where pet's prevalent in MLS, probably not or
not that. So that's the funny thing. You're the first funny. But
I'm always whenever, like, whenever something happens to me, I'm always like,
people learn from your pioneer, Yes, pioneer from badness and goodness.
I guess. So I uh, I go into the Commissioner's office. Don
Garber sits me down. I'm sitting at the table. I'm like, I
know, fucked. I know he's going to make an example of me.
It's like, Jeff, we've we've never had a steroid case. And I'm
like a, yeah, I know, and my name's on the ESPN ticker
park gets gets pop for pds and then all of a sudden, I'm like
he's like I'm gonna make an example of you. I'm sorry, but I
have to. And I was like, you gotta be kidding me, Like
I didn't know what I was doing. Like I didn't, I wasn't shooting
up at that point. Did you have the results back? Yeah, and
I showed. I mean, he just did the old flip through, you
know, like real quick. He's like, I was like, I didn't
lawyer up. I didn't do anything like that. The union was fucking weak.
They weren't like they're basically we're like, oh, we can't really help
you, jes Did you wish you had lawyered up or did you feel like
the union would help me? Like okay, you know, like the players
union would be like look, but at that time, they never had a
case. So I was like, I'm gonna have to eat this. Yeah,
I mean literally, And he's like, we're gonna hit you with a
ten game suspension and we're gonna find you like ten percent of your salary.
I was like, I make like sixty grand dude, you're gonna take that's
like everything to me and I'm not going to be able to play for ten
games. I was like, that's a third of the season. I was
like, all right, So, I mean I'm crying as I go out.
I'm like, this is I mean, I think my career is over
because I'm like, whenever, like you're the first or something, you could
lose everything because they're like, I don't want to touch this guy. Meanwhile,
I'm out of fucking contract too, So I'm like And that was the
year Seattle came in and was like the so when they have the new team
come in, they get to pick from all the unprotected players like it is
in most sports. So New York calls me the Jeff Vegas, he was
the direct sporting director, calls me. He's like, Jeff, we want
to resign you. And I was like, oh, yeah, where the
fuck were you guys when I was, you know, basically getting dragged through
the mud. He told me to leave. The team told me to stay
away, didn't allow me to talk during this whole pet You think they were
like, go so that team doesn't back you. The Union's week. They
all just tell me to leave. So I left. I mean I kind
of left that out, but they left. They were like, dude,
just stay away. We went through like a fricking crazy playoff run. Made
it to the MLS Cup and with the Red Bulls. The Red Bulls.
Yeah, they turned in the Red Bulls and they were like, just stay
away, which, by the way, I would love to know what's in
Red bull I mean, I like it, but you know it's give a
bunch of shit. Ye give me a heart attack, drink too much of
it. But so they called me during the MLS. This is what really
pissed me off. They called me during the MLS Final and they're like,
we want to fly you out, come out with the team, but you
can't stay in the team hotel. You got to stay at a different hotel.
We don't want any distractions because they thought what the press would be and
the press and start eating it up because they kind of forgot about it,
like they they drilled them for the first you know, three or four weeks
when when it happened, and then after that it kind of went away and
they were like, so game suspension and then no, no, I'm still
on the team because the suspension just started. So I'm like two games in
because they counted the playoffs and all that ship too, so they're like,
let's just you can count it, and I'm like you motherfucker's dude, you're
gonna ask me to cut you. First, you tell me to stay away
from I'm basically a cancer. You're the red headed step shot. Yeah,
and you and then you want to invite me out. But but you say,
I can't really be around the team. I gotta stay somewhere else.
I can't even really like are they paying for that? Yeah, they'll pay
for it. But I'm like, I'm like the like the ghost, like
you're the forgotten guys. Team camaraderie is that, Yeah, it's like,
dude bonding. Everybody knows who I am. Yeah, they know that I'm
not a cheater. They know I'm not like trying to. Yes, my
fitness level was insane, and I was like, but that was because I
was working like an extra two three hours a day on top of what I
was doing on training. Yeah. And then they so they offered me a
contract and I was like, go fuck yourself, dude, I'll take my
chances in whatever comes to my next endeavor or with whatever team. And then
Seattle snag me. Yeah, and were they paying more? Oh yeah a
lot? Good? Yeah, But that was I mean, I could talk
for days on the next because then I was going to you. I went
to Europe and tried out and tried to go over there, but I got
fucked over there too, because they all that's when the internet started taking off.
The stuff follows you everywhere. I went everywhere. Ye So who were
you trying out for it? I was. I went over to Germany.
I was with like a couple of teams over there, Augsburg. Did you
get on those teams? Trained with them? Okay? But they ultimately at
the end of wehere like, look, we can't we saw what happened to
you. We can't really take a chance. Plus like my my ego,
my you know, my confidence was struck at that time. I was like,
fuck, I know, like people are talking about me. I know,
like I'm not really like where I want to be. And like I
went to the big club Anderlecht at the time in Belgium, and that was
where Lukaku, the big he's all over Europe now, he was training.
