Knights in MLS: Conway Coaches Toronto FC to MLS Cup Final
Nov 11 | Men's Soccer
TORONTO (Nov. 11, 2019) – Rutgers men's soccer All-American alumnus Jon Conway coached the goalkeepers of Toronto FC to the 2019 Major League Soccer Cup Championship Game on Nov. 10 in Seattle.
Finishing his second season on staff with the 2019 MLS Cup runners-up, Conway has been coaching professionally since 2012 following a successful 12-year career as a goalkeeper in MLS.
A 1999 NSCAA All-America Second Team selection with the Scarlet Knights, Conway was also a two-time Big East Goalkeeper of the Year before being drafted 28th overall in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft to the San Jose Earthquakes.
Conway called in from his MLS Cup trip to Seattle to check in with ScarletKnights.com.
SK.com: Have you been keeping up with Rutgers soccer?
Jon Conway: I have been actively following the team since graduating. This season started off with a bang. I love what [first-year head coach] Jim [McElderry] is doing with the team. I had a chance to meet with him right after he got the job, and we're excited to see where he takes the program from here. I always keep my eye on young players to push them toward Rutgers.
SK.com: How did Rutgers prepare you for your pro career and your current role with Toronto?
JC: I was very fortunate in my time there to train with clubs overseas during the summer, thanks to connections within the Rutgers staff. I was able to train with Blackburn FC two years after they won the English Premiere League. It was an eye-opening experience for me. I realized what it takes to be a professional. I brought that back with me to Rutgers and had the mindset going forward. That relationship [former head] Coach [Bob] Reasso had with Blackburn led to another opportunity. I met with Roy Hodgson, who is now at Crystal Palace, and played for him on loan at FC Copenhagen. Those connections put me in environments where I could challenge myself and learn to strive to reach that level each season at Rutgers.
SK.com: Soccer is a Conway family sport. What does it mean to you that your brother Scott followed in your footsteps and played goalkeeper for Rutgers?
JC: My brother and I growing up four years apart, we were never able to play together. I had an extra semester at Rutgers, so I used it for the opportunity to wake up and go to train with my brother, which are still some of the best memories I've ever had. Playing the same position, the banter in the morning at practice. Soccer has been a huge part of our family with our parents driving the PA Turnpike to see us for years, they loved getting to Yurcak early and tailgating. They developed relationships with the other families, and those are still relationships we have today. We are so thankful for those times we were able to spend together.
SK.com: What advice would you offer for those looking to follow your path?
JC: Keep going. There are going to be setbacks. You're going to have times where it doesn't work out. It doesn't mean you're not good enough. It doesn't mean you can't reach that level. Keep dreaming and keep going for it. I kept going, opportunities came and I took advantage of it.
SK.com: Did you always know you wanted to be a professional soccer coach?
JC: I love the job and we've been successful. Throughout my career, I didn't realize I was preparing for this, but I was. Every experience gave me a perspective, and I was able to use those moments to be able to make it relatable with the guys I'm working with. I'm able to help them and prepare them to be successful in their careers. You pick up little things at each spot. I hope these guys have long careers and take something from me and apply it as they move up and along. I want them to get to their dreams. I wake up every day and coach a game I love. I travel. People pay money and there are big crowds to see these guys play. It takes me back to nights at Yurcak when there were 4, 5 or 6,000 people in the stands.
Follow Rutgers men's soccer on Twitter and Instagram (@RUMensSoccer) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/RUMensSoccer). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), Snapchat (@RUAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
- RU -
Finishing his second season on staff with the 2019 MLS Cup runners-up, Conway has been coaching professionally since 2012 following a successful 12-year career as a goalkeeper in MLS.
A 1999 NSCAA All-America Second Team selection with the Scarlet Knights, Conway was also a two-time Big East Goalkeeper of the Year before being drafted 28th overall in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft to the San Jose Earthquakes.
Conway called in from his MLS Cup trip to Seattle to check in with ScarletKnights.com.
SK.com: Have you been keeping up with Rutgers soccer?
Jon Conway: I have been actively following the team since graduating. This season started off with a bang. I love what [first-year head coach] Jim [McElderry] is doing with the team. I had a chance to meet with him right after he got the job, and we're excited to see where he takes the program from here. I always keep my eye on young players to push them toward Rutgers.
SK.com: How did Rutgers prepare you for your pro career and your current role with Toronto?
JC: I was very fortunate in my time there to train with clubs overseas during the summer, thanks to connections within the Rutgers staff. I was able to train with Blackburn FC two years after they won the English Premiere League. It was an eye-opening experience for me. I realized what it takes to be a professional. I brought that back with me to Rutgers and had the mindset going forward. That relationship [former head] Coach [Bob] Reasso had with Blackburn led to another opportunity. I met with Roy Hodgson, who is now at Crystal Palace, and played for him on loan at FC Copenhagen. Those connections put me in environments where I could challenge myself and learn to strive to reach that level each season at Rutgers.
SK.com: Soccer is a Conway family sport. What does it mean to you that your brother Scott followed in your footsteps and played goalkeeper for Rutgers?
JC: My brother and I growing up four years apart, we were never able to play together. I had an extra semester at Rutgers, so I used it for the opportunity to wake up and go to train with my brother, which are still some of the best memories I've ever had. Playing the same position, the banter in the morning at practice. Soccer has been a huge part of our family with our parents driving the PA Turnpike to see us for years, they loved getting to Yurcak early and tailgating. They developed relationships with the other families, and those are still relationships we have today. We are so thankful for those times we were able to spend together.
SK.com: What advice would you offer for those looking to follow your path?
JC: Keep going. There are going to be setbacks. You're going to have times where it doesn't work out. It doesn't mean you're not good enough. It doesn't mean you can't reach that level. Keep dreaming and keep going for it. I kept going, opportunities came and I took advantage of it.
SK.com: Did you always know you wanted to be a professional soccer coach?
JC: I love the job and we've been successful. Throughout my career, I didn't realize I was preparing for this, but I was. Every experience gave me a perspective, and I was able to use those moments to be able to make it relatable with the guys I'm working with. I'm able to help them and prepare them to be successful in their careers. You pick up little things at each spot. I hope these guys have long careers and take something from me and apply it as they move up and along. I want them to get to their dreams. I wake up every day and coach a game I love. I travel. People pay money and there are big crowds to see these guys play. It takes me back to nights at Yurcak when there were 4, 5 or 6,000 people in the stands.
Follow Rutgers men's soccer on Twitter and Instagram (@RUMensSoccer) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/RUMensSoccer). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), Snapchat (@RUAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
- RU -
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