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Tomas Hilliard-Arce is a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist and the Defensive MVP of the College Cup. He’s projected to go high in Friday’s MLS SuperDraft, if not No. 1 overall.
Pro Soccer USA caught up with the Stanford standout defender at the 2018 MLS Player Combine in Orlando.
Question: What’s it like to be part of a team that won three consecutive NCAA national championships?
Answer: “I do think it’s very special. We had a special group at Stanford from the coaching staff down to the last player on the bench everyone was focused on winning another national championship and it obviously doesn’t happen automatically, so it involves putting your mind to something for a long time.”
Q: Was it something that happened organically in terms of momentum?
A: “Once you win the first national championship you have the confidence that you can go win the second. We have that experience over other people and we utilized that well.”
Q: Can you reflect on jitters, anticipation, whatever is going on emotionally for you in regards to the draft?
A: “I think you get a little comfortable once you are somewhere for four years, so at Stanford I knew what the deal was. And here, it’s how fast you can adapt. At this point I’m just trying to play my best here…I’m ready to go to whatever club picks me.”
Q: Do you have a preference where you go?
A: “I love everywhere in the U.S. Whether it’s the south or the west coast I’m just looking forward it. Maybe I can experience the northeast and see if I can handle some cold.”
Q: There’s speculation that you may be the No. 1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft. Thoughts on that?
A: “At the beginning of this camp I told myself to stay away from the news and the media, just because that can influence the way you play. It can get in your head. So for me right now, my focus is playing the best I can. I could go first. I could go 40th. To me it really doesn’t matter. I just look forward to showing what I got once I get into a camp.”
Q: How hard has it been here at the combine given such a mix-and-match scenario involving players?
A: “I’ve heard of a lot of players, and once you can put a name to a face it’s really nice to be able to talk about soccer around the U.S. But once you get here the focus is on the next prize. It’s easy to communicate and get along with people because of that.”
Q: Is it a little bit complicated with the dynamics of being thrown together at random?
A: “It is pretty difficult at first because soccer is so much organization and knowing where your teammates are going to be. So playing with new players right now, it’s how vocal can you be to get guys in the right spot. We’re still trying to learn how to mix and hopefully we can put that together.”