As I approach Pat McLain following a strenuous Orange County Blue Star training session, sweat drips from his forehead and his gloves dangle from his left hand as though to symbolize the goalkeeper's physical exhaustion. Then my eyes make the trip from the gloves up to the 21-year-old's face and I notice something seemingly at odds with the overall image before me. McLain is smiling contently, and his eyes do not reflect the exertion of being peppered with stinging drives by his team-mates for two hours in the unforgiving Southern California heat.

As we start talking, I begin to understand. Over the course of the 2010 PDL season, McLain has gradually developed from a young prospect troubled by self-doubt into the calming backbone of a defense brimming with confidence. Physical exhaustion is a sign of continued progress for the promising netminder at this point. He knows that every time he pushes his body to the limit represents a step toward completing the evolution of the Blue Star into a team with the potential to win a PDL championship.

"When we started out, I was giving up goals and we weren't winning a lot of games, so I felt like maybe I wasn't doing the right things," McLain reminisced. "But that started to change a few games in. Obviously I was still giving up goals, but by that point everyone on the team was on the same page and helping us win. I was convinced that if we kept that mentality, the defensive part of it would eventually come."

The Cal Poly star's prediction would turn out pinpoint accurate. Following an abysmal 1.88 goals-against average in the first eight games of the season, the Blue Star showed strong signs of improvement in a 3-1 home win over the Ogden Outlaws on June 12 before posting its first two shutouts during the recent road trip to Utah.

McLain has a sophisticated explanation for the defensive turnaround.

"Early on in the season, the back four kept changing from game to game and for most of those guys it wasn't even their natural position," he said. "Obviously that affected their performance, as they had to get accustomed to a lot of the basics-like staying square to the ball, stepping up at the right time, or knowing when to hold. But as the season progressed, you could tell everyone was starting to settle in a lot better."

"As long as we keep winning, I'd even be okay with not picking up another shutout," the Blue Star goalkeeper added. "But I really think we'll be seeing more of them now."

McLain's own improvement is a crucial part of the reason the Blue Star is now well positioned to shut down opposing offenses. The Wisconsin-native provides a number of key strengths that have enabled him to come up big in many close encounters this year. In addition to being a very solid shot-stopper, he is able to cover a lot of the goal through his outstanding athleticism. At the same time, he shows the necessary hunger to keep upgrading all areas of his game.

"Everything can be improved on," the 6'3" model athlete noted. "I try to focus on one aspect per day so as to consistently get better at all of them. Hopefully that will bring my game to the next level and make me a well-rounded goalkeeper."

And McLain has a clear idea of the level he would like to reach.

"I try to be a lot like Tim Howard," he said. "He's relaxed back there but still has such a dominating presence. At the same time he's always in the right spots and makes the saves when he needs to. He communicates well and is a good leader on the field. Those are all things that I'd like to accomplish for my own game."

Communication is already one of McLain's biggest strengths. During matches, he has come to play a crucial role in keeping the players in front of him in sync. His vocal approach to doing so, which is audible not just on the field but also on the sidelines and in the stands, is testament to his growing confidence and leadership qualities.

"I try to keep the defense organized as best as I can," he explained. Part of that is keeping guys focused and their energy level high, but I also want to keep myself awake and locked into the game. So if I ever feel myself drifting, I start yelling and communicating to get myself focused again. But I also like to say what I see in terms of attacking options, because I have the time to scan the entire field from back there."

With Coach Jon Spencer's men currently on a seven-game win streak and on the verge of clinching a playoff berth, a rock-solid defense would be key to success in the knockout stages. While the Blue Star attack has been the best in the entire PDL this year, few teams have ever won championships on the back of firepower alone. The more important the matches become, the more crucial it will be for McLain and company to grind out results by keeping opponents off the board.

"It seems like there could be a shift towards that," the Blue Star shot-stopper assessed. "Especially in the last three games, I felt like we were a lot more organized defensively. Our shape is a lot better now than at the beginning of the season. If we can snuff out those the brief mental lapses that we still show from time to time, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't go deep in the playoffs."