Speaker 1: Six thirty seven, seven hundred wlw RNL Carrier Sports Talk
Speaker 1: presented by Kelsey Chevallet Am Lance McAllister. Thanks for hanging out.
Speaker 1: Let's talk some soccer. FC Cincinnati players report to camp
Speaker 1: this week. On hand will be a new edition with
Speaker 1: local ties. A cool story full circle story. Thirty three
Speaker 1: year old defender Kyle Smith was the two thousand and
Speaker 1: nine GCL South Player of the Year at LaSalle High School.
Speaker 1: His journey includes three seasons with Louisville City FC and
Speaker 1: the USL, the past seven seasons in MLS with Orlando
Speaker 1: City SC, and now with the Orange and Blue. What
Speaker 1: a treat pleasure to welcome in Kyle Smith. Kyle Lance McAllister,
Speaker 1: how are you?
Speaker 2: I'm doing well? How are you doing?
Speaker 3: I'm fantastic. Welcome home.
Speaker 1: I mean, how exciting it must be to now be
Speaker 1: looking forward to playing in front of family and friends.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's very exciting. Honestly, I can't wait to get
Speaker 2: in TQL Stadium and start playing.
Speaker 1: Do I understand this correctly? Your parents have to be excited.
Speaker 1: They've been season ticket holders of FC Cincinnati, Is that right.
Speaker 2: Yes, they have. They've been seasoned ticket holders. I think
Speaker 2: since the MLS since FC Cincinnati started in the MLS,
Speaker 2: so quite a while.
Speaker 1: Man, oh man, So let's backtrack a little bit. Man,
Speaker 1: let listeners know about some of these background. After you
Speaker 1: graduated from Transylvania University, and I understand you were working
Speaker 1: in accounting and you were playing amateur soccer with the
Speaker 1: Cincinnati Dutch Lions, tell me about that time.
Speaker 3: In your life.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So when I graduated, I moved back home and
Speaker 2: then I got a job with the University of Cincinnati
Speaker 2: at the College of Medicine, working in accounting. So you know,
Speaker 2: I did that for about two years while I was
Speaker 2: trying to break it in, break into professional soccer. And
Speaker 2: like you said, I played for the Cincinnia Dutch Lions,
Speaker 2: and then I started doing like open tryouts and I
Speaker 2: thankfully made Louisville City, So I got an opportunity and
Speaker 2: got my foot in the door with that cole.
Speaker 1: Just so fans understand when when you're going to these tryouts,
Speaker 1: you're paying at these tryouts and you're you're one of
Speaker 1: a gazillion trying to stand out.
Speaker 3: That explain that situation.
Speaker 2: Yeah, honestly, it's kind of like American Idol, Like anybody
Speaker 2: can show up, so you got some people that are
Speaker 2: good and some people that are not so good. But
Speaker 2: it's it's difficult to you know, stand out because there's
Speaker 2: so many people. So I went in with you know,
Speaker 2: a particular strategy of just you know, trying to score
Speaker 2: as many goals as possible, and you know, it helped
Speaker 2: me stand out. So I think that's why I got
Speaker 2: the opportunity.
Speaker 1: I was reading an excellent story that Carter Chapley wrote
Speaker 1: about you for Fccincinnati Dot Comedy and he mentioned you
Speaker 1: back in the inaugural season of FC Cincinnati in twenty sixteen,
Speaker 1: you had tried out for the Orange and Blue.
Speaker 3: Is that right?
Speaker 2: Yeah. I was an open try out again, so you know,
Speaker 2: like anybody can come, and there were hundreds of people there, so, uh,
Speaker 2: you know, I didn't make it, and I didn't get
Speaker 2: the opportun counity with FC Cincinnati, but I went to
Speaker 2: Louisville City as well and did the same thing and
Speaker 2: they gave me, you know, an invite te tryout where
Speaker 2: there was about only twenty kids there, and then I
Speaker 2: got invited. I was one of like three guys to
Speaker 2: get invited to preseason with them, and then we went
Speaker 2: to IMG Academy in Florida, and then I got two
Speaker 2: weeks to try out, and then they offered me a
Speaker 2: contract after those two weeks.
Speaker 3: Unbelievable. What a cool story.
Speaker 1: Kyle Smith checking in tonight and new is remember the
Speaker 1: Orange and Blue FC Cincinnati camp opening this week. So
Speaker 1: you've been aware obviously and following long since the first
Speaker 1: season of the Orange Blue. Just give us your impressions
Speaker 1: of FC Cincinnati, what they've built and what they've become.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I feel like they've the past a few years here,
Speaker 2: they've definitely, you know, raised the standards in the MLS.
