NC Battalion goalkeeper James Stroud is looking for his first NPSL playoff win on Saturday. The NPSL veteran will make his third playoff game appearance on Saturday, his first with the Battalion, who made their NPSL debut this year. Stroud previously played for the San Diego Flash, making the playoffs twice with them. The Flash left the NPSL a year ago in the aftermath of owner Clent Alexander’s death.
“Clent was awesome,” Stroud said of the late owner. “It was really a shock, out of left field when he passed. He was the face of soccer in San Diego. He did a lot for the sport in that area, especially in the earlier part of the 2000s. He really cared about the team.”
Stroud has since moved on the Battalion, who also play in the San Diego area.
The transition has been almost seamless.
“I have nothing negative to say about the transition, it’s been great,” he said, “It really has been amazing since day one. The owner is really involved and active with the team.”
As for Saturday, Stroud has high expectations for his team as he looks for his first playoff victory.
“We can’t expect anything else but a win on Saturday. I have all the confidence in the world for our team. We are on an upward trend.”
Stroud will end his first season with the Battalion in the playoffs (hopefully after some wins), but he began the season on the sideline.
“I tore my labrum last October. It was a six-month recovery period, which may have hurt my development. Other guys got to put the work in while I had no choice but to rehab my injury.”
In fact, shoulder injuries are nothing new for Stroud. He hurt his shoulder twice during his time at Chico State University. That’s tough luck for any young athlete but Stroud learned from his past injuries to help him recover from his most recent.
“I definitely took my injury rehab a lot more seriously this time around. I paid more attention to what I was putting in my body and I made sure to come into the season in great shape.”
Stroud missed the first three games of the NPSL season to fully recover from his injury and has played ever since. Stroud has been a mainstay in the goal for the Battalion, playing a style that obviously works.
“My style is a little mix of everything,” Stroud explained. “I try to adapt to the playing style around me. My first priority is organizing and communicating with the defense. I have also worked on my feet and by that I mean I’ve worked on being an outlet in the back so the guys can use me for an extra pass. I also feel like I have good positioning so I can make plays and saves that otherwise would be difficult.”
Hopefully the Battalion and Stroud make some plays on Saturday so he can finally capture that oh so elusive playoff win.