He was sixteen years old. I was there with him and they were like
the ender like sporting director says to me, goes all right, Jeff,
you know we like your agent, but you know you're not on the national
team and you know, we'll see what we can do. Either you'll be
here for two three days or you could be here for a while, and
we like you, we signed you. And I said okay, and I
was. I was there for like two three weeks all on my own dime.
Agent wasn't paying shit. I was like, I gotta make this.
I was like, dude, I've been here for two weeks with the under
twenty one team because they don't like you to play with the first team unless
you're a national team player. How old were you at the time. I
was like twenty seven, okay I think, And they were like I finally
had my agent. I'm like, dude, you gotta call this director again.
Like the sporting right, I've been here for two weeks. I'm training
with them, I'm playing games. Yeah, I'm like, did something.
Either it's good or it's really bad, Like I forgot about me. So
I was training with like Lukaku and all those like studs that were like sixteen
years old, guys were going to like massive clubs like Man United, Chelsea.
Like I'm like, I'm playing with these kids, like I'm holding my
own. Yeah, they're sixteen and I'm twenty seven. But I mean,
if I can, you know, sure these twenty and then the other guys
were like twenty. I was like, if I can bang with them and
like at least not stand out like a sore thumb, like I should at
least have a chance at like a lower you know, like a you know,
the Belgium league's good, but it's not like the Premier League or Italy
or Spain or whatever. So it's crazy. Make that team the guys said.
He's like, oh, yeah, Jeff, you were really good,
but guess what you're You're not on the r US national team. And I
was like the movement, the US movement of players around that time, when
guys like the Clinton MCS were playing over there, there was only a selected
few that were doing really well, and the clubs weren't taking chances on Americans
because they were like, they're just great athletes. They're not soccer players.
We don't want to they're not footballers, we don't want them over here.
And what's the difference than in their mind? So they we just weren't technically
as interesting. Yeah, and you played this game since you were seven or
eight, which was it was the truth. We didn't we didn't have the
full understanding, and we didn't have the technique to how to play the game
and how to play the chess match against another chess player, right like we
were checkers. Were were good at checkers, but we weren't great at chess.
That's really. They knew how to move off the ball, they knew
how to like play the game, and they knew like they live and breathe
it. They go to school, they play soccer. They go to school,
they play soccer like they're any academies. They're not. Their life is
soccer. Yea. You know, they all know what they're doing, and
you know they that's they grew up around the best game. And that's why
it doesn't all the way back to the beginning of the conversation, that's why
it doesn't take off. Here is good because it's everything to them there.
You know, here we're just another league that's not a top league. You
know, Europe is. Everybody from the US that even knows anything about second
knows the Europe's the best best league. Does your confidence, which gets hit
with the peed, kind of go up knowing that you lasted about a month,
right, three weeks well with a European club one of the best and
playing against as guys who said are studs at that game? That had to
be a boost for you. Yeah, it was good. It was good.
It was definitely a boosts. I kept getting pulled back and forth because
Seattle had my rights. Okay, they were working on a contract back at
home, because I was like, look, I can't stay here forever,
like I'm bleeding money, like and I'm not going anywhere, so how are
you paying for all this? I just I mean, I had money stashed
and I was like, look, I'll bet on myself and like I'll just
keep going until like I run out of money or I make a team.
Yeah. So I got to a point where like I went back to Seattle.
I trained with them again in the following year in their preseason. So
the whole year went by with me bopping around the teams. Then I go
back to Seattle the following year. So they've already played their first season in
the MLS, so their inaugural season. You're not part of that team,
but they have the right on paper, but they don't have me on the
team. So I because they gave me some low ball offer, I was
like, I'm not signing that like, I'll see you, see you guys
later. So I came back. They offered me again. I said,
nope, see you. I go back to Europe. I go to a
new agent. He's in Germany. He puts me, he puts the Germans
are funky. He puts me in a renovated jail cell room, which was
a hotel. So the Germans love weird shit, so they he bought a
jail and he renovated all the all the jail cells into hotel rooms. They
still yeah, yeah, oh yeah, dude. It was crazy. And
that was like when like you didn't really you couldn't you. I couldn't make
like, uh, you know, foreign calls and calls back to the US
because like you'd have to use like a hard line or you know, you're
like they didn't have the good plans, would cost you a fortune if you
didn't. I didn't have a lot of money. So I was like,
screw it. So I'm living in a jail cell for like another month,
literally bunk bed, pisser right next to your toilet, right. Really,
this is the whole I lived in a jail cell for like a month and
a half, and I trained every day. I ran through the streets and
everything like that, hoping that i'd get a call from a team over there.
