Alex De Carolis Interview: HFX Wanderers FC Left Back

Hey Guys,

It's Jack here!

Today, I am so excited to share my latest interview, this time done with my local club HFX Wanderer's Full Back, Alex De Carolis.

Alex De Carolis Interview:

As a ball retriever for the Wanderers, I had the privilege of watching Alex De Carolis play at most of their home games, and even got to meet his parents when they came to watch him play!

Alex, always strikes me as one of the most thoughtful and wise players that I've met and as you'll see in the interview, he always has great advice and is the ultimate professional.

The interview was almost an hour and a half (wow, thanks Alex!) and in that time we got to know him better and delve into his own soccer journey; from Sarnia to Buffalo, to Sweden and then to the Canadian Premiere League.

Alex gives us some incredible insight into the world of football and shows us that perseverance does indeed pays of. He has an amazing story and one that you'll want to hear. So get comfy and let's get to it!

For a detailed timestamp of the interview, see below. For the clickable timestamp, visit YouTube.

Alex De Carolis Interview Timestamp:

0:0:17 Welcome Alex!
0:00:33 It was wallpaper Wednesday. What do you think of your wallpaper?
0:01:22 How did you fall in love with the beautiful game?
0:02:17 Was your family and extended family all into soccer? Was it something you were exposed to growing up?
0:03:47 What team do you support?
0:04:30 How did your parents support you to give you more opportunities in soccer and support your dream?
0:06:10 Tell us a little more about the college path and how that works?
0:08:06 Did your brother go through the same process?
0:08:20 What was your plan going through D1? When did you realize maybe there is something after D1 and go to the next level?
0:10:40 Do you have any tips for left-backs?
0:12:26 Since moving back to left-back at D1, did you continue that or did you flirt with midfield, or did you stay at left-back?
0:13:50 How did you get on the radar of Sweden?
0:16:10 When you first went to Sweden, was it on a trial or a contract?
0:17:50 How was the experience going up to 2 tiers in Sweden?
0:18:50 How is Sweden comparable to the CPL?
0:20:59 So your coach in Sweden, his ability to understand nuances and communicate that was on another level?
0:21:50 What do you mean by an “off the field” coach?
0:22:39 How many people spoke English there in Sweden?
0:23:57 What is the difference between soccer in Sweden vs Canada and how was the training different?
0:26:50 Where do you think Canadian soccer will be in 5-10 years?
0:29:48 How did you like playing on the road, it was a lot of travel?
0:31:02 Who do you model your game after?
0:32:28 Do you watch your opponents?
0:33:18 You have software that finds just the one player?
0:34:16 Thrown in, is it a foul?
0:35:16 Seattle Sounders U-23, what was so great about the team?
0:36:54 Do you study all the players who you might potentially play against?
0:39:48 What convinced you to come back to Halifax for a second year?
0:41:32 How would you say this year’s team is gelling?
0:45:00 Who are you looking forward to playing with on your team?
0:46:28 How do you get ready for a game?
0:47:55 Favourite FIFA team to play with?
0:48:48 Are they going to hang on to Lautaro?
0:49:23 Do you practice visualization?
0:50:34 Your mentality on approaching the game?
0:51:33 Any personal development books or figures that made an impact on your mindset and life in general?
0:54:45 What kind of podcasts do you listen to?
0:54:24 When did you start working on the weaker parts of your game (working on your weak foot?)
0:56:50 What was the most life-changing soccer experience in your career?
0:58:12 How do you score goals?
0:59:30 Langwa started as the left-back of choice during the 2019 season. How did you deal with that, waiting for your turn?
1:02:09 You eventually secured the left-back spot, what did you do to make that happen?
1:03:15 What have you learned from Stephen Hart?
1:05:04 Do you think the changes in the offseason, will allow him to play his type of game?
1:06:05 How does it feel to be part of Canadian history and Stephen Hart's inaugural team?
1:07:22 How do you eat during the playing season, do you follow a special diet to help you with playing performance?
1:11:00 What is your favorite workout music?
1:11:54 What advice to you have for young players who want to become pro?
1:14:51 Tell us about playing keeper in Sweden?
1:17:48 What about the other cap as a goalie?
1:19:26 What do you think of the new kits?