Interviewer: Matt Hermann – Interviewee: Aaron Hohlbein
When Madison Pro Soccer takes the field at Breese Stevens for its inaugural season in 2019, the city’s soccer community will hit a milestone. For the first time, fans in Wisconsin’s capital will have the chance to watch professional soccer up close in their hometown. Youth players in the area will have a goal to aspire to – and a benchmark to measure themselves against.
Middleton native Aaron Hohlbein already knows what it takes to make it as a pro. He learned his craft as a central defender on the fields of Madison with the 56ers, starred as an All-American at UW and played five seasons as a professional – first for MLS club Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) and later for Miami FC and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of NASL. After injuries cut his career short in 2011, Hohlbein turned his attention to coaching. He’s now back in Madison as an assistant with the Badgers. Madison Pro Soccer sat down with Hohlbein to talk about his path to the top, as well as the arrival of professional soccer in his hometown.
How did you get your start in the game, Aaron?
My father was born in Germany, and he came here with his parents when he was five. My Grandpa played back in Germany, first for a club called Guts Muts in Dresden and later in Kassel in the middle of the country. When they came to this country, my dad would always play with my Grandpa and his friends – soccer was a big part of the family. When my dad was a kid he didn’t have much in the way of youth clubs or a soccer program in his high school, so when my brother and I were old enough to start playing on teams, he was excited to be our coach. He coached us with the 56ers, where we both played for most of our youth career.
What role did that club play in building you as a soccer player?
When you think soccer in Madison, you think of the 56ers. They’ve had a lot of success, they’ve developed a lot of good players, and a lot of good coaches too. Bill Reddan, John Reddan, Tony Wright…I was lucky to learn from them. And I was lucky to have a club where you could play up in age level all the way up to adult soccer. We had all the levels of youth soccer, as well as a UPSL team, all tied together in the same club. You as a kid, you could look up and see that extra quality within each squad at each higher level, and with the coaches as well.
Which coaches left a big impression on you?
I remember going to UW soccer camps with Jim Launder (who’s now with the 56ers and Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association) and Ian Barker (who’s now the director at United Soccer Coaches). They’re two great people who put their heart and soul into soccer, and who gave me a sense of passion for the game at a young age. My dad Rainer, of course, was a big influence; I had Chris Martinelli who’s at Edgewood High School as a youth coach; Lee Ferderer, who coached me at the 56ers. So many people, really. It’s actually something that I bragged about wherever I went in my career. Everybody thinks Wisconsin is just cows and farms and cold, but it’s so much more! That goes for soccer too. All the people from “soccer hotbeds” like L.A., Texas, New York, all up and down the East Coast – they don’t really know what we have here. And it’s a pretty cool thing.
How did coming up through youth soccer in the area, and then playing at UW, prepare you for the professional game?
Making it as a pro is hard – it is for anybody. But growing up here, having some of the coaching I did from a young age and into college, I was prepared for the bumps along the way. The classic Wisconsin soccer player’s mentality – being hard working, disciplined, not taking any moments off – is good preparation for the pressure cooker you find as a pro. It helped me bridge the gap and find my way at the next level.
What were your impressions of MLS?
Well, when I came in the league in 2007, they’d already contracted the Florida teams, and they were slowly starting to turn the corner. In my time we were getting more soccer-specific stadiums, more supporters groups, the league was expanding into markets like Toronto and Seattle. In my rookie year in Kansas City, we played in Arrowhead Stadium, then we played in CommunityAmerica, which is a minor league ballpark. These are a far cry from where Sporting KC is now. The quality of play has gone way up since then too – a massive jump.
Who was your favorite teammate?
The guy who really mentored me as a pro was Jimmy Conrad. When I got there he had played for the national team in the World Cup, he’d had an outstanding career, and he was a fellow center back. A great guy. I got along really well with him and he really took me under his wing.
After your MLS experience, you played in Florida in the lower divisions. How did you feel about the level of play there?
It was very high. A lot of people look at USL, or NASL where I played, and they think “oh it’s minor league soccer.” But there were a lot of really good players there then, and it’s even better now. These days there are a lot of guys who used to play in MLS – some of whom were first-round picks – who are now on USL rosters. Especially now that MLS teams are spending more money on foreign players. The standard of play in those “lower divisions” is very good.