I got a call. I went there and Dusseldorf. I trained there.
I thought I did all right. I only got one sniff with the
first team and the guys were like, oh, dude, like this,
he's not on the same song and dance. It's not on the national team.
I haven't even played competitive soccer like an over a month, I mean
over a year, so I'm like a bit rusty, like I'm not really
like I noticed myself, like my fitness is is. My fitness is good
for like the first half of training, and then it's like it's just not
up there because you're doing different movements and I can't get that unless i'm training
every day with the team. Had I haven't trained with the team for like
six months at that time, And you know, then I went down to
Augsburg and on a train by myself, and I'm like, I gotta I
gotta like somehow like make this. And finally I got to a point where
I was like enough's enough. Like I was in Belgium again, went back
over to Belgium teams like yeah, we'll sign you. They were in like
a relegation battle, and I'm like I literally left in the night. I'm
like I'm done, Like I I've done everything I have. It's just not
in God's plan. And like I got I'll go back to Seattle. I'll
re establish myself and that will be it. And that's what I did.
And did they come with a better offer? Not much more. I sat
with it. So it was pretty crazy. I sat with the owner.
I told him like, look, I don't want to play for this coach.
Trade me now to la. He's like, look, Jeff, you're
too good to trade and we know you can get you for less than what
anybody else is you know, willing to pay, so we're not going to
trade you. And I was like, well I need more money and he's
like that's and I'm like right across for the its like I'm not playing for
your coach. Get rid of me now. And he's like I'm just not
gonna do it, man, and I'm I'm done with money, like I
have like maybe like a couple of grand left to hold me over. And
I was like fuck it. And I basically had my agent. I was
like bet every bet the whole house on my performance. So your performance for
what? So this is how I got my money back. I was like,
bet everything you got on my performance because I'm gonna bet on myself.
And he's like, we'll give you a base salary, like let's say of
one fifty, okay, and then we're gonna hit you. We're gonna give
you massive bonuses if you play a certain amount of games, and if we
win certain amount of games, and if you have a certain amount of minutes.
So this is significantly more money than you started twenty eight. Now you're
one fifty plus the bonuses. Now we're playing a little bit at that time,
like guys are still making a shitload more. But I wasn't on the
national team, like it didn't have really much say so I was like they
my agent put it in the contract that they bid on it, signed it
right, and I'm like, all right, it's up to me now.
So again, so again I bet on myself. But I like this because
everywhere like this is where just to take a little tangent, I always think
self esteem, right, is something we here talked about a ship ton when
it comes to kids, and I would always say, yeah, but you
can't you have to. That has to be sort of earned. Anytime you
see a kid winning, push them further, push them further. You did
that with nothing, like no nobody really doing it. And every time you
bet on yourself, it's paid off. So why wouldn't it pay off this
time? I mean, I mean you did it getting it out of high
school. You negotiate together, I mean all the way through. Yeah,
I always I always had to try something because it was like, look,
I'm either going to try it and fail or I'm not. I don't want
to ever look back and say, like I should have done that. Okay,
So I bet on myself and it's crazy because like I'm watching I did.
I played really well during the preseason, but they weren't gonna let me
start because they you know, they knew that, Like I was an asshole
for two years, a year and a half whatever, and it's the p
D thing. These are guys will fuck with me in the in the locker
room and be like hey draft or came here, let's I got something for
you. Like, but they knew that I was a good person. I
worked hard. But I'm saying, like with the coaches and stuffy kind of
everything kind of fell Away. They knew like I had to like basically walk
in the first couple of weeks with my tail between my legs and just be
like, look, you're gonna take whatever comes your way. You're gonna feel
like the size of an aunt at times. You're gonna just walk in the
room when it gets all quiet and people are looking at you, and like,
you just have to deal with it. So I dealt with it.
And then the contract I signed, and then after the first game, I
mean, it sucks for the guy. He tours ACL the first game,
so that means I'm the starter for the rest of the year. I hit
every single bonus, So what does that mean? Money in my contract?
And it rolled into my next contract, and so I literally went from one
fifty to two fifty and then just kept climbing from there on and got on
the national team. Where does that come in? I played with the Ziggy
Schmidt, which was a great He ended up being a great coach. Didn't
like him at first because I wanted to play with Bruce Arena. Because I
played with Bruce who was the national team coach and then he was New York
Red Bulls coach, and I played with him and loved him, and that's
where I wanted to be in La And then so Ziggy I trained played with
him for a couple of years. He was a great soccer mine, one
of the best the US ever produced. And he threw in a good word
for me with Jurgen klinsming As when he was the national team coach. So
all this time, Bob Bradley ended up getting the national team coach, and
him and I couldn't stand each other at one point, so Bob ended up
like I never got a sniff to go with the I just I knew it
wasn't ever gonna happen. Was I good enough? I probably wasn't consistently good
enough, but I was. I was there for a kid. I should
have been called into a camp. A little bit of politics play into this
too, So then yeah, Bob got fired after eight years, so I
had just had to like suck it up. And then Jurgen came in and
I played two years with Oh yeah, I was on year two with Ziggy
and I get my wife's pregnant and she delivers our first kid, and I
get a phone call from the national team in December, late December and they're
like, Hey, a guy just got hurt. We want you in camp.
