{"id":879,"date":"2019-11-11T13:37:33","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T13:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/11\/11\/20191018the-hamden-melting-pot\/"},"modified":"2020-09-05T19:24:28","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T19:24:28","slug":"20191018the-hamden-melting-pot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/11\/11\/20191018the-hamden-melting-pot\/","title":{"rendered":"Quinnipiac\u2019s melting pot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align:center;white-space:pre-wrap;\"><em>How the Quinnipiac men\u2019s soccer team recruits from all over the world<\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\n<div\n        class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \"\n        data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"\n    ><\/p>\n<figure\n            class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \"\n            style=\"max-width:1024.0px;\"\n        ><\/p>\n<div\n              \n                style=\"padding-bottom:87.109375%;\"\n              \n              class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                \n          \n        \n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n              \n  \n\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LuJzf6PnTNW8GQJYBrmbjg_thumb_4ddb.jpg\" alt=\"The Quinnipiac men\u2019s soccer team celebrates a goal from last season. The Bobcats made it all the way to the MAAC finals in 2018, before losing 1-0 to Rider.\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LuJzf6PnTNW8GQJYBrmbjg_thumb_4ddb.jpg\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LuJzf6PnTNW8GQJYBrmbjg_thumb_4ddb.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"1024x892\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"The Quinnipiac men\u2019s soccer team celebrates a goal from last season. The Bobcats made it all the way to the MAAC finals in 2018, before losing 1-0 to Rider.\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5daa78673b10fe1c14e0be6a\" data-type=\"image\" \/>\n          <\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-caption\">\n<p class=\"\">The Quinnipiac men\u2019s soccer team celebrates a goal from last season. The Bobcats made it all the way to the MAAC finals in 2018, before losing 1-0 to Rider.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The United States was built by people who came from other countries for new opportunities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The same can be said for some of the Quinnipiac men\u2019s soccer team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Take senior defender <a href=\"https:\/\/gobobcats.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=8159\">Conor McCoy<\/a> for example. He hails from Forkhill, Ireland, and the opportunity to go to school and play soccer at the same time was too good to pass up. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cThe whole dream of football and study, I think that was the real selling point,\u201d McCoy said. \u201cBoth coaches sold it really well, and this school is really great. I really wanted to get a degree out of it as well. I didn&#8217;t want to just finish playing football and whatever age and not have any future opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>   <iframe title=\"Quinnipiac athletic teams percentage of international players\" aria-label=\"Bar Chart\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-AGxrZ\" src=\"\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/AGxrZ\/2\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"712\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var e in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var t=document.getElementById(\"datawrapper-chart-\"+e)||document.querySelector(\"iframe[src*='\"+e+\"']\");t&&(t.style.height=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][e]+\"px\")}})}();<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">McCoy is one of 13 international players on the Quinnipiac men\u2019s soccer team who has made his way to Hamden.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The team<strong> <\/strong>has the most international representation of any sports team at Quinnipiac. There are 27 players on the roster, with 13 from outside the United States, representing nine different countries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Men\u2019s soccer also has the highest percentage of international players at just under 50%. The next highest is the women\u2019s soccer team having 36% of the team from outside the U.S.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">How they recruit these players is an overt strategy with<strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/gobobcats.com\/coaches.aspx?path=msoc&amp;rc=3543\">Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa <\/a>at the helm.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cIt\u2019s a really complicated process,\u201d Da Costa said. \u201cThe first thing that we\u2019re looking for is that first impression. What we get on video from a player, usually it\u2019s some type of highlight reel. You\u2019re really just focused on the technical ability of the player. Then we start to do some digging. We need full matches and we have a couple different scouting software that we use that have a pretty in-depth database globally.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">After the first step is taken, Da Costa said it\u2019s about finding out who the player is as a person. It becomes less about the soccer player and more about the international student trying to come to a new country. When he gets the chance, Da Costa will travel to different countries to meet with his prospective recruits personally.