Powerful Portland forward uses Olympic experiences as inspiration for self-improvement
As a recent high-school graduate, Conor Casey knew he might attract some looks while playing with the U.S. U-23 team in the Pan-American Games last summer. As it turned out, the most important eyes opened were his own.
Casey, a powerful forward machine, had bulldozed his way to more than 100 points in 20 games as a senior while leading Denver South High School to a city title. But in the Pan-Am Games, he was used as a reserve in four of six games as the United States won the bronze medal. He did not score in the tournament.
“I didn’t play as well as I would have liked, but it was still a great experience,” Casey said “That was really my first time playing against that kind of competition. I wasn’t used to the speed of play. It was a much slower game, so that kind of took me by surprise, but it also gave me something to shoot for.”
The Pan-Am Games left Casey feeling doubtful he would be in U-23 coach Clive Charles’ plans for Olympic qualifying. But the experience also left him highly motivated to take his game to a higher level. As his college coach at the University of Portland, Charles got to see that motivation first hand and help direct it.
Seeing that his size alone was no longer enough to bring him success, Casey relentlessly worked on diversifying his game during his freshman campaign.
Instead of charging at the defense every time he got the ball, Casey began holding possession and combining with teammates more often. He added subtle fakes and turns to open up his shot in tight quarters. He continued to develop composure in finishing.
Honing his shot
Goalkeeper Curtis Spiteri, Casey’s roommate, was the one most often recruited for off-day training sessions.
“He works his butt off,” Spiteri said of Casey. “He’d spend up to an hour and a half shooting on me on days we didn’t have practice – even when the season was over.
“He’s always been a real aggressive forward who’s not afraid to go after any ball … he’s learned to read the keeper’s position and place shots more, rather than just hitting it.”
Modifying his game never hindered Casey’s effectiveness. He ended up leading Division I in goals (23) and points (53) as Portland went 12-5-2 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Washington.
Casey, of course, credits his teammates, especially fellow freshman striking partner Kelly Gray, for his prolific output, but Casey’s dominance at the college level made it almost impossible for Charles to overlook him as an Olympic team candidate.
Among the 18 players Charles selected for the qualifying tournament in Hershey, Pa., Casey was the only one who had yet to embark on a professional career. Yet the 18-year-old started alongside Chris Albright up front and was a dynamic presence for 80 minutes of the United States’ crucial 3-0 victory over Honduras in the opener.
Against Canada, Casey was frustrated along with the rest of the U.S. team in his inability to score, but he battled the physical defenders for 90 minutes. Inserted with 20 minutes left in the semifinal against Guatemala, Casey put the punctuation on the U.S. victory.
Receiving a throw-in along the right touchline, Casey brushed off an attempted challenge from one Guatemalan defender and turned upfield. After dashing 30 yards and past another defender, he smartly slid the ball across to Landon Donovan for the fourth goal.
Strong, fast and humble
According to teammate Chad McCarty, the play exemplified the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Casey’s traits.
“He’s solid,” McCarty said. “If you hit him, you definitely feel like you’ve run into somebody. I think what separates Conor is that he’s not only strong, but he’s deceptively quick. He can hold you off and then he can burst. A lot of the big guys we’ve played against are not as mobile.”
Casey rated his own performance in the tournament as “average,” but his mother, Susan, said his own evaluation is often the harshest.
“Whenever he calls after a game, we always ask ‘how did you do?’ and if he says, ‘I played OK,’ then he probably played out of his mind because he usually talks first about the chances he missed or what he should have done better.”
Casey may have entered the tournament as one of the lesser-known players on the team, but reports from Hershey indicated that several European clubs are interested.
Surrounded by players who have tried the gamut of professional options, Casey used the Olympic team opportunity to discuss his future with his peers.
“We all talk about different situations that people are in, so I try to take away what I can from each player’s situation,” Casey said. “It’s nice hearing advice from players who are already there.”
For now, however, Casey plans to return to Portland for one more season before considering any professional offers. Then he hopes to follow in the footsteps of defender Steve Cherundolo, who left Portland after two seasons for Europe. A start in MLS is also a possibility, Casey said, but playing in Europe is a personal goal.
“He’s come on a bundle,” Charles said. “He just gets better and better. He’s one of those kids where you only need to tell him something once and he does it … you say to yourself ‘I can’t keep this kid in school for four years, he’s too good.’ You’ve got to let him go.”
by Soccer America associate editor Will Kuhns