You're getting said you're the next guy in let's go. So I'm like,
oh, fuck, dude, I haven't really trained because my wife had
a C section. I've been like she broke her fifth meta tarsla on her
foot. I'm like basically playing dad, like like mom as well at night.
So like I'm like, it's been really hard to train. I like,
it's my first time with a kid. You don't say any of this
to them, No, I do later though. I do later when he
when he calls me into camp, and I'm like, I'm fit, but
I'm not as fit as I should be because like I had and I didn't
know I was getting called into camp. Yeah, So I get into camp
and he's like and I'm working my ass off. And then they know because
they everything's they do like fitness tests like via two max I connected to your
mouth and you run on a fucking treadmill as hard as you can for as
long as you can, and they know it takes all your readings for your
your you know your vitals, everything like that, so they can they know
if you're fit, like you can't. You can't fake. It can't fake
that ship. So I get to the dine and he's like, Jeff,
you look pretty fit out on the field, but your vo two tells me
you're not. And I'm like, I was like, you're going, you're
You're right. I'm being honest with you, Like my my wife just had
a C section, you know, I didn't know I was getting called into
camp, like I wasn't really as fit as I should be. But if
you, if you let me kind of push myself through this, I'll I'll
show that I'm fit and I'll make sure that like you don't regret it.
So I ended up like being one of the fittest guys towards the end.
It gave me a second chance. Then and then it happens the next year
too. It happens the next year because my wife got pregnant. I didn't
know we have we have Irish twins. Sure I have that sixteen months apart
my guys and the same thing happens, and I'm like and this time,
I'm like, I was like, you're going, like, just let me
ride this out. And he does, and I started taking all their supplements
they were given and I ended up having the highest view of two in camp,
and they were like I never I knew I was just a pond.
I knew I wasn't like a guy that was going to be with the national
team because I was twenty nine at the time. I'm like my careers,
like, you're not going to take a chance with me when you got younger
guys that are like really good too, you know. But I ended up
getting a cap down and where was it? Panama? I went in played
there, I went to two camps, went all over with them. You
know, what is Nike doing doing all this? Not much? I mean
I'm still that's still like yeah. I was like, look at this point,
like I can't really negotiate. I'm not like gonna burn a bridge and
just call the guy out and be like, look I need more money.
Like I wasn't really looking for it like that. All I cared about is
the product looking looking like an athlete, being part of something and you know,
basically having it that. You know, all the other national team players
and all the other people in camp saw me getting my gear, saw me
like getting my boots delivered to me. You feel like you you kind of
made it in a way where you shit like I got my own you know,
I negotiated my own deal like which most guys don't like. And I
regret maybe some of that, like I should have had a good agent where
I was like, dude, you do all the work for me, yeah,
like do everything. Yeah, But I ended up developing the relationships.
So it was like you've been on yourself. You're a bit of a maverick,
like all the way through because I got screwed before where where the agent
basically signed me a new deal but he knew I wasn't making much more money.
It's just that he wanted to collect a percentage. And I basically told
the fucking guy. I was like, I'll give you your like ten grand,
but go fuck off. This is the last time I ever pay you
because like you basically basically shot me in the foot. Now I'm tied in
for you should have told me I would have been tied in for another five
years at a ship at a ship deal. So when you are the national
team ends, do you stay with Seatten? Yeah? Yeah, I went
back to Seattle the last year. This was my last year with them.
I on really spent three seasons, but it was amazing there by far the
best club. I mean we had we had owners that were worth like five
hundred million dollars. Drew Drew Carey was an owner. Paul Allen wasn't it
was an owner. Drew carry Joe Roth, he was like big, big
time in in Hollywood. He was. He did like the Johnny Depp What
was that crazy movie that they did? He did. He's done a lot
of movies, but at that time when I was there, they were doing
that crazy one. It was the the old not play but the old movie
Wanka. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, factor Yeah he redid that.
Yeah, he redid that. So he was out there and it was amazing.
You got everything you wanted, beautiful training facility, forty five thousand season
ticket holders. Everybody knew you would say, you know whatever. They felt
like, however, you've been playing on the street, ye supporting you,
you know, giving you everything that you want, going to restaurants and stuff
like. You felt like a pro. That was the first time in my
life I felt like a pro. Interesting And at that time, did the
Galaxy sign Beckham? No, that was before. So when I just left
New York, we played against Beckham the first game that he came to New
York. We want I think it was five four. Did that help soccer
in the United States? It is unbelievable, man, I mean it was.