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">According to Da Costa, that\u2019s not always the case. Due to budgetary restrictions, there is only so much international travel that Da Costa and his staff can do. So they rely on technology to keep their relationships with these players growing. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWe do a lot of Skype; we do a lot of Whatsapp and Facetime,\u201d Da Costa said. \u201cJust trying to get that face time with these guys and figuring out who they are, what they\u2019re about, what makes them tick and does that fit into what we do here. It\u2019s really important that we bring the right character into this program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>   <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1OZJWRWJQcGZd90eHrv1o5Hej5bsIGUS-\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Da Costa is also looking for players that want to not only be a part of a collegiate soccer program, but want to be a part of his program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI want someone who wants to be at Quinnipiac, not because it\u2019s an opportunity to play soccer or there\u2019s a potential scholarship, or it&#8217;s an opportunity to come to the United States,\u201d Da Costa said. \u201cThat means nothing to me. I want someone who wants to be at Quinnipiac University for all the right reasons. They want to play for me, they want to be a part of this program. They want to help continue to grow and help us continue to win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">That same \u201cwant\u201d that Da Costa looks for in his players, is also reciprocated the other way. Junior midfielder <a href=\"https:\/\/gobobcats.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=8154\">Simon Hillinger<\/a>, a native of Ditzingen, Germany, felt that as much as he wanted to come to the United States, Quinnipiac wanted him as well.<\/p>\n<figure\n          class=\"\n            sqs-block-image-figure\n            image-block-outer-wrapper\n            image-block-v2\n            design-layout-card\n            combination-animation-none\n            individual-animation-none\n            individual-text-animation-none\n            image-position-left\n            \n          \"\n          data-scrolled\n          data-test=\"image-block-v2-outer-wrapper\"\n      ><\/p>\n<div class=\"intrinsic\">\n<div\n          \n              \n              class=\"\n                \n                image-inset\n                \n                  content-fit\n                \n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n              data-description=\"\"\n              \n  \n\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/447A3471.jpg\" alt=\"\"I saw that coach had big dreams for the team and big goals, so I was really just like \u2018Why not? I want to be a part of this family and this team.\u2019\u201d - -Chrysostomos Iakovidis\" \/><\/noscript><br \/>\n            <img data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/447A3471.jpg\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/447A3471.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"2500x3898\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"447A3471.jpg\"  \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-overlay\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-card-wrapper\" data-width-ratio>\n<div class=\"image-card sqs-dynamic-text-container\">\n<div class=\"image-title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-title sqs-dynamic-text\"\n                \n  \n><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;I saw that coach had big dreams for the team and big goals, so I was really just like \u2018Why not? I want to be a part of this family and this team.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-subtitle-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-subtitle sqs-dynamic-text\"\n                \n  \n><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">-Chrysostomos Iakovidis<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI really felt like the coaches wanted me here,\u201d Hillinger said. \u201cCompared to other coaches I talked to, I always felt like the second choice. But with [Quinnipiac assistant coach Graciano] Brito and Da Costa I felt right away that they really wanted me and really wanted me in their program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Hillinger isn\u2019t the only one that feels that way. Senior goaltender <a href=\"https:\/\/gobobcats.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=8157\">Chrysostomos Iakovidis<\/a> comes from Thessaloniki, Greece, and he also credits Da Costa in why he eventually chose coming to the U.S. to play soccer. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cCoach was really close to me from the first time (we met),\u201d Iakovidis said. \u201cHe seemed like he really wanted me to get with the team and be a part of it. \u2026I saw that coach had big dreams for the team and big goals, so I was really just like \u2018Why not? I want to be a part of this family and this team.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>   <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Tbv4FMaWnPI?wmode=opaque&amp;enablejsapi=1\" height=\"480\" width=\"854\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><strong>Why they cross the Atlantic<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">For the players, there is a multitude of other reasons they come to the United States. And that changes from person to person.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">In the case of senior defender <a href=\"https:\/\/gobobcats.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=8153\">Jeppe Haehre<\/a>, it was his older brother, Daniel Haehre, who influenced his decision. Daniel made the choice to come to the U.S. and play soccer in 2011. Coming from Baerums Verk, Norway, the elder Haehre attended Virginia Commonwealth University before transferring to Hawaii Pacific University for his final three years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI kind of knew about the whole college experience from [my brother] so I kind of looked into it early,\u201d Haehre said. \u201cThen I reached out to Da Costa and Brito, and they told me a bunch of stuff about Quinnipiac. The people, the diversity that was here, that really pulled me into wanting to come here.