In the midst of his first season as head coach of the Colorado Rapids, Pablo Mastroeni sits down with John Polis of ColoradoRapids.com to discuss his first campaign on the touchline, the things he’s learned in season No. 1, and his plans for the future of the team.

People who watched you play over the years know you as a fiery competitor who could always motivate people around you. Where does that quality come from?

When I was five years old I experienced a traumatic loss of a loved one which filled my childhood with anxiety that wasn’t diagnosed until many years later. After suffering multiple concussions and visiting with a therapist twice a week, I was told that I had a high threshold for pain, in how I perceived my world and my reality because of my experience as a child. I think that is why I was so driven (with a sense of foreboding). There was one night when I asked my Mom if I could stay overnight with a friend. She wasn’t going to let me go so I told her: “Mom, this might be my last night. And I would like to spend it with my friend.” As a player, from the very beginning of my professional career, I had a chip on my shoulder. I defined myself as the player who was going to work the hardest day in and day out, and set out to prove to myself that I could one day play for the U.S. National Team. In those early days I had to live at a buddy’s apartment, and sleep on an inflatable mattress while training for three months before being the last player selected to my first professional team. I wasn’t given the option to pick my jersey number and I was given the No. 25. I kept this number throughout my career to remember all the struggles that I had to endure to get to where I was. I had to work for everything I have. I live with an overwhelming fear to fail at anything, and understand that the only moment I have to influence my life is now.

Was there a defining moment very early in your career where you realized 'hey, this is going to be hard'?

I was in training with the Miami Fusion and they had a player named Cle Kooiman. I was on the reserve team and I went up for a header. The next thing I know an elbow flawed across my face and I was on the ground and he’s standing over me. He just said: “Welcome to the big leagues, kid.” I realized at this moment I was playing a man’s game, and quickly adapted in order to survive.

What is the difference from how you learned about competition as a kid than say young players have now as they come into the league?

I remember my Dad would cry after watching games on television in Argentina. He saw the game from a different perspective. There were tears of joy, sadness, defeat, bitterness, all of those emotions. I experienced first-hand what it meant to “live the game”. Fast forward to today. What I notice with younger players, though, is they don’t ‘feel” losses quite like the older generations. I think it’s cultural and generational. I feel that this generation of players cannot be treated the same way that we were treated when I first came into the league. It was different back then. Nobody, especially the coaches and experienced players on the team, had to be politically correct, or cared what you thought. There was no such thing as feelings. You either toughened up, or had a short career. Culturally, for most footballers around the world it’s either football or bust. There is rarely a 'Plan B'. Every individual performance and collective result will determine your fate. Therefore you must make this profession your craft, and invest everything you have into it. For most Americans the perspective is a little different. I think we view professional sports as a luxury profession and not one that is looked at as a must.

What are some of the things you have learned in your first year as a coach?

Well, for a first year coach, I’ve learned that experience in the locker room is critical. Not only to take ownership of the group, but to also help bring the younger players up in a way that they could lead by example. The experienced players in our locker room have done a great job in this department, but they could have used a bit more help for sure. I learned to understand the players on a personal level and to give each one of them what they need to be prepared, confident, and rested for the weekend. I have learned that planning and preparation are the two of the most critical aspects of being a coach. When they are done correctly, everything else falls into place.

How would you describe the season as it has unfolded in 2014?

Like everything else, building a team takes time. You can’t expect to change overnight the philosophy of the way you go about doing things. We started out of the gates pretty strong, and were playing with a lot of confidence and belief, not to mention some pretty attractive football. We were getting results early on that validated all the effort, heart and ability they put forth in every game. From the first day of training camp, the spirit of the group has been overwhelmingly positive. As we got into the middle of the season we played pretty well and were relatively healthy. We came back from the World Cup break without any injuries. Shortly after that, we began losing players in a position that I feel is the most important as far as structure and stability. We lost three central defenders, Shane O’Neill, Jared Watts, and our captain Drew Moor in the span of weeks that completely unsettled the group, and we had to start shifting players around to fill the holes. Currently, we find ourselves going through a tough stretch, but I believe that we have the type of characters in the locker room that will navigate the group through these turbulent times.