I don't know if it's as big. It's probably not as big as
the Messy thing, because obviously, Messi is arguably the best player to ever
walk the planet, do you think so? Yeah? Yeah, so even
over Ronaldo is some people that debate Ronaldo Ronaldo is a better maybe a better
like score, but Messi is a better teammate and he makes everybody else around
them better. Yeah, I mean Ronaldo not taking anything away from him.
I still I think he's you know, sure one A or one B,
whatever you want to call it. And you know he's Messy at the end
of his career then is that why? I mean he's at the end.
Yeah, he's I think thirty seven now, so he's he's coming, He's
coming to an end of his career. He's still he's coming here. If
we're not as technically sound, just a nice way to go out and make
he's getting he's getting a nice welcome or you know, sending off because I
mean, I I played against guys that were I mean I've played against them
all. Yeah, the only guy I really like at the top of his
game that I haven't I never got the play against Ronado, but I played
against what's his name, like Ronaldinho at two, Iniesta, like all,
like Rudy, like I played against Kaku. I played against all these guys
at the top of their game. You know, at that time some of
the best players that ever. You know, we were playing against you know,
Barcela when that Barcela were in the Champions Leagues. Yeah, and you
know, obviously we're losing like five six one, but you know we were
out on the field with them and being able to, you know, be
amongst some of the greatest players that ever played. When did you know it
was all kind of done for you what? I never knew. So I
literally woke up one morning and that's why it's so hard. I woke up
and I couldn't really walk. My equal librium was completely off. It was
down in DC. I signed. After I went from Seattle, I went
to Philly, my hometown, and I couldn't stand it there. I was
like I told the coach, I was like, I played for a year,
I had a great year, and I was like, I need to
leave, like this is we're trading at a fucking uh what's it called a
park, like fifteen minutes away from the stadium, like nothing, no consideration.
No, obviously they were trying to get to that point. But I'm
like, look, I'm coming to the end of my career. I just
was on the national team. I'm not like going to getting in a fifteen
passenger van getting going to a park. Holy shit, you know, training
in some like shit field, and then like getting back in the van and
going. It's like you went from a class Seattle to like D class Philly.
Wow. And they had a lot of young, good players. That
was one good thing. But I told him I'm done and I was going
back to Seattle because they would trying to trade for me in the beginning of
the year that year. Yeah, and I said, oh, I'm good,
I'm gonna stay here. And then finally at the end of the year
of Philly, I was like I'm done. Like I told the coach,
I'm like, I'm out of here, man, like you gotta trade me.
And DC Sweat like came in at the last minute and offered Philly some
great deal for like allocation and like a position in like foreign draft pick or
something or next draft, and I went to DC and then I literally played.
It went from the worst team they were the worst team in the division
to the best team. And then I woke up one morning and my career
was over. I could walk, I couldn't really drive. What was going
on? So I got I went to see like a shipload of doctors.
I went to Johns Hopkins. I went to like George George Washington Hospital.
I went and like had two ear surgeries. They thought it was a busted
fistila in my ear where there was like a puncture in your ear drum area.
Then I finally went I didn't work. Went to Johns Hopkins, saw
like the house of doctors with like five six guys with them, and they
all were like, so when I moved my head, my eyes keep ticking
like a like a one of those grand clocks, you know what I mean.
And they don't they stop very slowly. So like where I am,
like you can't run around a soccer field, like you feel like you're going
to fall over. And it's so there's a there's a canal in your ear
that lets the fluid go in and out and it tells you where you are
in space. Well, I got hit so many times in the head that
you know, mine's like ten percent open. That's from heading soccer, yes,
and getting hit from heading everything. I'm just getting the shit kicked out
of you. I had like seven eight concussions like hardcore ones. Yeah,
that's interesting thing because we don't you don't think as things like that. We
don't think it concussions as much from soccer. And I'll hear people go,
there's way more in soccer, and I'm it's not as is it talked about.
Maybe I'm not in the soccer world, but I don't. Yeah,
it's not as much in that world. You're not like, got to be
careful today. Guys like, let's not try to head the balls, and
they're like, dude, let's work on them. We're gonna lump balls into
you and you're gonna head the ball as far as you can't out of your
space. And I'm like, shit, I hate that day. Like you
do it like once every couple of weeks, like just yea clearing balls out
of your head and stuff, and I'm like, fuck, your eyes are
like your your ears are ringing, your eyes are like fluttering around, You're
seeing black spots Like, I mean, you just did it, like you
didn't know. So that's how like my career came to an end. Man,
Like I literally woke up and that was it improved. No, I'm
not really not at all now really, But the hardest thing for me was
that, you know, I lost my medical, so my my contract was
void. They didn't sign me. My medical was gone, and I had
to find my own way on like what's what what what's going on with my
life? Like am I like gonna be a vegetable or am I ever gonna
like be normal again? And like they don't give a shit. It's it's
it's a factory. They just pump you through it. Nobody really does truly
care about like their athlete or there you know that person that they're that's invested
in your in your investment or your team. Right. Yeah, I mean
it was just like it was really a tough pill for me to swallow it
and like I'm still bitter about it because it was like magic, you know,
whatever profession you had, Like your guy got hurt and you're like all
right, yeah, good luck, go find your own doctor. You don't
have medical anymore. And we're not paying you and uh, yeah it's time.