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Haehre first attended a showcase in Sweden, joining other prospective Europeans who wanted to come to the United States for soccer. From there, Da Costa and his staff watched Haehre\u2019s video highlights from the showcase, reaching out to him afterward. It wasn\u2019t long after that Haehre decided Hamden would be his home for the next four years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI was really ready for it because my brother did it,\u201d Haehre said. \u201cHe always came home and told a bunch of stories about the cool experiences, so I was very open to a new culture and embracing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<div\n        class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \"\n        data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"\n    ><\/p>\n<figure\n            class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \"\n            style=\"max-width:1185.0px;\"\n        ><\/p>\n<div\n              \n                style=\"padding-bottom:75.0210952758789%;\"\n              \n              class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                \n          \n        \n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n              \n  \n\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_0453.jpg\" alt=\"Quinnipiac sophomore defender Jordon Bennett kicks the ball up the field. Bennett comes from Central Coast, Australia. He is the only non-European international player on the team.\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_0453.jpg\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_0453.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"1185x889\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Quinnipiac sophomore defender Jordon Bennett kicks the ball up the field. Bennett comes from Central Coast, Australia. He is the only non-European international player on the team.\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5daa7bcbc20b461ef16e14a3\" data-type=\"image\" \/>\n          <\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-caption\">\n<p class=\"\">Quinnipiac sophomore defender Jordon Bennett kicks the ball up the field. Bennett comes from Central Coast, Australia. He is the only non-European international player on the team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">For others, such as freshman defender <a href=\"https:\/\/gobobcats.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=8171\">Henry Weigand<\/a>, coming to the United States provided an opportunity for additional development. Weigand was playing in the U19 Bundesliga North\/North-East league, which is considered to be the highest division in German youth soccer. However, when scouts approached him, they felt he wasn\u2019t quite ready for the next level in Germany.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cA scouting agency came to me and said that they thought I had the potential to play at the high, college level,\u201d Weigand said. \u201cBut they didn\u2019t think I could go to next division in Germany. I had to develop a little bit more, and I know that I will be [eventually be] a professional in Germany. So I took the other option [for college].\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Unlike in the United States, it\u2019s not common for people to go to college. Most will go straight into the workforce and never even give a thought about higher education.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cIn this country, you raise your kids and they\u2019re going to college,\u201d Da Costa said. \u201cA lot of other countries aren\u2019t like that \u2026 at the end of the day, an international kid and their family want to go to a place where they\u2019re cared about. They want to go to a place where they know they can study and play at a high level, which they can\u2019t do in most of their own countries.\u201d<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><strong>Complications in the process<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">With that said, it\u2019s not always smooth sailing for these players to come play. They might have the destination, but they now have to get to the U.S., which includes applying for and receiving a visa. Raya Al Wasti, the secretary for Multicultural and Global Initiatives at Quinnipiac, explained how the process can differ depending on where the player is form.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWe have countries that are really easy to get their visas here, but sometimes it\u2019s harder because of political issues in the country,\u201d Al Wasti said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Weigand was one of the players that experienced some difficulties in getting his visa. After going through all the paperwork, the visa eventually did arrive, but later than expected. As a result, it threw off Weigand\u2019s entire move to the U.S.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI had a little issue with my visa, so it came three days late,\u201d Weigand said. \u201cI had to cancel my first flight and at that point I really wanted to go [to the U.S.] because when you are focusing on one point to leave and then you have to move it to a second point, it was like I was wasting time in Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><strong>From within U.S. borders<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">As for the 14 Americans on the team, eight of them are coming from the Nutmeg state. Some are from the local area of Hamden, such as sophomore midfielder <a href=\"https:\/\/gobobcats.