Mendolia Begins His New Journey With Sky Blue FC

Howell, N.J. – On February 15, 2019, as first reported by LongIslandSoccer.net, Long Island-native Alex Mendolia received the call that he was headed back to the United States, specifically, New Jersey, to join Denise Reddy’s staff and coach the National Women Soccer League’s Sky Blue FC. Mendolia, who grew up in Smithtown, began to pack his bags in what would be another big step in his young coaching career.

Mendolia returns after spending the year in Spain where he served as the assistant coach for La Liga’s third-division team U.D San Lorenzo del Flumen. While in Spain he also spent his time coaching for EF Huesca’s pro-youth academy team.

The Farmingdale State College 2011 graduate, who holds the record for career assists (14) for the Rams - has coached in every division at the NCAA level (DI, II, III), from being an assistant at his alma mater to Stony Brook, LIU Post, and eventually took over the reins at St. Joseph’s College (L.I.) where he led his side to the Skyline Conference Championship Final. The coaching didn’t stop there for Mendolia, the two-time Stony Brook Soccer Club Coach of the Year (2011, 2012), served on the ODP Regional Staff for the East Region and coached internationally in Cameroon, Ireland, and Spain. With his connection from La Liga, Mendolia’s organization, Cantera Futbol, will host its annual La Liga Camp on July 8 - July 12. The camp has brought down coaches from Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Getafe CF, EF SD Huesca, Rayo Vallecano, Villarreal CF as well as the Spanish Federation in Madrid.

In an exclusive interview, Mendolia sits down with LongIslandSoccer.net to discuss his journey to the NWSL.

LongIslandSoccer.net: You’re back here (USA) after spending a total of two years in Spain, how did that experience help you as a coach and how are you going to apply that to Sky Blue?

Alex Mendolia: After spending some time in Spain, I’ve grown to love the Spanish style of soccer; it’s something I got into and learned from other coaches. After returning, I’ve come back more like a well-rounded coach and I feel like I can transmit my knowledge to a professional level. Working with Coach Reddy, we share a very similar philosophy and training method, we are combining our knowledge to give the players the best environment possible.

LongIslandSoccer.net: How excited are you to work with top-named players such as Carli Lloyd and Kailen Sheridan and some of the younger players?

Alex Mendolia: I’m very excited, it’s an opportunity to work with some of the best athletes in the game. Our goal - as coaches - is to maintain that high level of intensity and push them more so they can excel in the game.

LongIslandSoccer.net: One practice into pre-season, what are your early thoughts on the team?

AM: I think that based on the squad that we have, Sky Blue brings back a handful of returners as well as veteran players from around the NWSL. The squad also brought in some very talented rookies. I believe that we are a team that is well-rounded and fits into our style of play. We have a talented group and I see ourselves going far.

LongIslandSoccer.net: You and head coach Denise Reddy have similar paths, you both went away in Europe and came back to the U.S. How has she (Reddy) welcomed you to the staff and what are you taking from this experience?

AM: When coach Reddy was looking to hire her staff, she was looking for people with diverse experiences. Reddy and I, we both share a similar passion for the game in terms of philosophy and how we think, and that's something that she's confident in me that I can bring to the table. I'm looking forward to sharing new ideas with her and she believes that I can assist her in achieving and accomplishing her game model and ideas.

LongIslandSoccer.net: Tell me about your journey, from coaching Division III soccer to coach the NWSL. Where did you get where you are?

AM: Soccer was always a passion for me, it's something that has been with me from the very beginning. Once I graduated from college I had my first coaching opportunity, it was something I wasn't interested in, I didn’t know if I wanted to pursue that as a full-time career. After my first two years with Farmingdale, I grew a passion for it and I was fortunate enough to meet very good people and coaches in my life at all levels to get me to where I am now.

I'm very passionate about the sport and I was able to continue to learn you know; pick people's brains and ask questions and do the best I could do while learning. From there, I just keep networking and meeting people. I traveled a lot and was fortunate enough to move to Spain and coach there. I was given an opportunity, which I'm really blessed for, and I wasn't planning it, it just happened.

As the journey goes, the best thing you can do - as a coach - is that you have to stay by your character and be humble and continue to learn. I want to continue learning and one day I would love to be a head coach at the professional level.

LongIslandSoccer.net: What advice do you have for young coaches who aspire to do what you do?

AM: If I was to summarize it, I would say you know, never stop learning; always listen, listen more and talk less. It's something that I learned from a mentor. I think that there's a lot of talented coaches out there but I think that there's always room to grow and learn.

