On November 22, the New England Revolution announced that nine players had their declined, three players were out of contract and three players were waived. While the front office will continue to negotiate with some of these players, it's clear that some of the 2013 roster won't return in 2014. To get an insider's perspective about life after the Revs, I spoke with Alec Purdie.
(image courtesy of Kari Heistad)
Seth Macomber (SM): What expectations did you have for yourself when you joined the Revs?
Alec Purdie (AP): I was obviously excited, because when you begin playing when you're young you always dream about playing professionally. In the US, it's a lottery. You hear bits and pieces from your agent or agency about who has interest and you begin to narrow down where you might find yourself, but with our draft system you essentially have no idea where you'll be. You can only focus on yourself and do everything you can to prove yourself to the coaches – the ones who put their faith in you, bringing you to the club.
SM: What expectations were placed on you by the coaching staff upon joining the team?
AP: Everyone's situation varies. I wasn't foreign import they put big money up for or the first pick in the draft by any means, so I didn't really feel any pressure. The pressure on me came from myself wanting and expecting to do well. The coaches were great from the start. They let me know preseason in the league is a long and drawn out process, so to be calm and just play my game. The same came with the regular season games. I never felt real pressure from the coaches, I just viewed it as an opportunity to try and improve and help the team.
SM: You made five appearances during the course of the season but never established yourself as a regular starter. What were conversations like between you and the coaching staff?
AP: As a player, you always want to play. That's the first and foremost thing. It's always difficult when you find yourself on the outside looking in trying to stay positive, keep your confidence, and maintain good form when you're not getting a proper crack of the whip. But that's the name of the game, particularly in the MLS when some clubs have squads north of 25 players. Personally, I felt like I was making headway three or four months into the season. I was speaking with the staff on a fairly consistent basis and they were always positive with me. I had a few appearances under my belt and was gaining more confidence, but did some ankle ligaments in training at the start of July that kept me out for about eight weeks. That's when I feel my time at New England ended looking back on it. We went on a really poor run for about two months without a win if I remember correctly, and while we were shuffling different players in and out I'd like to think I would have gotten my opportunity in that stretch. There's a lot of good players in the league that just need a good run of games to kind of kickstart things and that's how I felt. I got a start at the the end of the season and played the full ninety, but by then I think it was too late.
SM: Had you already begun thinking about life after the Revs before the end of the season? If so, what?
AP: I had a feeling I could be on my way out but I was always focused on what I could do to help the team. Sometimes you just know if you're in the right place or not, and I was ready for a little bit of a change. Sometimes it's what you need.
SM: What was the conversation like when you were released?
AP: It was brief. A couple minutes tops, but there wasn't a whole lot to talk about, anyway. They may have sensed I was looking for something new, but either way we shook hands and were professional about it. They thanked me for what I had done and I thanked them for giving me the opportunity.
SM: Even though you didn’t play much, were there lessons you learned while with the Revs? If so, what?
AP: There's always lessons to be learned. As you can imagine, it wasn't the easiest and free flowing of years. Injuries and lack of minutes is enough to drive any professional athlete crazy, but as long as you stay strong and keep the big picture in mind you can get yourself through just about anything.
SM: What was the thought process you went through after being released?
AP: Where to next? I wasn't ever really worried. You have to be confident and remember things always work themselves out.
SM: How would you characterize "life after the Revs?"
AP: There's a lot out there. You can always find a place to play and if you're ready for something new, you can find that too. Everything happens for a reason and there's plenty out there – after the Revs and football.
SM: How did the opportunity in Sweden arise? What made it the ideal situation?
AP: I wasn't completely convinced by the MLS. It's a growing league and has a great future, but I felt it wasn't the place I wanted or needed to be. Once I left New England I knew right away I wanted to try and go to Europe. I told my agent the same thing and I really just had to sit and wait. I didn't really care what country or what division, I just wanted to get over there and see what would happen.
SM: What’s next for you?
AP: I have a couple options at the moment. I went on trial with a club north of Stockholm a few months back and the manager liked me. I have until their preseason begins at the start of the year to decide if I want to take it. I've also received a really good job offer in Nashville, which is one of my favorite cities. I obviously want to continue playing cause football's my life, but I need to look long term and decide what's going to be best for me.
SM:What keeps you motivated during hard times?
AP: Football is my life. It always has been and always will be, to a certain extent. But as you get older you begin to realize there's a lot more going on and it is just a game at the end of the day. I'm lucky enough to be blessed with a lot of amazing people in my corner so when things get difficult I try and mute everything and focus on them.
You can follow Alec Purdie on twitter.
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