Coffee and Questions with Nicolai Muench at The Standard Coffee
How do you feel about being back this year?
Great. I knew I wanted to come back. I talked with Alemao (Niclas Wittur) and we both wanted to come. Our last season didn’t end the way we wanted. So now we're here again for another chance. It feels great to be here again.
What do you think is different?
We have a different team with several new players. This year I feel like our chemistry is super, super good. In the house, we all get along so well. Last year was a bit like Brazilians here the others there but this year I feel like everyone gets along with everyone. So that’s a good difference this year.
How do you feel about the team?
I felt great at the beginning of the season and I still do. We had a quality team last year and we have a quality team this year, it's about mentality now. Can we be consistent? Can we perform? Can we be together on the pitch? That's a big thing this year and so far I think we've done well. We've had a few setbacks in the regular season, but towards the end of the season now, we’re doing pretty well and have learned from our mistakes so I’m confident for the playoffs.
How did you come to play for The Villages SC?
It was quite funny actually. I knew I wanted to play a Summer League after my freshman year in college. I wanted to stay in the USA during the summer. Then the coach from my old school, had contacts with a team in Minnesota which the majority of the players were going to. I didn't want to go there because everyone else was. So I checked with the coach about other options. One player at that college had secured a spot here so I spoke with him. Then my coach called to let Coach Anderson know that he had another guy and luckily I got a spot. He and I came together and later it ended up that it didn’t work for him but it did for me. I’m very grateful for my college coach because he really helped a lot during this process.
Tell us about your playing style.
I'm a defender at first but I really like to play offensively. I enjoy helping the attack. I grew up like this, even in Germany I just played very offensively. Last year at my college, I played as a winger, so I was actually a number 9 or winger, so that helped my game as well. Even now as a right back, I have more confidence offensively. I push up a lot. Maybe too much sometimes but it's just how I play. I scored a very important goal against Florida Elite that helped us to go to the playoffs. I also scored against Nona, even if it was a bit lucky. Those were two big games. As a right back, it feels, really great. I'm not the person to catch the ball and be selfish and try to score all the goals, but as long as I can contribute, I'm happy.
The team has had a few games in the regular season that felt more like finals. What do you see going into playoffs?
I think the pressure was on us. Last year we had a few games in which we weren't as concentrated and just tied against weaker teams and this year we know that every single game counts. This year the division was small so everything counted. We had setbacks and I think it helped our concentration. Right now I think we're in a good place. We're getting better and better and I think we're all on the same page. So yeah, I feel very, very good for the playoffs for sure.