What kind of level do you expect from the USL D3 team here in Madison?
Everything I’ve heard has been positive. The resources they’re putting in, the professionalism of the organization…it’s going to be strong. This isn’t going to be a men’s team of guys who work all day and then trot out there at night. They’re going to be pros. I’m sure they’ll have some good young players and some experienced guys, some of whom will probably have played in MLS. I think people are going to be treated to some really good soccer.
What kind of impact could this team have on Madison’s soccer community?
I think it’s going to be massive – not only on Madison but the whole state. Younger players who love and enjoy the game are going to have that beacon of professional soccer, they’re going to get a real feel for it. It’s going to be a huge benefit to have that vision of what’s possible.
Could it do something for the UW-Madison program?
We’re excited to have a pro franchise in the area. It’s going to increase the passion for the game, and it could open up some opportunities for players who come and play for us to get seen by pro clubs – particularly the hometown club. It could open up some training opportunities during the summer months as well. Our staff – our whole program – is really excited about it.
Think back to your younger days. What would Aaron Hohlbein, local kid and eventual UW standout, have made of the pro team across town, if it had been up and running then?
It would have been huge. Growing up down the road in Middleton, I came to all the Badger soccer camps, went to all the Badger soccer games – in my mind, that was where my next step was going to be. I wanted to play college soccer, and I wanted to be a Badger. Once I was a Badger, if there had been a pro club in town, there’s no doubt in my mind, that would have become a goal for me. Of course, like any player, you set your goals as high as you can – for me that was MLS or Europe. I’d have loved to have a pro team here in town – I could have picked up some of that pro atmosphere even sooner. I also think back, especially, to the latter part of my career – if they’d been here it would have been a dream to play for them.
So we’re not going to see an Aaron Hohlbein comeback next year?
Oh no…(laughs)…I can daydream about it, but it’s not going to happen.
I don’t know. You’ll only be 33 when the team kicks off…
That’s true. But my knees say otherwise.
Interviewer: Matt Hermann – Interviewee: Aaron Hohlbein
When Madison Pro Soccer takes the field at Breese Stevens for its inaugural season in 2019, the city’s soccer community will hit a milestone. For the first time, fans in Wisconsin’s capital will have the chance to watch professional soccer up close in their hometown. Youth players in the area will have a goal to aspire to – and a benchmark to measure themselves against.
Middleton native Aaron Hohlbein already knows what it takes to make it as a pro. He learned his craft as a central defender on the fields of Madison with the 56ers, starred as an All-American at UW and played five seasons as a professional – first for MLS club Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) and later for Miami FC and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of NASL. After injuries cut his career short in 2011, Hohlbein turned his attention to coaching. He’s now back in Madison as an assistant with the Badgers. Madison Pro Soccer sat down with Hohlbein to talk about his path to the top, as well as the arrival of professional soccer in his hometown.
How did you get your start in the game, Aaron?
My father was born in Germany, and he came here with his parents when he was five. My Grandpa played back in Germany, first for a club called Guts Muts in Dresden and later in Kassel in the middle of the country. When they came to this country, my dad would always play with my Grandpa and his friends – soccer was a big part of the family. When my dad was a kid he didn’t have much in the way of youth clubs or a soccer program in his high school, so when my brother and I were old enough to start playing on teams, he was excited to be our coach. He coached us with the 56ers, where we both played for most of our youth career.
What role did that club play in building you as a soccer player?
When you think soccer in Madison, you think of the 56ers. They’ve had a lot of success, they’ve developed a lot of good players, and a lot of good coaches too. Bill Reddan, John Reddan, Tony Wright…I was lucky to learn from them. And I was lucky to have a club where you could play up in age level all the way up to adult soccer. We had all the levels of youth soccer, as well as a UPSL team, all tied together in the same club. You as a kid, you could look up and see that extra quality within each squad at each higher level, and with the coaches as well.
Which coaches left a big impression on you?
