Chris Sanders going forward with Tacoma Tide FC

Chris Sanders has a glowing resume as a Puget Sound-area soccer player. The 6-3 195-pound 25-year old striker went to Thomas Jefferson High School, played on the Federal Way Bullets, starred at the University of Portland, and played overseas with German side FC Nurnberg. How did he end up joining Tacoma Tide FC for the 2010 USL PDL campaign? The story comes to light in the interview below.

Talk about your youth career with TJHS and the Federal Way Bullets. What were those years and teams like?

Chris Sanders: My youth career was very different from the way youth soccer is setup today. Away from high school, there were several good club teams in Western Washington- which is different from the premier team system that is in place today. Every year, your team had to qualify to play in the premier youth club league, and there were four very good clubs that would continually battle it out for the club state championship: Crossfire Sounders (Eastside)- a team coached by Alan Hinton, FC United (Tacoma)- a team coached by Tacoma Tide owner Mike Jennings, FC Kitsap (Kitsap Peninsula)- a team that would later combine with FC United, and my team, the Federal Way Bullets (south Seattle)- a team that was initially coached by Seattle Sounder coach Neil Megson and later by Andres Goyenchea. Differences from today's setup includes: we always had tryouts to make the team, there were only rare instances of players leaving to play for a rival club, and there were no guidelines as to how much a player had to play.

In terms of my high school experience- I consider myself very fortunate to play at Thomas Jefferson. There have been some great players to come out of TJ, and I was just proud to be one of them. I always had good coaching- Wade Webber my freshman year, Viet Nguyen my sophomore year, and Darren Sawatzky my junior and senior years. Although we never won the state title at TJ while I was there, I would have never tried to play anywhere else- which I hear students try to do these days. While playing club soccer allowed me to play on a better team than my high school team, I believe my biggest growth came during my high school seasons, where I was challenged to be the focal point of attack, rather than just another player while playing for my club team.

Who recruited you to U of Portland? Was it a hard to decision to leave early for Europe?

I was recruited to play at the University of Portland by the late Clive Charles. I was the last recruiting class of his, as he passed away during my freshman season. It was difficult, but a man of his legacy does not fade with his passing. He was a part of every practice- whether through the drills he would typically run, to ideas instilled by the remaining coaches, to challenging players to "always take care of the little things you are personally responsible for."

I look back on my time at Portland with great pride. I was part of a group of players that have excelled at the professional level. Bill Irwin and the coaching staff at UP run the program as close to a professional side as possible, to aid in the development of their players. I was one of 10 players that went on to play professionally from my time at UP, which is a high rate of players moving to the next level. When looking back on my decision to leave early, it was definitely a hard decision. But, I had already received my bachelor's degree in accounting, I had been there 4 years (I redshirted a year due to a foot injury), and I felt like I was playing well- so I gave it a shot. Had I not signed with Nurnberg the day I did, I was actually scheduled to come back to UP and play my final season.

Talk about your time in Germany. How was the level of play? What did you take away from it to help your pro career?

I played mostly with the Nurnberg second team- and we were in the Regionalliga. But, as at any big club, the 2nd team and the 1st team train together all of the time. We would routinely play against the first team on Wednesdays- and I learned a lot from playing against these players. Just about every player had international experience on some level, and I would like to think that, tactically speaking, I picked up a lot of good ideas from players that have a wealth of knowledge.

You played with the Rochester Rhinos in the USL-1. How did you end up there and what was your time there like?

My contract at Nurnberg was a one year deal, and after it expired, I wanted to come back and play state side. My high school coach, Darren Sawatzky, was good friends with the head coach of Rochester at that time, Darren Tilley. He introduced us and, as I was a free agent, we worked out a deal for me to go to Rochester.

Unfortunately however, I ended up tearing my ACL in preseason and missed the entire regular season and playoffs. And as Tilley was fired at the end of the year, the management cleaned house with the players they currently had- and just like that I was again out of a job.

How did you connect with Tacoma Tide FC?

When I came back to Seattle I was still finishing my therapy on my knee, and began a course of treatment down at Starfire sports complex under the watchful eye of Mike Jennings- who works there at Catz athletic performance. After I finished my therapy, he asked me if I would play for his team and I said I would.

Describe your best assets, skills and style of play. Are you specifically forward, or do you also play other spots?

I am typically described as a target forward because of my size, but I like to think myself more as a complete forward- that is to say one that can battle with the big center defenders, as well as take people on and create opportunities for other. I think my size allows me to muscle smaller defenders around and my quickness allows me to move around slower, bigger defenders.

What are your personal goals this year with the Tide?

My personal goal with the Tide this year is to get back in the groove of playing soccer. I have been away from the game for so long due to injury- I just want to get back in the rhythm of playing every day and scoring goals.

Are you going to be reunited with any other players or coaches you've worked with before?

Mike's son Jordan Jennings, was on the FC United team that routinely battled it out against my youth club team. I have heard that Raphael Cox is also going to be on the team- and we played club for the Bullets together growing up. Also, as I am from the Seattle area, any person who has been around playing soccer in the Seattle area makes up a sort of 'big family' - to which I am very familiar.

How much do you know about the PDL Northwest Division? Or the PDL in general?

I have no knowledge of this division. I did spend one season playing for the Chicago Fire Premiere in the PDL several years ago while in college, so most of my PDL knowledge comes from that experience.

What do you like to do when you aren't playing soccer? (A few hobbies, etc.)

I live in Renton and enjoy spending time with my family and friends in the area. Of course I like things like movies and video games, or just about anything tech, but I also enjoy jet skiing and summer activites in Seattle.

Tacoma Tide FC open their 2010 season this Saturday night in Bremerton against the Kitsap Pumas at 7:00 PM in the first leg of the Narrows Bridge Bell derby. Tacoma plays its first home match at Curtis High School on Friday May 28 when they host the Yakima Reds at 7:30 PM.

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