What does this tell you about building the squad for the long haul of an MLS season?

I learned that you need to be three or four players deep at every position to make it through the season, although losing three players in the same position in six weeks was an anomaly. I’ve learned lessons through this stretch of games, and we’ll never be in this situation again. I’ve learned that experience is critical both in the locker room and on the field, and we need more experienced players on the field with our great young talent sprinkled in. Another year of experience for the younger players will pay dividends as we continue to build the team that we know will achieve some great things in the years to come.

Some have wondered why the Rapids didn’t pick up some more players prior to the trading deadline. What determined your decision not to add players?

Around midseason I believe we were 8-6-6 and the transfer window was closing. We were looking at players all along and we had the opportunity to bolster the group with players. However, at the time we were injury free and the group was moving in the right direction. I felt we had all the pieces to continue on the same run of form we had been on. I thought adding more pieces might throw off the group. Along with Paul Bravo and the coaching staff, we spoke long and hard about it and we decided - let’s just keep working and building. And then the injuries hit.

As long-time captain of the Rapids and having just played last year, is it hard to just watch from the sidelines without feeling like you should put the jersey back on and fill in at center back?

To be fair, through the first half of the season I did not feel that at all because Drew did such a good job commanding things, being vocal and leading by example. I didn’t even think about that. It was only after we had lost four in a row, and our captain to boot, that I felt there was a void. We were missing that voice, that presence, someone on the back line that the guys could look at when the game wasn’t going our way. Someone that says ‘I’ve been here before-just jump on my back and we’ll get through this.’ As a coach I can no longer go out there and fight alongside them nor influence the game like I used to as a player. There was a day after losing Drew, where I thought about getting fit and giving it a go, then I realized that I want to be a great coach someday and this decision would be a poor one to affect that outcome. I trust that we have players that will lead this group out of this slide we’re in and finish the campaign on a positive note.

As the injuries mounted up and the losses mounted, what did you tell the players?

The transfer window had closed and as things (injuries) unfolded, we were not in a position where we could affect the situation. At this point, you ask everyone to pull their weight to make up for what’s lost, but it’s a tough thing to do. You can’t ask players to do things they are not comfortable doing, and it isn’t fair to ask the young guys. I told the guys that we need to be more of a group than ever, and they have given everything they have.

Is there a silver lining to the current bad patch in the season?

Yes, we’ve had the benefit of seeing players in the 19-23 age group get many opportunities to step up - even during the worst run of results - and give everything they have. Getting the right experienced players around the young players in the future will be important. Our homegrown players continue to improve every day and that means a lot for the future, because we won’t have to struggle to backfill players. We will have a cache of talent waiting to step on the field. I also have learned a great deal about dealing with adversity from this side of the white lines, and have been tuned in with every aspect of the game in terms of not having to experience this type of stretch in the future.

What is the biggest need player-wise ahead?

We need to bolster every line of the team with experience. I’ve always believed in good competition (for positions) in every position. If you are a pro athlete, you don’t want to be given anything. We want to provide an environment where the players have a chance to raise their game every day. What type of experience do we need? You want people who are experienced as pros, a mix of MLS veterans who have been in the league for a while - players who know how to deal with the nuances of the league: surfaces, travel etc. Then we’ll look to experienced foreigners who can bring some flair and/or stability, grit and competitiveness to the side. Like everything, there needs to be a balance, and we think these additions will help bolster our young talented group.

What is it during a game that you need from players when things are going bad?

You need to have guys on the field who recognize and are willing to take the sting out of the game by understanding what situation is calling for. Being as young as we are this year, we are a bit naïve in those moments. In numerous games this year, we’ve had a hand in a lot of the goals that were scored against us. If you want to have a chance at winning these tight games down the stretch we have to eliminate these errors and concentrate for 90-plus minutes. No matter how much you train, when the lights come on and the stadium is full it’s a whole different game.