Speaker 2: They've been consistently at the top of the table, and
Speaker 2: that was a big reason why I wanted to come
Speaker 2: play here, because of the winning culture that they had created. So,
Speaker 2: you know, I'm super excited for this season and I
Speaker 2: really can't wait to get start are with them.
Speaker 1: So how take me through this offseason? How did how
Speaker 1: did the whole FC Cincinnati opportunity turn out to be
Speaker 1: a thing, and and now you've put pen to paper,
Speaker 1: how did it come about?
Speaker 2: Yeah, so they contacted my agent and uh, at the time,
Speaker 2: I was in negotiations with Orlando, my old team. UH,
Speaker 2: and you know, once I heard that Cincinnati was interested,
Speaker 2: I you know, kind of shifted gears and definitely wanted
Speaker 2: to pursue that opportunity to come home and you know,
Speaker 2: play for such a great club and in a great
Speaker 2: city where I'm from. So I, you know, jumped on
Speaker 2: that opportunity.
Speaker 1: Kyle, tell FC Cincinnati fans who are listening right now,
Speaker 1: what the type of player you are, what you think
Speaker 1: you do well, and how you envision your role here.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So with my old team, I was kind of
Speaker 2: like a Swiss army knife. I play multiple positions, and
Speaker 2: I think that's kind of, you know, my role that
Speaker 2: I'll have here as well, and you know, just kind
Speaker 2: of step up whenever I needed when my when my
Speaker 2: numbers called, and I you know, work hard on the field.
Speaker 2: I'm a defender and but I can also play in
Speaker 2: the midfield, so I I try to keep it simple
Speaker 2: and then you know, just I uh, I think I'm
Speaker 2: a player that has good spatial awareness on the field.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Do you do you know any of your new teammates
Speaker 1: from from previous playing days?
Speaker 2: Yeah, so Nick Haglin and I played against him for
Speaker 2: you know, since we were like eleven years old. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and then he guests played for my team one year,
Speaker 2: and he was actually showing me some pictures today of him. Yeah,
Speaker 2: guests playing when we were probably like twelve thirteen years old.
Speaker 1: I I always say I I enjoyed talking with Pat
Speaker 1: Noonan when he's on the show with me, and I
Speaker 1: always said I thought, if I were a player, I'd
Speaker 1: love to play for Pat Noonan. Give me your early
Speaker 1: impressions of him and what you've heard about Pat Noonan.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would say he has very high standards and
Speaker 2: he's a coach that wants us to you know, work
Speaker 2: hard and come in every day and you know, keep
Speaker 2: raising the standard and and building the winning culture that
Speaker 2: they've already you know, kind of established. So my first
Speaker 2: impressions are, you know, he seems like a great guy
Speaker 2: and a great coach, and I'm very excited to get
Speaker 2: to play for him.
Speaker 1: Take me back to two thousand and nine, a while ago.
Speaker 1: You're the GEO GCL South player of the aar at
Speaker 1: Lasal High School. What are your memories of your playing
Speaker 1: days at LaSalle High School.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I had a great time at LaSalle High School.
Speaker 2: It was a great school. I think they you know,
Speaker 2: helped me improve as a as a person and.
Speaker 3: As a player a lot.
Speaker 2: So I'm very thankful and grateful that I chose to
Speaker 2: go there for my high school. So yeah, I think
Speaker 2: it's a great school for anyone to go.
Speaker 1: To, you know, as the hometown kid. And coming back,
Speaker 1: you know, everybody's gonna come out of the woodwork. They're
Speaker 1: going to have tike request. Are you ready for this?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I think so, but I have you know, I
Speaker 2: have a lot of family here, so you know, they
Speaker 2: get first DIBs on the tickets. But I think I'm ready.
Speaker 3: Good.
Speaker 1: Hey, uh, I know it's been a whirlwind and I
Speaker 1: know you've got a busy week ahead. Thank you for
Speaker 1: making time tonight. Congratulations. I'm really happy for and I
Speaker 1: hope we can talk again during the season.
Speaker 2: All right, thank you very much.
Speaker 3: All Right, take care, Kyle, all right, take care. There
Speaker 3: you go.
Speaker 1: Kyle Smith, thirty three years old defender FC Cincinnati from
Speaker 1: from LaSalle to an open tryout to getting an opportunity
Speaker 1: with Louisville City FC in the USL and try I mean,
Speaker 1: think of it. You're you're trying out for FC Cincinnati
Speaker 1: back in the the inaugural season as well, and then
Speaker 1: seven seasons in MLS, And now the next chapter becomes
Speaker 1: a chance to come home.
Speaker 3: That is really cool.