No matter what level you’re coaching, whether it’s La Liga or Stony Brook University, there is somebody that studied it and asked questions.

So I believe that the younger coaches should always try to study and learn. By doing so, you get that emotional feel and connection to the game. You also learn things that you can debate and discuss with others and that's what helps you. You know, if you dedicate an hour a day for five days, obviously that five hours, and over a period of a month, six months, or even a year, you're adding to your education. Even though it might not be from a book or from a large event, you always start learning and always continue to learn.

I would also suggest speaking with coaches who are at a high level here and have been either overseas or trained in different countries to get a different aspect of soccer. You can then take what you’ve learned and Americanize it. To take what you’ve learned from other coaches from different countries and apply it to the US is very, very challenging to do, based on the cultural differences. So, if a coach can find the right way to blend it, then they can find a lot of success in coaching that club.

LongIslandSoccer.net: Alex, in conjunction with your club, Cantera Futbol, you are hosting La Liga Soccer Summer Camp. What makes this camp special?

AM: Basically how La Liga Camp works, because I've been traveling to Spain, I’ve made a lot of contact with different clubs and we (Cantera) have a network of coaches that work at the academy level. These coaches the opportunity to come to the United States and coach for a week.

Basically how it works: it's a half day or full day and the coaches bring their twist on how they want to work specific technical activity and tactical activity. They bring games and they bring their knowledge that's based on the clubs that they're coming from. For example, in the past I had coaches from Sevilla, Athletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Huesca and the good thing about that is that each coach is different and the players are exposed to something different. The different variety of coaches bring out different attributes to the players and those players are forced to think. I think that the biggest thing that all the coaches have in conjunction with what we teach with Cantera is that they teach the cognitive aspect of the game. These coaches educate the players on what did you do with the ball, without the ball in transition and it allows players to multitask and solve problems – those solutions are usually guided through questions and that's something that we bring to the camp.

LongIslandSoccer.net: Can you tell us about some of the players that were developed at Cantera?

AM: Cantera has had one player who is currently playing in la Ligue Nationale which is the national league in Spain. He plays center back, his name is Malcolm Sweat, 19 years old – a central defender – he's a kid that, from a young age, he had a passion that, we guided through the roof. He always training and it got to the point where he needed to learn more and wanted more experience. Mark Ludgris, Cantera’s Technical Director, and I wanted to give him an experience that was different than anybody else and going to Spain was the pathway that we provided him. He went last year and played and he excelled so they asked him to stay and had offers from the surrounding clubs. Sweat reads the game very well and he's a player from Long Island.

LongIslandSoccer.net: How do you see yourself growing in the soccer world, and where do you see the growth in soccer on Long Island?

AM: Long Island, in general, has grown. In the last five years, there has been a big influx of players as well as coaches. The education of coaching has improved tremendously, especially in the U.S. as well. You have American coaches going to overseas to Europe and we see that every single day. I think it's just going to get better more soccer games are now televised. This ignites the passion for these coaches as well as the players and that's how the environment gets better.

I think in the next five to ten years, we will be at another level, we will be at a higher level than we're at today and it's just going to keep going.

LongIslandSoccer.net: Who are your role models?

AM: I would say one of my role models would be Pep Guardiola. He is a leader that I like and that I try to emulate, in terms of coaching and style of play. I have other role models as well, that are non-professional coaches that are mentalists to me. For me as a coach, I try to be a leader and I try to be a role model for others and someone that can educate others.

LongIslandSoccer.net: Last question, on game day, will you be wearing joggers or slacks?

AM: It really depends on the shoes….but for me, I'm a professional in and out and I will probably wear dress pants.

In her second year at the helm Denise Reddy, along with Alex Mendolia, are ready to tackle the 2019 season. Sky Blue FC, who is in its second week of preseason is training at Sportika sports. The squad will play in four preseason matches at its indoor training facility, Sportika Sports with the first contest being held on March 16, taking on the Big East’s St. John’s University at 3 PM. They will play again on March 23 vs. University of West Virginia, 3 p.m.; March 29 vs. Rutgers University, 7 p.m.; April 6 vs. University of North Carolina, 3 p.m.

Tickets to all preseason matches are free, but fans must RSVP in advance. Click here for more info.

Reddy’s side opens the 2019 NWSL season in Washington when it takes the Spirit on April 13. Sky Blue will have its home opener on Saturday, April 20, when it takes on the Houston Dash at 6 PM.