Episode 46: A Member Of The Goalkeeper Union Takes on Portugal; a chat w/ Sergio Hernandez

Episode 46: A Member Of The Goalkeeper Union Takes on Portugal; a chat w/ Sergio Hernandez

Welcome to the 46th episode of the In The 11 Podcast! Today, joining us from Portugal is our first goalkeeper on the show, Sergio Hernandez. He is a former teammate of mine at Chestnut Hill College, where we played for almost four years before the pandemic threw a wrench in it for him. In this episode, Sergio shares his life growing up, his soccer career, and his vast family history with the game. As always, there is a lot to unpack, so stay tuned and enjoy!

The Challenges of Playing Overseas

It is always an incredible experience getting to play a game you love overseas. But there is much more to the experience than just playing soccer with different people entirely. For example, when we trained overseas, we noticed how every country had its own game strategies and coaching techniques. In Sergio’s experience, he saw that the styles differ in how they even the goalkeeper’s strength and how the goalkeeper trains at home. Not only that, but each goalkeeper coach even had their own style, which can be a good and bad thing depending on how different your style at home is. Nevertheless, you get to see so many playing styles overseas that you can’t quite choose just one. Sometimes, you might even get stuck between specific techniques.

In Portugal, for instance, their technique for goalkeeper training can get very technical. First, they would do short bursts of high-intensity sets, then your rest in between them would be fast-paced walking, just enough to catch your breath, and soon after that, the set begins again. Even the way they train goalkeepers to catch the ball is super different. And so, if you plan on playing professionally overseas, you have to learn the way the country plays the game and eventually perfect it to be on any official team. And while paperwork is the most challenging thing about becoming a professional soccer player, it is always good to adjust to how your team plays the game.

About Sergio Hernandez:

Sergio Hernandez grew up in Westchester, just outside the city of New York. Sergio played for a couple of soccer clubs until he was 13 but eventually decided to play for the Westchester Flames, a United States League 2 team. Years later, he got to play college-level soccer and, for a while, even trained his brothers, who played at different levels. But even when things got competitive between him and his siblings, it never stopped him from pursuing a career in the game. In truth, his passion for soccer stemmed from playing with his brothers, who helped him get through his college life and his soccer career.

Outline of the Episode:

[01:18] Sergio’s life growing up with soccer.

[02:50] His experience playing with his brothers.

[04:15] The evolution of his soccer career.

[10:35] The challenges he faced from his knee injuries.

[15:00] Second-guessing yourself as a player.

[17:47] The mentality behind playing as the goalkeeper.

[21:38] What inspired him to become a goalkeeper.

[23:52] His mindset getting back into the collegiate port.

[28:34] Solid advice from Sergio on becoming a goalkeeper.

[30:37] Going to the game during the pandemic.

[33:52] What to do when the game you love is taken away from you.

[38:13] How...