Part 2: Leitch discusses international scouting

With the offseason in full swing, sjearthquakes.com sat down with Quakes interim general manager Chris Leitch about the club’s vision for the busy months ahead.

SJEQ: How important is it to find and sign international players?

Leitch: “You always have to look into the international market. I think in this league, if you look at the rosters, you will see a lot of domestic players for sure. They make up the bulk of your rosters because you cannot have more internationals than you have available international spots. At the same time, you do look to the international market to provide what your team will need and depending on the part of the world you are looking at, you are going to find a particular player. We do place a good emphasis on international scouting and this year won’t be any different.”

SJEQ: What other countries will you and the coaches be spending time in?

Leitch: “We are leaving here, in fact some staff have already left, and will be gone for the better part of the next two to three weeks. We are going to a couple countries within the UK. We are going to go to one, probably two countries in Scandinavia and we are going to Germany. We are going to go to South America and Central America. We are canvassing the known markets around the world and focusing on places where successful players have traditionally come from.”

SJEQ: Are there select individuals you’ll be taking a closer look at while in these countries?

Leitch: “100 percent. We have very distinct profiles of players that we are looking for and looking at. We’ve been looking for those specific profiles and have identified a few targets. More often than not, nine out of 10 times, we are looking at specific targets and not just taking a broad perspective into these trips. We have several appointments to talk to players in various locations. After studying players on film, now we are going to get a live viewing in and in a lot cases, if we are down the road discussing contracts, we will sit down with the individual and get to know them, who they are and how much they know about the league. Get to know what kind of people they are and the humanistic qualities that they possess, which I think is really hard to see watching the guy on tape. We are doing as much as we can to get as much knowledge and information about the players that we are trying to sign.”

SJEQ: Will the team have any apprehension about increased player spending?

Leitch: “I do not think there is apprehension there at all. In fact, I would say the opposite where we are spending even more money from year over. The emphasis has to be increased as far as the due diligence in the work that goes into vetting these players before pen gets put to paper. This is why we are going to see known quantities, that know who we are looking for and we are double, triple checking that we know these people, these players as much as possible. You are not going to know 100 percent. There is always going to be a level of risk involved in there. You can take a very good player in one league, but that does not necessarily ensure success in our league. This is why we think from having an idea of the profile of the player we are looking for first, and then as we watch film, we are going to match that with the profile that we think we need on this team and in this league.”

SJEQ: Does Avaya Stadium make it easier to attract foreign talent?

Leitch: “I think it’s definitely different now. In the past, it was more common to shy away from discussing the team’s stadium, but now, it’s a point of conversation. With star players, really any players, it’s great to be able to say, ‘We have a committed ownership group that spent $100 million of their own money to build this beautiful stadium and you’re going to be playing in front of a fan base in San Jose that’s very passionate about their team.’ We can sell the fact that we have a city with a great standard of living, tremendous weather, and oh by the way, a terrific stadium with passionate fans.”