See you later, but thanks, next guy up. Will they do
anything along the lines of the NFL, because you can't be the only guy
that something like this has happened to at the professional soccer Dude, there's guys
that got all kinds of lawsuits and stuff that I know from stuff like that.
It's any class action that you can I don't know. I don't I
really have lost touch with the league, so I don't really follow too many,
but I know there was one or two cases that were going through.
They went to like serious like parts of the of that like lawsuit. But
I don't know whatever happened to it because it was like, it's so there's
so many things at play, like did he like unwillingly go back on in
the field? Did he did they let him go on the field. Did
it happened right at that moment? Lawyer? You know, I mean,
it's just like things get so caught up. You know who it was,
So what do you what do you do after so this ends, you go
through that, you realize that soccer's over. Any chance to coach at that
level, any desire to do that. I wanted to, but then I
was like, my wife's parents were doing good work, so I wanted to,
like I wanted to see if I could get a different identity. Okay,
do I wish I stayed with soccer? Yeah? I do wish I
did. I wish I was involved in it, But at that time I
was so angry sure of how I was treated. And then like I tried
a couple different like contacts that I had, but they were like, oh,
well, you're gonna have to you know, work at the youth level
and then work your way back up. And I'm like, damn, dude,
do I want to make like I just I wasn't making great money,
but I was making good money, and like, do I want to like
barely make money and then just be working? Like yeah, because they're gonna,
like, I know what happens. They flip you from one team to
the next team, and then you're running camps, then you're running this Then
you're gonna have to come in and do like, you know, promos you're
gonna have to do because you're a former player, You're gonna have to do
some interviews. You're gonna have to I know, I know the game,
and it's like I do you want to work your way all the way back
up to like head coach or and there's like a ship ton of levels and
you're not I went from working like, let's say, from eight in the
morning till like two o'clock in the afternoon, not complaining about it, but
you go being a coach, you're working from eight in the morning until like
five maybe seven o'clock at night because you've got a night practice and you're getting
paid a third of what you were getting paid before. About like going to
Drexel, I thought about that too, but then it was like Drexel is
a it's not a soccer powerhouse. Could I make it one if I was.
There's no guarantees because I might not be a good coach. Yeah,
but they don't have the facilities, or they didn't have the facilities at the
time. Maybe they're getting better now. It's not a campus, I think
if the campus doesn't have the field, it's not like a like a Penn
State or Maryland, like where the you know, the fields are right there,
right there. It's like seven eight blocks away in West Philly, which
isn't really the best area. How many things we learn that from fresh Princeville
air fresh Philadelphia, board and raised. Right there we go. It's legit
there you can you can. You go down the wrong street, you might
not be coming back in one piece. So how do you get from Seattle
to Kenny Bunk here? I mean we're sitting here. No, I was
in. I came back to pay did my thing for a while. Then
I went to what was your thing? I just kind of bopped around,
did some like you know, jobs here, jobs there, train here,
train there. I was going to do a youth program. Then realize I
was like getting into with the wrong people or I'm like I don't want to
be doing all their work for them, like they're just using my name and
that I'm gonna have to do all the work and they're not gonna do shit.
So I started doing different ventures and stuff, and then I got into
the environmental world and run an environmental company out of I was in New York,
living in North Jersey and some of the biggest hospitals in the country,
basically getting rid of all the bad stuff out of buildings and stuff and then
do similar work up here. Yeah, but we I was like, oh,
they got like some of the old oldest housing stock in the country.
So here here, Yes, So I'm like, my yeah, the odds
of me finding more business up there is going to be good because A they
got less people and b they got a lot of homes that and commercial properties
and places that need that service. So you ever wanted to go be like
a personal trainer, even for somebody where you could do at the private level.
I mean think of guys like yourself that were, hey, man,
if I just had this, I could get to the national team. Yeah,
I mean what it takes. Yeah, if I wish, I kind
of did it. The toughest part about that is, like again, it's
all hustle. It's hustle man and finding the people that are willing to pay
and yeah, and it's like I kind of wanted like a normal, like
I'm home on the weekends type of life because the soccer world isn't. You're
gone, like, like I told you, like forty probably forty times a
year for a week in the preseason you're gone for like three weeks stretches normally,
and then you know during the year, you're gone every other weekend.