I remember going to UW soccer camps with Jim Launder (who’s now with the 56ers and Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association) and Ian Barker (who’s now the director at United Soccer Coaches). They’re two great people who put their heart and soul into soccer, and who gave me a sense of passion for the game at a young age. My dad Rainer, of course, was a big influence; I had Chris Martinelli who’s at Edgewood High School as a youth coach; Lee Ferderer, who coached me at the 56ers. So many people, really. It’s actually something that I bragged about wherever I went in my career. Everybody thinks Wisconsin is just cows and farms and cold, but it’s so much more! That goes for soccer too. All the people from “soccer hotbeds” like L.A., Texas, New York, all up and down the East Coast – they don’t really know what we have here. And it’s a pretty cool thing.
How did coming up through youth soccer in the area, and then playing at UW, prepare you for the professional game?
Making it as a pro is hard – it is for anybody. But growing up here, having some of the coaching I did from a young age and into college, I was prepared for the bumps along the way. The classic Wisconsin soccer player’s mentality – being hard working, disciplined, not taking any moments off – is good preparation for the pressure cooker you find as a pro. It helped me bridge the gap and find my way at the next level.
What were your impressions of MLS?
Well, when I came in the league in 2007, they’d already contracted the Florida teams, and they were slowly starting to turn the corner. In my time we were getting more soccer-specific stadiums, more supporters groups, the league was expanding into markets like Toronto and Seattle. In my rookie year in Kansas City, we played in Arrowhead Stadium, then we played in CommunityAmerica, which is a minor league ballpark. These are a far cry from where Sporting KC is now. The quality of play has gone way up since then too – a massive jump.
Who was your favorite teammate?
The guy who really mentored me as a pro was Jimmy Conrad. When I got there he had played for the national team in the World Cup, he’d had an outstanding career, and he was a fellow center back. A great guy. I got along really well with him and he really took me under his wing.
After your MLS experience, you played in Florida in the lower divisions. How did you feel about the level of play there?
It was very high. A lot of people look at USL, or NASL where I played, and they think “oh it’s minor league soccer.” But there were a lot of really good players there then, and it’s even better now. These days there are a lot of guys who used to play in MLS – some of whom were first-round picks – who are now on USL rosters. Especially now that MLS teams are spending more money on foreign players. The standard of play in those “lower divisions” is very good.
What kind of level do you expect from the USL D3 team here in Madison?
Everything I’ve heard has been positive. The resources they’re putting in, the professionalism of the organization…it’s going to be strong. This isn’t going to be a men’s team of guys who work all day and then trot out there at night. They’re going to be pros. I’m sure they’ll have some good young players and some experienced guys, some of whom will probably have played in MLS. I think people are going to be treated to some really good soccer.
What kind of impact could this team have on Madison’s soccer community?
I think it’s going to be massive – not only on Madison but the whole state. Younger players who love and enjoy the game are going to have that beacon of professional soccer, they’re going to get a real feel for it. It’s going to be a huge benefit to have that vision of what’s possible.
Could it do something for the UW-Madison program?
We’re excited to have a pro franchise in the area. It’s going to increase the passion for the game, and it could open up some opportunities for players who come and play for us to get seen by pro clubs – particularly the hometown club. It could open up some training opportunities during the summer months as well. Our staff – our whole program – is really excited about it.
Think back to your younger days. What would Aaron Hohlbein, local kid and eventual UW standout, have made of the pro team across town, if it had been up and running then?
It would have been huge. Growing up down the road in Middleton, I came to all the Badger soccer camps, went to all the Badger soccer games – in my mind, that was where my next step was going to be. I wanted to play college soccer, and I wanted to be a Badger. Once I was a Badger, if there had been a pro club in town, there’s no doubt in my mind, that would have become a goal for me. Of course, like any player, you set your goals as high as you can – for me that was MLS or Europe. I’d have loved to have a pro team here in town – I could have picked up some of that pro atmosphere even sooner. I also think back, especially, to the latter part of my career – if they’d been here it would have been a dream to play for them.
So we’re not going to see an Aaron Hohlbein comeback next year?
Oh no…(laughs)…I can daydream about it, but it’s not going to happen.
I don’t know. You’ll only be 33 when the team kicks off…
That’s true. But my knees say otherwise.
