When building a team there’s a lot of things a coach has to consider. One is cohesion. It has the power to make or break even the most talented of teams. “It’s absolutely vital” said Coach Sims, the head coach of the men’s soccer team.

When putting the team together Coach Sims had to evaluate how players got along with each other, and as a group, often having to make difficult decisions for the ultimate betterment of the team.

According to Sims, “sometimes that means telling talented players they don’t belong, and sometimes it means taking on some people who might have a lot of work to do in the skills department but are great for team unity.”

But putting a team together is about more than only team cohesion, it’s also about setting the right mindset for the team.

“As a coach if I don’t set the right mindset, the right tone… that’ll derail a season faster than anything,” said Sims.

It’s about saying “here’s what our expectations are, here’s what we aim to do, and if you want to be a part of that, great, if you don’t want to be a part of that here’s the door,” said Sims.

The goal in doing this is to have a team that’s on the same page. A page where ideally “everybody wants to work hard. Everybody wants to win, and everyone wants to compete,” said sophomore Toby Andrews.

While it can be frustrating working with those who have a different intensity level, and level of competitiveness, “you’re always going to have that on any sort of team,” Sims said.

Plus having players “who are even more competitive (is) great because they’re going to push you that extra little bit,” said Sims.

“You can look at older guys, returning players as an example, and say hey if you want to achieve what we know we can achieve… that is the standard…cause that is what it took to achieve that…so you have to match that sort of intensity…,” said Sims.

“We lead by example” said Toby Andrews, a second year player and leader on the team.
For Andrews it’s things like showing up on time to practice, and filling out the recovery surveys Coach Sims sends out that can make a difference.

Just as important as mindset is environment. A good environment where people can laugh and joke with each other, pulls a team a little closer together, said Sims.

Players will joke around with each other, and the coaches, said both Andrews and Marco Peruzzo, a recent addition to the team. You can just be yourself, and everybody feels comfortable Jake Andrews said of the environment.

“That’s the art of coaching I suppose … how can I get them to put out a good effort, but then also make it something they want to do, and that they have fun and laugh with each other,” said Sims.