John Bluem left Fresno State after 13 years to take the head coaching position at Ohio State, where he admits he has a long-term project in front of him. SOCCER AMERICA: What were the factors involved in your decision to leave Fresno State and take the coaching job at Ohio State? JOHN BLUEM: Probably the main reason I decided to leave Fresno State was for a new challenge. I had been at Fresno State for 13 years. We felt very good about where we had taken the program and that we were leaving it at the top. The second main factor in deciding to come to Ohio State was the opportunity to bring this program around and build it into, initially, a team that will be competitive in the state of Ohio and, eventually, the Big 10 and NCAA championship. SA: How has the transition been at Ohio State? JB: It was a difficult transition and this first year is going to be trial and error for myself and the assistant I brought with me from Fresno, Devon OÆNeill. The timing was very late, so when we arrived, we had to jump right into preseason. We didnÆt really know our way around the university, let alone any of the players. I think itÆs going to be a long-term type of project to get this program competitive at the national level. SA: What are your plans for the next couple years to turn the program around? JB: The critical thing is recruiting. WeÆve got to get out and work very hard within the region and within the state of Ohio to attract the very best players. And I think for Ohio State to be successful we need to go beyond that. So weÆre going to use our connections in California and the name that IÆve established for myself in that region to attract some players. SA: What players do you look to to step up for you this season? JB: Defensively, the critical players are junior marking backs Greg Sadosky and Mark Rehklau. In the midfield we have our captain Matt Daniel, who is experienced as a U-17 national level player and is a very good distributor of the ball. And on the left flank we have a player Casey Linkinhoker, who has some great speed. As far as front players go, weÆre going to be relying on brothers Brian and Sean Feldhaus to provide most of the attack. by Soccer America Associate Editor Poul Swain