Just how it is like and if you're a coach, you might be gone
for like a week at a time because you're or a scout, you're gone
for Like I know the guys that started, they were scouts before they got
to certain stuff, and they were gone for you know, two months down
in South America and then they would fly to Africa and then they'd be like
they just and you fly to all the ship places you're like to find this,
like this diamond in the rough. You know. So what about now
in terms of your own fitness and stuff? Do you keep it? In
so many years being very disciplined, do you still keep some sort of discipline?
Not really? I mean obviously I eat right, yes, But the
hardest thing for me is like I'm dizzy as shit when I'm doing these exercises,
Like I feel like I could fall over. So it and like I
always say to people, it's like it's hard to push yourself when you don't
really have a big end goal, right, Like when you're an athlete and
you're in a team sport, you got the amazing locker room, and then
you have that goal and you're all working your ass off to get to that
goal, and then you have your personal goals. When you're in a real
world in life, it's like maybe I should set myself a goal of like
and on the athletic side, like I don't know, maybe a five k
or running a marathon, But can you do it with them? That's the
thing. It's like sometimes it feels all right, and other times it's like,
dude, I'm like all over the place. There's nothing they can do
for that. They can't. They say, there's a surgery that they could
try, and if they mess up, you're going to be a vegetable the
best of your life. Jesus, yeah, because you'll be like sick.
So it was like yeah, and then they're like, Jeff will call you
when those cocolar implants come in that we've been testing on monkeys and we'll see
if it works for you. And I'm like, fuck, I want to
put that in the back of my head my skull and then have it connected
to my ear and then like no way, man, yeah, Like I
don't want to take that chance. So what did you learn from sports?
What do they what do they teach you? I mean to me, I'm
just talking to you. I will I see a guy that uh learned a
lot about his own self resilience, Yeah, I mean all of that.
So every obstacle every time it came down to I gotta do this, not
get to the national team. You know, push yourself further than probably most
guys even in professional soccer, trying to get on the European team. I
mean maybe there are other guys too, I don't know, but I would.
But that's that's amazing with no real I don't want to say no real
support basis because that doesn't seem fair. Your parents certainly went and tried to
do what they could, but it sounds like nobody that's they're going, hey,
you got to do this. Yeah, I mean, it's just all
self starter. It's I think it was self start because of the timing,
you know what I mean, Like if I was working now to that same
goal, you'd you'd have that you'd be able to access that easier. Yes,
you know you have. You can emulate people, you can watch people,
you can train like people. You can get a trainer because they're everywhere
now. So I think that, you know, it was just about the
resources I had. Obviously, my parents gave me maybe not the sports you
know, direction, but they gave me the direction of what it takes to
the end where where that goal is or what you want to be in life,
you know, and I and I struggle now because it's like it's it's
it's it's not sports, it's not you know, you're you're at a different
part that's a lot harder in life where you're coming off of that high and
you're you're trying to like re establish yourself and live a good life and find
a good path and and and a good balance. But you don't have,
you know, that same drive that you did as an athlete. And that's
the but like it's it's like anything in life, you just got to keep
pushing and keep finding. Did you use sports psychologists throughout or any became big
now? Yeah, it's big Now it wasn't post for yourself, Like that's
a big transitional stuff. No. No, I you know one of my
friends that I played with, he became a sports or his team became a
like his group became a good They wanted to build a business that they would
help athletes. All the MLS guys like hotlines and stuff that you can call
and people you can talk to or we can fly to see you. Because
mental health became such a big thing that none of us, we didn't know
what mental health was when we were first playing. And shit, if you
if you said you were a little bit feeling a little bad today, yeah,
because you go, yeah, okay, go sit on the bench and
I'll talk to you in like a couple of weeks. When it's you know
that that's how it was, Like it didn't or you're like in a funk,
like you weren't feeling good, like they called a slump. You know,
like we can't use you because you suck right now. It's just how
it was. I mean, the thing is like, do we go too
far or there should be a little more suck it up and push through.
I think there's gotta be a good balance. Yeah, that's tough, I
feel like, but it's it's delicate, man, It's like it is delicate,
but it's also well, it's one of these things where you know,
if somebody said, I can look at you, go you don't feel well
today, I can see it. Yeah, right, Or you're injured and
this is I can see it and you've got to recover. We can't see
this stuff in the head and we go, why is that person being an
asshole? Or what's wrong? You know? So there's that sort of thing,
but you do coach your daughter's team. Yeah, I just I got
this my second little season. I guess you'd go. We had the spring
and now we got the actual fall. It's hard, it's fun, it's
it's not hard. It's uh, the patience is hard. That's what I
mean. I mean because you were yeah, because you see things you played
at the top. Yeah. Yeah, and with my kids catching my kids
stuff, because they basically look at me like I'm an asshole, Like why
do you push trying to push me so hard? I'm like, because I
see potential in you. Yeah. Like if I don't give a shit about
you, I'll just be I won't say a word. I'll just kind of
graze over you and just say, hey, let's go girls, and uh,
let's see if you can try this. I always think, like I
try sometimes to think of professional athletes whose kids also played at the professional level,
and very few have ever surpassed the parent that played at the professional level.
