Attal is attracting attention from many colleges

Clearwater Chargers goalkeeper Michael Attal believes he can have his cake and eat it too.

He’s probably right.

Attal, a standout goalkeeper in the 2010 recruiting class, is attracting the attention of a lot of college coaches as he labors for his Florida-based team in the USSF Developmental Academy. While is soccer is important, he is also looking the quality of education he can receive.

“I’m looking for two basic factors, quality of education and quality of soccer program,” he said. “Right now I’m looking at a number of colleges that can offer both good educational opportunities as well as good soccer.”

Attal mentioned Ivy League programs Harvard, Dartmouth and Brown, along with other strong academic schools such as Notre Dame and Villanova as among those he’s considering. He is looking for competitive soccer but also a school with a good business program.

Attal said his time as a goalkeeper tracks with his soccer-playing days.

“All my life in soccer has been as a goalkeeper, ever since I was seven years old,” he said. “I’ve been lucky to train all along with quality coaches. I’ve worked with Richard Chisholm since I was 10 in the Florida Youth Soccer ODP program, plus goalkeeping coach, Jim DeNoble and now that I’m in the Academy, Tim Mulqueen."

One thing you notice quickly about Attal is that he is a very vocal and active goalkeeping. Frequently communicating to his teammates and moving around the penalty area almost nonstop.

“As a goalkeeper one of the main components is providing leadership and controlling the area,” he said. “As a goalkeeper I need to be able to organize the defense and midfield and provide them with confidence I can stop shots when they come.”

Attal said he trains with Chargers as part of the academy program three to four nights per week. He likes to arrive early and get some extra goalkeeping work done, before training with the team. On nights when he’s not training he’s currently working with his personal trainer Jody Johnston in the Tampa/St. Pete area. The training includes ploymetrics to improve his explosiveness. He also has separate goalkeeping training and of course match play on many weekends.

“Basically every night we have training with the club, there is goalkeeper training for part of the time,” he said. “Then I work with the team and that includes improving my skills with both feet. At Clearwater, goalkeepers are encouraged to step in to participate in drills and to play the 4v4 and small-sided games, to work with both feet and to be completely comfortable using your feet.”

Attal is continuing to work on his academic and soccer expertise, but also finds a lot of time to watch the beautiful game from home.

“I watch a number of games on Fox Soccer Channel and Gol TV, plus ESPN and college games,” he said. “I try to analyze how goalkeepers play and try to learn from those experiences. As part of the Academy program, our coach Peter Mannino requires that we watch the national team and other pro games and write reports. Watching games really makes me want to get to the next level.”

Other top prospects from Florida include Anthony Kattreh, Zachary Herold, Kevin Pahl, Hasani Sinclair and Brian Sylvestre.