Coaching is much easier if you have the answer to all your questions ahead of time.
In the past, Syracuse men's soccer coach Dean Foti would know the riddle, but had to wait until gameday to solve it. This year, however, Foti has the cliff notes - courtesy of his team's depth.
"It's almost like practicing against another college team," Foti said of his first and second teams going at it during practice. "Where as before, maybe it was a little bit watered down, and you would have to wait until the actual gameday to see whether what you were doing was actually working. Well, now we get the answers before we need the answers."
Syracuse will bring along the notes taken during practice for the Mayor's Cup in Oneonta, N.Y. Today, the Orange takes on North Carolina-Wilmington at 5 p.m. After a quick two-day break in the home of the soccer hall of fame, SU squares off against Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday at 11 a.m.
In college soccer the added depth makes a big difference, much more than in professional soccer, Foti said. Professional soccer players may only play one game per week, and if there are two games at least a three-day break is given.
This season, SU will play two games within four days on five occasions. In three of those sequences, the Orange has two games in three days.
"When you're playing two games in three days, you're going to need depth or you're not going to survive especially in our conference," Foti said.
The results for SU have already been seen. This season the Syracuse bench has netted three goals and an assist. The bench tallied four goals and two assists in all of last season.
The success has been in large part to Tom Perevegyencev. The leading scorer off the bench last season with four goals already has three in the two games thus far.
"He gives us a great spark," Foti said. "He really does a good job when he comes in and gives a lot of energy. And it usually is at a time when it's critical when people are starting to get fatigued. To have him come and give you that lift is just tremendous."
Perevegyencev was the star off the bench last year but this year he isn't alone. Geoff Lytle already has an assist on the young season. The sophomore midfielder noticed instantly the stronger depth when he arrived in early August. He agreed with his head coach that there's no longer a first team and a second team.
"If you compare it to last year, it's amazing," Lytle said. "A few years ago it always felt like it was the first team and the second team. And I think now it almost feels like two college teams. And I think that helps a lot when preparing for games."
The depth allows for the starters to improve during practice. The reason why some of the non-starters are having so much success is simple. It's another case of having answers ahead of time.
"While you're on the bench you can see it," Perevegyencev said. "You don't experience it but you see what they are doing. So you have a little advantage. You can prepare yourself for what's going to happen."
At the start of the game most of the players have adrenaline flowing. The problem arises 25 minutes after the first kick. It's the bench's job to work as an I.V. and get that adrenaline flowing again.
"I feel that any bench player's role is to boost everybody," Perevegyencev said. "Show that energy so that that energy goes throughout the whole team, add to the balance and just player your heart out."
The influx of talent via the bench can also help the confidence of a team. With talented athletes coming off the bench, players aren't afraid to go all out to be replaced by a player with just as much talent.
The extra confidence arrives when the talent does.
"It's really encouraging," Lytle said. "Because anytime another guy goes in you're not thinking, 'Oh great we got this guy going in it's going to suck.' No, it's just great quality all around."
mibonner@syr.edu
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