Interview with IFX Striker Tristan Watson
1 on 1 with Canadian Tristan Watson
IFX interviews Canadian goalscorer Tristan Watson on his experience thus far in German football.
Q: 2 goals in 3 appearances (two league matches and one DFB Pokal Qualifikation match)…now that you have 180 minutes of official BayernLiga competition under your belt with ASV Neumarkt, can you briefly describe how you are acclimating to the football in Germany and your initial thoughts?
A: Acclimating to the German style of football was a little more challenging…each week a player must be able to deal with the intensity and physicality each opponent brings during matches but also from within the team during the training week. One thing in particular that I have noticed is that every team treats each match like it’s their last…in my debut versus VfL Frohnlach (ex-Regionalliga) I received an eye opener and wake up call.
Q: Last season we had an American forward Zack Mahon on their squad (VfL Frohnlach), with their roster mainly unchanged from last seasons Regionalliga team. Can you describe the level of play and intensity this match?
A: The intensity, the way the defenders tend to try to throw you off of your game throughout the match as well as the physical nature of the match really was an eye opener. It wasn’t my best match but within the 90 minutes I tried to adapt as quickly as possible in order to help my club earn some points [both clubs are in the midst of tight group of clubs threatened with relegation].
Q: It seems like the match versus Frohnlach did wonders for you as the following week you would open your BayernLiga scoring account in a 2:2 draw versus Würzburger FV; you would also go on to earn a spot on Fupa.net BayernLiga team of the week (Elf der Woche).
A: The following week after the Frohnlach match I said to myself that I needed to step it up…going into the Würzburger FV match I felt ready…I missed a few chances early on only from being too excited, but once I calmed down my chance came and I made no mistake and buried my first league goal.
Q: Now that you’re up to speed, what are your goals both presently at Neumarkt and then individually looking towards the future?
A: My goal for the rest of the season is to help the team move out of the relegation zone and up the table. Obviously I want to score as many goals as I can, if I can do this then maintaining Neumarkt in the BayernLiga should be a reality. Individually I want to play the most attractive style of football that I can in order to promote myself to higher tiered clubs… I’m no Cristiano Ronaldo or Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but I aspire to dominate the league with my strength, speed and skills.
Thanks for your time Tristan, we will be sure to follow your progression the rest of the season with Neumarkt.
Citations: http://www.fupa.net/liga/bayernliga-nord-5575/elfdesspieltags.html
