{"id":34166,"date":"2021-06-15T10:00:54","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T14:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/?p=34166"},"modified":"2021-06-14T13:21:53","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T17:21:53","slug":"man-on-austin-fc-nick-lima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2021\/06\/15\/man-on-austin-fc-nick-lima\/","title":{"rendered":"Man On: With Austin FC\u2019s Nick Lima"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDITORIAL<\/strong> – Nick Lima is a fierce competitor. Given that the 26-year-old has already racked up over 100 MLS appearances and represented the U.S. Men\u2019s National Team on nine occasions, that seems like a bit of a redundant thing to say. But Lima\u2019s competitiveness knows no bounds when it comes to sport. In his youth, he committed to every sport he could and excelled in most of them. That he is a professional athlete is probably unsurprising to those closest to him. That he chose soccer over other sports is more circumstantial. Austin FC fans are glad that he did.<\/p>\n

Man On: With Austin FC\u2019s Nick Lima Ahead of Home Opener Against his Former Team<\/h2>\n

LWOS: What are your earliest memories of playing soccer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lima:<\/strong> Playing on the sidelines at baseball games with my older brother, he’s about nine years older than me, and my best friend. My brothers played baseball most of the time and so we just picked up the lightest object on the sideline which happened to be a soccer ball. So, we started walking up kicking the ball, playing at two or three years old. That\u2019s what we did before we had the capability to throw a baseball! I was just a bundle of energy, so I imagine it just looked like chaos, these kids struggling to stay on their feet!<\/p>\n

LWOS: Combining baseball and soccer? So, were you a multi-sport athlete growing up?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lima:<\/strong> I played every sport growing up. I played soccer, baseball, basketball, football, hockey, swimming, tennis, a little badminton\u2026I just did everything!<\/p>\n

LWOS: <\/strong>So, are you officially the most competitive player on the Austin FC roster? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Lima:<\/strong> That\u2019s a big title to take! I am very competitive. I hate losing, I\u2019ll tell you that much. Nothing gets under my skin more than losing.<\/p>\n

LWOS: With that competitive of a spirit, and being involved in so many sports, how did you decide to pursue playing soccer professionally?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lima:<\/strong> My dad, who had been my soccer coach, the values I got from him and what I wanted to strive for, I was still playing (American) football in high school and into college, but a good education was a part of it all. Being a professional athlete, a soccer player, that was all ancillary to the main goal. It was never like I knew I\u2019d get to be a pro because you don’t know what’s going to happen. When I was deciding between football and soccer, though, as much as I loved playing football with my friends, I was like, \u2018What would I love when my friends aren\u2019t there, and the going is tough?\u2019 I\u2019d put a lot in to soccer, I\u2019d been doing it my whole life, and it\u2019s what I really loved. So, that was my decision, and I\u2019m happy for it.<\/p>\n

LWOS: As a modern-day fullback, you\u2019re expected to contribute to the game both defensively and offensively. Which do you prefer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lima:<\/strong> I love the physical aspect of it, the dueling, going into 50\/50 tackles, breaking up a play. Even a recovery run, the aerobic aspect of it. But, yeah, shooting, getting crosses in, grabbing a goal here and there, that’s definitely fun and a good feeling. I\u2019ve definitely been looking for my first goal for Austin! So, yeah, all of it combined, being able to do all of it, I love it.<\/p>\n

LWOS: You\u2019ve been a part of the USMNT. Following their recent Concacaf Nations League success, what are your thoughts on the current team? And was that part of the draw of coming to Austin, knowing Josh Wolff and how he works and thinking a good season here might out you back in international selection contention?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lima: <\/strong>Yeah, there\u2019s obviously so many young talents on our team, and so many that are in the pool they’re coming up in a couple of years. We\u2019re young, we\u2019re talented, we\u2019re fast, but I think we just had to show the grittiness and the hunger to win those two big games (Concacaf Nations League semi-final and final), and in this last tournament we definitely showcased that, in my opinion for the first time, so it was pretty awesome to see. \u00a0It\u2019s a dangerous team going forward, an exciting team. I think this group is set up for success and I like that staff. Like you said, I\u2019ve been there so I know that staff and think they\u2019re really good. They’ve managed this group of players well. They\u2019ve got some serious talent there!<\/p>\n

Regarding me, I think they know what I can do. I want to continue to show and if they see fit with what my skill set brings, the physicality and everything else, if that’s what they need in their game and in the team then, yeah, they’ll see it each TV game and every other time.<\/p>\n

LWOS: We\u2019re talking as Austin FC prepares for its first home game of the season. What does it mean to the players to finally be at Q2, and what does it mean for you specifically with Austin\u2019s opponents being your former club and hometown team, San Jose Earthquakes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lima: <\/strong>In the locker room, to be honest, there hasn\u2019t been much talk about it. We\u2019ve just been focused on each game as it comes. But, yeah, there\u2019s excitement right under the surface for everyone. When it comes to the Quakes specifically, I know their weaknesses, I know what the players can do well. The coach has a unique approach, but I like him and the team a lot. They\u2019re a very physical team and they have a lot of talent, too. But going against them in the first home game, I think it\u2019s a little unfair to them! With the energy that I know is going to be generated, they\u2019re going to be like, \u2018What in the world?! Where was this energy when you were in San Jose?!\u2019 It\u2019s going to be \u2018game on!\u2019<\/p>\n

LWOS: And what would it feel like to open your Austin FC goal scoring account in that match?<\/b><\/p>\n

Lima: <\/strong>You’ll have to tell me what you think it felt like after I do it! It would blow the lid off the place!<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>