We caught up with Quakes academy product JT Marcinkowski to talk about his recent experience at the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Costa Rica, training with the first team this week and preparation for the U-20 FIFA World Cup starting this May in South Korea.
sjearthquakes.com: How have the past couple days been training with the Quakes first team?
JT Marcinkowski: āItās always nice to come in and get high level training with David [Bingham] and Andrew [Tarbell]. You just learn a lot from them without even talking to them. You just learn from watching them train and play. Itās always nice to get that opportunity.ā
SJEQ: Just a couple days ago, you and your teammates lifted the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship trophy, the first time ever in the United States' history. Talk about that experience.
JM: āThe championship was pretty surreal. To be the first ones to win in the 56 year history, itās pretty crazy when you think about it. I think we definitely deserved it. It wasnāt a fluke thing. After the first game, we got our heads on straight. We deserved every bit of it. We worked really hard and weāve been training for it since the first week of January. Having those two months together really paid off in the end.ā
SJEQ: Talk about the level of play you faced with the U-20s. How much different is it than the collegiate level?
JM: āThe players at that level just think a lot quicker. In college, the players are fast and strong and really physical but at the international level, everyone is pretty equally physically. At the international level itās definitely more mental and thatās why theyāre far superior and thatās why theyāre on the national team.ā
SJEQ: Besides lifting the trophy, what was the favorite part of your CONCACAF U-20 Championship experience?
JM: āBefore we lifted the trophy, we had beaten Mexico for the first time in 31 years at the U-20 level. It was definitely the highlight of the trip. Just being in Costa Rica was a highlight for me. At the end, we were kind of upset that we were leaving. We had a really good time. Just being with the guys off the field and building that comradery was great for us. The friendships we made there will be forever lasting.ā
SJEQ: Youāve experienced success at both the collegiate level and the international level. Where would you say you are now as a goalkeeper after your recent experience?
JM: āThe Academy gave me a really good base to go out and try different things, but I would say mentally, on and off the field, Iām stronger. Iāve done a better job in finding my presence within goal and being the leader that the team needs from the back. It always helps when youāre playing up a couple years in college when youāre just an underclassman. Now going into my junior year, I really need to be the voice in the back to make sure we really do well and exceed expectations.ā
SJEQ: What do the next few months look like for you ahead of the U-20 World Cup?
JM: āHopefully, I can be in training with the Quakes as much as I can. We are going to be having a couple of training camps with the team overseas and back in the states before we go to South Korea in May. Itās almost two months until the World Cup, so itās about training as much as I can, but also stepping away from the game and letting my body rest. Weāve been going for two straight months so itās nice to come back home and relax a little bit and get high-level training."