Mayo soccer scholars are kicking on in the US

BY NIGEL NAUGHTON

THE town of Lebanon – situated in central Tennessee, 25 minutes from the state capital of Nashville and the home to Cumberland University, a small private college founded in 1842 – may not resonate with many in Mayo.

However, it is here where Marty Owens, Martin Walsh and Cathal Coyne, three extremely talented young soccer players hailing from Charlestown, Swinford and Castlebar respectively, have all embarked on a soccer scholarship journey which is proving to be the experience of a lifetime for them.

A marauding and athletic right back, Owens was the trailblazer of the three, heading to the US in August 2014 to play for Cumberland University and study for a degree in business.

Almost six years later, he is still living in Lebanon, having completed his undergrad along with a masters in business administration and two years as a grad assistant with the soccer team.

"I have nothing but fond memories of my four years as a student athlete. I was a little bit sceptical coming out, as it was all so new to me – I didn’t know what the standard would be like and I had not been to the US previously," said Owens.

"But I was surrounded straight away by lads that had the same interests and goals as me – we trained together, ate together, went to class together, so that made it easier.

"We had a really good bunch of players, driven and ambitious. When we came in, we weren’t even ranked in the top 100 nationally, but by the end of my second season we were as high as sixth," he says.

Owens made the decision to follow this path as his stock was rising in the League of Ireland.

"He spent a trophy-laden two seasons with Sligo Rovers before joining Galway United, where he stayed until departing for the US.

"I was lucky to join an unbelievable Sligo Rovers team, winning a Premier Division title in 2012 and then the FAI Cup in 2013," he beamed.

"I absolutely loved it and learned so much from being around players of that quality. I was lucky enough to play a little bit more at Galway United, and loved it all the way up until leaving.

"I miss the atmosphere and the buzz, but this opportunity presented itself. I wanted to give it a shot, and it turned out to be a good decision."

After completing his four-year degree, and his four years of eligibility to play college soccer, Owens decided to stay on in Lebanon, such was the fondness he had for the area.

A grad assistant opportunity allowed him to pass on his experience and guidance to a new wave of players, including Walsh and Coyne who would later move across.

Said Owens: "I made the decision to stay on and do my masters, as I was enjoying it so much, and this included the grad assistant role with the soccer team.

"It was interesting, as I was involved in the other side – the coaching, recruiting, operations.

"Having gone through the four-year process itself, it allowed me to help with the recruiting and give an insight into prospective players, like Cathal and Martin.

"It was nice having the lads here. There are not a huge amount of Irish in this part, so any connection to home is welcome.

"I hope that I was able to be some kind of help – it can be difficult at times, and it is normal to be homesick, so having someone as a sounding board hopefully helped.

"They are two excellent players, who have made a huge impact since moving out," said Owens of his Mayo colleagues.

Former Swinford, Sligo Rovers, Athlone Town and Castlebar Celtic winger Martin Walsh was the second of the Mayo contingent to make the move.

Having just completed his second year of a four-year sports and exercise science degree, he reflects on the adaptations he had to make to college soccer in the US.

"I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of standard, going out. But straight away I could see it was a very high level.

"During pre-season we were training twice a day, with the heat and runs making it tough. It took time to adapt to the heat but once I got use to it my performances improved massively," said the Swinford native.

"We spend four or five days in Florida for pre-season. We train on the pitch in the morning and then on the beach in the afternoon, so it is certainly different from Ireland!

"But that helps adapt to the heat and get you ready for the heavy fall season. The volume of sessions is high, and that drives the standard.

"We have players from Ireland, England, Scotland, Australia, Colombia, Mexico, Norway and the US, so it is very interesting."

Regarding what he has learned and developed from the move, Walsh once again stressed the need to adapt to the difference in life as a student athlete.

"My nutrition has improved massively. With the volume of sessions and games, we have to fuel correctly, and you can feel it if you have had a bad day with your eating and hydration.

"Off the pitch I have had to work hard on balancing my college work and soccer. Again, at the start it was tricky, but I managed to adapt and get use to it as time progressed," he concluded.

Cathal Coyne was a mainstay at the heart of Castlebar Celtic’s defence in 2019 as they stormed to their first Super League title since 2011.

"The elegant, ball playing 20-year-old is equally comfortable in midfield, and has just returned home for the summer after finishing the first year of his business administration degree.

"My first year as a student athlete has been great. It was tough at the start – getting use to a new environment, that mad heat in the summer – but I settled in well and had a good year both athletically and academically.

"In terms of college sport, there is so much more focus here and it is so professional. I really wanted to put a lot of my energy and focus on soccer, as well as my education, so this was a great fit.

"I love being surrounded by people with the same goals and ambitions. It is exciting and helps us bond and settle. I also love the professionalism – the facilities are brilliant, the coaching staff too.

"I spoke to Martin and he told me that he liked it, so I contacted the coach from there and sent him videos of me playing with Galway United and Celtic, and he liked what he saw and thought I could be a good influence on the team," said Coyne, with enthusiasm.

While the life of a student athlete leaves little ‘down time', there are aspects of the lifestyle and location that Coyne and crew have been able to enjoy.

"Away days are interesting. The bus journeys can be long, sometimes up on seven hours, but travelling to Ohio and Georgia allows me to see parts of the country that I never thought I’d see. Nashville is only a 25 minute drive from us, which is great. It’s a beautiful city with so much going on, so we try and go there when we can."

The Covid-19 pandemic has altered Coyne’s plans for the summer months, but it has given him the time to work on different aspects of the game, as well as spend more time with family in Castlebar.

"A lot has changed over the last few months, in terms of the summer and the plans.

"I was hoping to come back and help Celtic fight to retain the Super League title but I don’t think I will get the chance to do so now.

"So I am just going to enjoy being home, stay fit and healthy, and prepare for pre-season in Tennessee in August," he concluded.