Some did. I mean you had Ken Griffey Junior was better than his
dad. Yeah, but a lot of these guys had it. It's almost
like you had it too easy, you know. You hear Michael Jordan's kid
go. I never flew commercial until I was twenty one years old. You
know what I mean. It's a different life where there is something about that
always that drive that almost comes from the I don't want to say lack,
but there's this I'm gonna. I don't know what it is. You know,
I have all this, Why am I gonna? Why do I need
to go outside? I got a flat screen TV and air conditioning. Netflix,
I'm fucking fantastic. You porns here. I'm fine, I'm putting on
good but but this is something where I wonder sometimes if you're gonna see uh,
stuff dropping? Maybe not because we've you know, everything's right here,
everything's right here. Yeah, all available now is And that's the tough thing
about it. It's like getting your kids to you know, go outside and
yeah, put the phone down, right, the tablet down and not have
a fit for a couple hours. It's like a chart. Yet there's some
good stuff, like as you said, the actually to training in this year.
I mean, I have a thirteen year old who's got a motor in
him and he's finding guys online that are like you. Now. He started
a window washing business and made a couple hundred dollars. He was cleaning out
garbage cans, and he's got that motor to go and do those things.
And some of that is the influence that he's seeing online. And on the
other hand, there's you know, the bad with it. So I don't
like anything. There's good and bad, but I do think it takes drive.
It's I'm really impressed. This has been a lot of fun talking to
I had no ideas. It's fascinating. I always say to people, it's
never a straight path to wherever you want to be. No, it's never
a straight path. That's a that's a good point. It's not. And
there's many different ways to get there. But god damn, that's uh.
I just love the always coming to that crossroad like I mean, They're gonna
make it or I'm not. I'm gonna make it or I'm not. And
every time better myself, right down to the contract. I'll bet on myself.
And that's that's the way everybody should do it. Well, we'll wrap
it up. I think we took more time than anybody expected, so I
apologize. I kept no good. This's great man for Jeff Park professional soccer
player played on the national team I'm Bill Moran. We'll see tomorrow. I've
been an hole tale, didn't know what to do. I'm trying a TV
you rule to you, Circu and Circulawn, Pittsford. You know, sometimes
you find yourself in a sticky situation like a d W I RS or maybe
accused of a crime you didn't knowingly commit. You start to panic, You
get very nervous. How do you defend your rights and your personal freedoms.
I'm gonna tell you how you don't you do it by calling Circu and Circu
at five eight, five, three eight, five, twenty five ten.
At Circu and Circu they've litigated criminal cases of virtually every scenario They've seen it
all from the simplest misdemeanors to the most serious failing offenses. So if you've
been charged with a crime and you need a defense lawyer that has integrity and
experience both in and out of the courtroom, I'm telling you it's Circu and
Circu. All their consultations are helping the highest confidence will do everything in their
power to ensure that you are not deprived the justice you deserve. Circu Law
is located in Pittsford and serve the entire Rochester area as well as Western New
York and beyond, and you can reach them five eight five three eight five
twenty five ten or by email through their secure contact page at circu law dot
com. Well Conrey's Irish Pub the happiest place in Fairport or maybe on Earth.
Toronto Dental with my friend doctor Eduardo, Toronto. You've heard me say
this is the best dental care I've ever received, and it truly is.
They use state of the art technology services that are safe and effective for everyone.
I know a lot of people have anxiety about going to the dentist,
but they're gonna walk you through everything, and they're gonna go easy on your
pocket as well by working with your health savings account and your insurance company.
Give them a call at four four two nineteen hundred, or find out more
online at Toronto Dental dot com. Manscape dot com. Get twenty percent off
your purchase with code Bill twenty at manscape dot com. Plug in the East
few mall off set for back to school. They've got the hottest kicks in
town. The Air's an entire wall of Yeezys for the most comfortable shoot to
ever cover your feet. Sometimes people say I don't know about these, and
then they put them on and go wow. Plug also does consignment, So
if you have a pair of let's say Jordan sneakers or another mint unique pair
of sneakers, let Rick Hunley, the owner and his staff take a look
and they'll explain how selling your kicks works. And if you have a pair
you want cleaned up, the Plug can do that as well. They are
Rochester's elite sneaker in apparel resale shop. Easy to find a niche sue the
mall, it's the Plug.