UIC men's soccer team scores on field, in community
By John Jaramillo
After
allowing just eight goals in 21 matches this past fall to boast the nation’s
top defense, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) men’s soccer team
proved its lack of scoring generosity toward its opposition.
Off the field, however, the Flames take the opposite approach. Since John Trask was hired as the men’s soccer program’s head coach in January 2005, UIC has combined success with its play with a caring presence in the communities surrounding the campus.
In just two years the team has worked its way into the national spotlight, turning in the sixth best turnaround in the NCAA in 2005 before making even bigger headlines during a 2006 campaign that featured the Flames ranking as high as sixth in the country, a Horizon League regular season title, and the school’s first-ever at-large berth in the NCAA men’s soccer championship.
Equally as important to Trask, his staff, and his players is their impact in their own backyard.
“When accepting the position at UIC and bringing in a first-class staff, we all felt that UIC men’s soccer should stand for excellence on the field as well as having a positive influence in the local soccer community,” said Trask.
A major incentive for Trask to take the position was the diverse yet communal makeup of both Chicago and the UIC area. With an exceptional youth soccer base and a melting pot of ethnicities often brought closer together by a common passion for soccer, the city has proven its loyalty to the sport.
“Chicago’s obsession with soccer dates back to when the ethnic enclaves played against each other and taught the great games to their kids,” Trask said.
To revive a squad that went 5-12-2 the season before his arrival, Trask set a plan to improve the team’s style of play while increasing the program’s contributions locally. As a former assistant coach at Indiana University and in Major League Soccer, Trask knew how to incorporate a winning and entertaining brand of soccer at UIC. That experience also helped him see how soccer can help communities—something he has made a priority for his players at UIC.
Thanks to his previous work with America Scores, a non-profit organization that develops after-school programs combining soccer, literacy, and learning through service, Trask and his team have been able to volunteer with that organization’s Chicago chapter, Chicago Scores, to host clinics at Douglas Park.
Flames Field, the soccer team’s home stadium on UIC’s South Campus, has hosted events coordinated by Chicago Scores, Soccer Association for Youth (SAY) of Chicago, and other organizations through the ever-growing list of relationships between the team and area service groups.
“Soccer is all about the players and therefore the kids,” said Trask. “Our
feeling at UIC is that if we can have a positive influence on one child it
is well worth it.
“Having coached professional players like U.S. national team star Eddie Johnson, who came out of an inner city program in Florida, helping kids fall in love with the game and realizing their dreams gives us, the players and coaches, a sense of pride and accomplishment.”
Camps have become a big part of the team’s community commitment. After a successful first run of offerings, Trask and his staff increased the number of weeks and options to satisfy demand for the popular UIC soccer day camp and residential camp this summer.
Attendance at UIC games has improved dramatically as the presence of Flames soccer has grown in the neighborhood. Grassroots campaigns featuring players handing out flyers and schedule cards to community businesses and fellow students on campus, along with connections made between the program and local organizations, have helped spread the word about home games, leading to attendance growth of 675% in the past two years. A move to play the majority of games at Flames Field at night, thanks to new lighting, also is encouraging more people to catch a UIC soccer contest.
When the fans get to the field, they get to see a high-level college match in a unique, interactive environment full of promotional giveaways and games. Players have made a point to take time after each game, no matter the outcome, to applaud their loyal home crowd and sign autographs.
Last November UIC Chancellor Sylvia Manning wrote a piece for The NCAA News noting that the school’s aim to be “the nation’s premier urban public research university” brings an obligation to the community that features athletics in a major role.
It is an obligation Trask and his staff have made a top priority in their efforts to turn UIC soccer into a source of pride through achievements on the field of play and in the locality surrounding that field.