What is/will be the Mastroeni/Rapids style of play?

For a greater part of the season, we have played the way we want to play. And that would be playing a high tempo type of game, winning the ball high up the field so we can turn and play creatively in our opponent’s half of the field. We want to dictate through possession. And we want to be tougher than hell, because if we aren’t tougher than hell, then all this other stuff doesn’t mean anything. If you don’t play with heart and balls, then tactics and technique mean nothing. Only when you do, will they become relevant.

The Rapids can point to some outstanding college drafts. Unlike many teams where draftees are signed and then disappear, you have some good ones that have earned roster spots.

I think we have been over reliant on some of the young players who have performed admirably over the course of the season. Last year’s standouts, Deshorn Brown and Dillon Powers have been catalysts in a lot of the great work we have seen going forward this year. It’s important that they not only to contribute to team play, but to have the ability to put themselves on the scoresheet in important moments throughout the year. This year’s draft brought Marlon Hairston, Jared Watts and John Berner, all of whom have been incredibly consistent performers in the many games when they had been called upon. Shane O’Neill and Dillon Serna have had significant roles this year and continue to improve and impress as the club’s homegrown players. They have been representative, along with the others, of the development of great young talent that we look forward to growing for many more years to come.

You and Paul Bravo will be heading to Europe once the season ends. What will you be looking for in new players?

The first thing we’ll look for is what type of person or character he is - is he a leader? Or is he a role player? What type of postion-specific characteristics does he possess? How does this fit with the system we continue to build. Then we’ll look for grit, his competitiveness and his toughness? Is he willing to impose himself on the game whether it’s taking someone on, making a great pass, or shutting someone down. Most of all, what we want players who are brave - brave going forward and brave in the defense. You can be tactically tuned in as a player, but if you don’t have that drive, that fearless desire to be great in everything you do, you won’t be successful.

What is the toughest adjustment for a young player?

It’s about understanding what the game asks from you in certain moments. As a young, experienced player, you are concentrating on your job and your job only. You can’t possibly look at anything else. An experienced player, however, always knows where he’s at on the field in relation to other players and what the game asks of him. Let’s say we’re up 1-0 and just scored a goal. You want someone who thinks about being nice and tight defensively. Experienced players have seen this moment many times before. They pull the group together tight and get them ready for the next tough moment. We want our players to have the ability to manage games collectively in small groups, but also see the big picture so everyone is always on the same page. It’s hard for young players. You can only do this if you’ve experienced it before.

Is there an experience from your past that exemplifies the type of fighting spirit you want in a Mastroeni-coached team?

When I was in high school and college I always kept a journal. At North Caroline State, I played for a coach named George Tarantini. He was very hard on me, understanding that there was a lot of potential as a young soccer player, and forced me to be the best I could be. He was hard on all the young guys coming in and made us understand how fortunate we were to be a part of his program. I called home and told my Dad that I couldn’t endure the experience any longer and I wanted to come home. I wasn’t being treated like a top player any more. As a matter a fact, I felt like I wasn’t being appreciated at all. My father made it clear that jumping ship was never going to be an option, as it would validate the negative self-image I had about myself. You need to stick it out if you want to grow as a man, he told me. Nothing good in life ever comes without hardship!

As I continued to chronicle my struggles, I began to realize that coach was making it hard on me because he really cared about my well-being, and he knew that I had more to give than I was putting out. The young players coming out of college need to understand that they’re playing alongside men who are playing this sport, not for fun, but for their livelihoods. There is a whole different type of mentality needed to adapt and improve at the professional level, and the quicker you shed the person you were in college, or in my case high school, the better you will adapt and contribute as a young footballer. After I came into the league I noticed players were complaining every day about not playing. I told them they were lucky to be there. For me, I always felt I could endure anything because I had been through so much. I told them you have to wait for your moment. Then, at every level, high school, college, pro and national team, I had to change the way I carried myself on and off the field. And it was always that internal drive - the same drive we are looking to have in all of our players - that made me know I was capable of making it.