Junior midfielder Max Allen hopes to lead men’s soccer to an overdue victory in the Western Athletic Conference tournament, despite the team starting the 2019 season with a six-game losing streak.
Despite the losses, Allen said the team is playing well.
“We are a talented bunch,” he said. “We have just been very unlucky at the moment.”
In its latest game against UC Davis on Saturday, the team fought through a scoreless first half before scoring a goal early in the second half.
Then the team watched things fall apart as the Aggies scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 win.
Allen led the defensive line to prevent UC Davis from scoring during the first half, taking flying leaps to bump the ball away from Aggies while taking huge tumbles after crashing into other players.
Most players in the interior midfield get pushed around often, assistant coach Jonathan Lester said, “Especially if you are a player who is going to be on the ball a lot, like [Allen] likes to be.”
Although Allen is a technical player, Lester said he can be too emotional, allowing players to get into his head.
Head coach Simon Tobin said he is not surprised when Allen takes a beating, and that the Aggies pulled ahead in the second half partially because they gave him less time to react.
“[Allen] is the fulcrum at the base of our midfield and most things go through him,” Tobin said.
Allen hopes the Spartans can win a conference final after two seasons of reaching but not winning the Western Athletic Conference finals.
He said he looks forward to “getting what we deserve for how well we are playing.”
Allen started playing soccer with his father and brothers while growing up in Liverpool, and then played for Bolton Wanderers Football Club for about 8 years, starting when he was 11.
“It is just in our blood to play soccer,” he said. “Everyone loves it.”
Tobin said he invited Allen to play for SJSU after watching his team train in England.
Lester first met Allen when picking him from the airport and during their 30-minute conversation in the car he only understood four words Allen said.
“He has the most scouser, Liverpool accent I have ever heard in my life,” he said.
But that accent hasn’t interfered with his interactions with teammates.
Allen said the team’s hard work in practice and the way his teammates live off the field determine how they play.
“The game on the weekend is just a cherry on the cake where everything comes together and that is the easy bit,” he said.
From the Spartans’ first practices with Allen, Lester said he saw that he is an ideal leader for the midfield.
During the game against UC Davis, Allen displayed his leadership skills by encouraging his teammates to look toward a possible comeback as Davis pulled ahead.
Allen is starting his third season with the Spartans and said older players are responsible for leading by example and helping the younger players improve.
“They are good players now but they are going to be even better players in a couple years,” he said.
Both Allen and his coaches acknowledged that soccer is a higher priority than classes for Allen.
Allen said he chose to major in communications because it interests him, although not nearly as much as soccer.
“Finding a major was tough because I don’t really have any other passions other than soccer,” he said.
Coach Tobin said a degree would benefit Allen, whether he stays in the United States after graduation or goes back to England.
“There are 24 hours in a day. You’ve just got to make the most of what you have got,” Tobin said.
Lester described his work ethic as “phenomenal.
He said Allen’s defensive instincts have improved drastically since he first arrived at SJSU.
Allen hopes to play soccer professionally after graduating, either in the United States or in England.
“I am going to prove a couple people wrong that doubted me,” Allen said.