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=9265\">Ivan Ramos<\/a>, and North Haven, such as sophomore midfielder <a href=\"https:\/\/gobobcats.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=8155\">Alex Holle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>   <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1wIDKJpFhSy8E06-YPeiEgsJ088juQcf5\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWe have a really good pool of talent in Connecticut,\u201d Da Costa said. \u201cMyself and my staff being involved in the local club [soccer] scene, we\u2019re able to identify them early. If the kid\u2019s not leaving the state, then why is he not coming to Quinnipiac? We think that if you\u2019re not going to Yale, then Quinnipiac should be high up on your radar because we feel like we can offer everything else any other Division I institute in Connecticut can offer.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">If you\u2019ve followed the team recently, the name <a href=\"https:\/\/gobobcats.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=8164\">Eamon Whelan<\/a> is constantly being brought up. The reigning MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and the Preseason MAAC Player of the Year isn\u2019t from across the ocean. In fact, he\u2019s just about an hour away, coming from New Fairfield, Connecticut. But having these players come from all over provides Whelan with something that he wouldn\u2019t have been able to get at home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI grew up in a very suburban area where there\u2019s not that much diversity,\u201d Whelan said. \u201cSo being able to come [to Hamden] and play and be around kids from all around the globe, it\u2019s been a big eye opener. I think on the field I\u2019ve grown, but socially as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Looking at other student athletes near the area, Glastonbury, Wallingford and Farmington are a few more of the areas that the players come from. Having this close distance to the campus allows for the international players to have a warm welcome when being a Bobcat.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">For example, Holle and his family treats some of the international players to Thanksgiving, a tradition most have never heard of, but get that exposure to when in the U.S.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div\n        class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \"\n        data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"\n    ><\/p>\n<figure\n            class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \"\n            style=\"max-width:2500.0px;\"\n        ><\/p>\n<div\n              \n                style=\"padding-bottom:75.0%;\"\n              \n              class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                \n          \n        \n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n              \n  \n\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_0443.jpg\" alt=\"Quinnipiac goaltender Jared Mazzola reaches up to tip a shot away. The Bobcats currently own a 4-4-3 overall record, while they are 2-2-1 in the MAAC.\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_0443.jpg\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_0443.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"2500x1875\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Quinnipiac goaltender Jared Mazzola reaches up to tip a shot away. The Bobcats currently own a 4-4-3 overall record, while they are 2-2-1 in the MAAC.\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5daa78cf4e423579cf654063\" data-type=\"image\" \/>\n          <\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-caption\">\n<p class=\"\">Quinnipiac goaltender Jared Mazzola reaches up to tip a shot away. The Bobcats currently own a 4-4-3 overall record, while they are 2-2-1 in the MAAC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cThe Connecticut guys are massive for us just because those families are here,\u201d Da Costa said. \u201cAgain, we recruit good people, so they come from good families. These families open up their doors and their hearts for these guys and they become almost surrogate parents which is really cool to see.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Regardless of whether a player is from Spain or Norway, Connecticut or New York, at the end of the day, they all are here for a reason \u2013 to be a Quinnipiac Bobcat on the men\u2019s soccer team.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWhen you come here, it\u2019s not about you,\u201d Da Costa said. \u201cIt\u2019s about us, it\u2019s about the program, so we spend a lot of time figuring out \u2018Do they have that type of mentality?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He continues, \u201cWe\u2019ve spent a long time building a culture that we\u2019re all really proud of. I always say culture is people, so the people in our program make our culture. We obviously know what we want to be but these guys have to carry that out. So we try and make that we get the right person to come in and fit in what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The Quinnipiac men\u2019s soccer team has the most countries represented on its roster out of any other Quinnipiac athletic team. However, for Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa and these international players, it\u2019s no easy process bringing these players to Hamden. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,142,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-capstone-projects","category-homepage","category-quinnipiac"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=879"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1575,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879\/revisions\/1575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}