Rush Alumni and US National Team member Conor Casey's interview

Colorado Rush Alum Conor Casey’s list of accomplishments in 2009 would be considered a great career for most players. He was the second leading scorer in the MLS, named a starter for the MLS All-Star game, named to the end of season MLS Best XI Team, on the USA Men’s National Team for the Confederations Cup and World Cup Qualifiers and scored 2 goals against Honduras in World Cup clinching win. Conor recently took some time to talk about the success he’s had in 2009.



2009 has been a very good year for you on the soccer field. How would you describe the last few months starting with being named to the US squad for the Confederations Cup?
Confederations Cup -
Just prior to the Confederations Cup I was called in for the home World Cup qualifier against Honduras. First call up, never really know what to expect and then I got to start. Happy about getting called in and then to make the squad for the Confederations Cup where I didn’t get a lot of play time, but definitely had a great experience being in South Africa with the team and being there for the Spain game… that was pretty special. Ending Spain’s streak of wins, especially after losing our first two games then going out and beating Egypt big in the third game and having Italy lose big, all of the sudden we go through and we beat Spain to go to the final… up 2 goals at halftime in a major tournament against Brazil, hands down one of the best teams in the world. At halftime everyone was real quite, kind of surprised. Second half they obviously came out and got the game but all in all pretty cool. The celebration after the Spain game is one I’ll remember for a long time.
On recent World Cup Qualifiers -
More recently, I was called in for the qualifiers against Honduras and Costa Rica. Scored my first, and second, international goals against Honduras. To do it in that setting, in front of 40,000 crazy Hondurans and to clinch a spot in the World Cup was a neat experience. It was very exhilarating to get those goals and be a part of the celebration afterword.

You’ve scored a lot of goals in your career. Was that first goal against Honduras the most important you’ve ever scored?
Just the night in general scoring two goals. The two goals collectively were as important as I’ve ever scored for sure.

Playing with the US National Team is an experience that not many players ever get to have. How does it feel to pull on that USA jersey for the first time and step out on the pitch to represent your country?
It’s awesome! There’s a really strong feeling of pride; but there is also that feeling and expectation that you want to perform. It’s defiantly an honor but at the same time you want to honor the game by playing well.

Having spent some time in South Africa with the US team this last summer, how do you think the Americans can do in 2010?
Well I think that we performed well at the Confederations Cup. Anytime you go to any tournament, in any sport, anything is possible. We’ve proven over the last few years that we’ve made some big strides. Obviously we will need to see how the groups pan out after the draw; see what other teams are in our bracket. But everyone feels pretty good about where we are at right now and we feel we’re in a position to do really well.

Stateside you have had an outstanding year in the MLS. Named to the best XI Team and the MLS All-Star game. Being a Colorado guy, how does it feel to be able to come home and play with the Rapids in front of your friends and family?
It’s awesome. Coming back to the MLS I didn’t really know what to expect. But the level’s been a lot better than I anticipated. It’s a big difference living and playing abroad because when things go bad you don’t really have that support system to fall back on. So it’s been great to have my family here and all my friends, even some from high school, so it’s been nice.

Now that MLS is all wrapped up what are your plans for the off-season?
I get some time off so it should be a nice little break. I’ll be off till early-mid January. So I’m going to take a good 3-4 weeks off and rest up and recuperate before starting to prepare for next season. But I am definitely looking forward to a little time off. Travel and games and more travel, it all eventually takes a toll.

Having played overseas, what do you think about Rush partnering with French club AJ Auxerre?
It’s truly amazing how far the club has come in such a short period of time. I was there when Rush first formed from (Lakewood) Fury and (Club) Columbine. Now 15 or so years later, to have partners across the country and to have a unique partnership like Auxerre… they just constantly raise the bar. Having teams in the US Academy program and now players having a chance to possibly go over and get looked at in Europe is just huge.

Any advice for those young Rush players out there?
You’ve got to put the hours in to be successful. Tim (Schulz) and Dinger (VA Rush Technical Director Dave Dengerink) and Boomer (Rush Soccer Technical Director Andrew Kummer) at this level, those guys are as good as you can get. Any day that I wanted to train they were there to push me and train me. The opportunity they (Rush players) have is huge. If they want it, it's obtainable, they just have to make the most of what the club has to offer.