The Crew's newest signing, forward Aaron Schoenfeld, sat down with TheCrew.com's Cody Sharrett to talk about his path to Columbus, his MLS debut, and more.
Cody Sharrett: Aaron, first of all, welcome to Columbus. Explain the process and emotions of leaving the Montreal Impact camp and getting a call from the Crew.
Aaron Schoenfeld: The day I got released from Montreal, I was pretty devasted-- as any player would be. It's been definitely my dream to become a professional soccer player. When that happened, it was kind of a whirlwind. You don't know if anything else is going to work out. At the same time, when I got released, the next day I was in camp with Orlando City SC, a USL side. I trained with them for three or four days, and then I got a call from (the Crew). It was just crazy, the turn of events. I was more than excited to have one more opportunity. I knew if I didn't make it here, I would have to end up playing in a lower division.
CS: You made your debut against the team that cut you, Montreal. You had a couple of good touches, but never really got a chance at goal, was there any extra motivation to score against the Impact?
AS: I little bit, for sure. At the same time, I'm not saying I disagree with their decision... I was confident enough and I thought I should've made their roster, but since I'm not mad at them there's no hard feelings. Obviously, I wanted to go out there and not necessarily prove that they made a mistake, but at the same time those are my buds and it's always fun to score on your friends.
CS: You're from Knoxville, Tennessee. MLS-wise that's kind of a no-man's land. Were there any teams you followed growing up?
AS: To be honest, the Columbus Crew is the closest team to Knoxville. If you do support MLS there, it's the Columbus Crew. Growing up, we played tournaments in Dayton. A lot of my teammates and I would drive to the Crew games.
CS: You're obviously a big guy at 6'3", providing a nice target forward for the Crew. What weapons do you bring to the field?
AS: I try to use my strength and my size the best that I can. If I utilize it, it can be an advantage: being big, trying to hold the play up and linking other people in. Pretty much, my game should be around the ball, getting a head to the end of balls, and getting tap-ins off the rebound.
