The Soccer Life - Chris Estridge

Chris is the first professional soccer player to do this survey for me (the only one that is famous enough to have a Wikipedia page) and the guy is a class act.  Despite me taking advantage of having direct messages with him after winning his jersey in his #ChrisIndyContest on Twitter in October, and then subsequently after having his email address after requesting he do this questionnaire, he's been nothing but nice to me.  He's answered questions even after the announcement about the Indy Eleven not picking up his option for next season.  He was already my favorite player before, but this past month has solidified it.  Thanks again Chris for taking the time to do this for me!

1. Name:
- Chris Estridge

2. Role (Player, Parent, Coach, Referee, General Spectator, All of the Above, None of the Above, Other):
- Player, Coach
(Editor's note: Chris indicates he did some refereeing a little bit later, and I know he's a spectator...  We'll chalk it up to a few too many defensive headers...)

3. Soccer-specific Nickname (and any story behind it):
- None

4. Age started playing:
- 4

5. First recollection of the game:
- My first recollection of playing would be while I was playing in the “pups” league in Brownsburg when I was around 5 or 6.  I just remember running around and chasing the ball in large mobs with all the other players!

6. Highest level of play achieved:
- Professional Level: Major League Soccer (MLS), North American Soccer League (NASL), United Soccer League (USL).

7. Last competitive match – Date (if known) & Level of Play:
- Professional level: my last match this season was at Minnesota United on August 16th before I got injured.

8. Position:
- Defender, typically outside defender but occasionally a center back.

9. Jersey number:
- 6

10. Most memorable moment(s):
- My most memorable moments would be the day I was drafted into Major League Soccer and playing in the Inaugural home match for the Indy Eleven.  Playing in the inaugural match for a professional team in my hometown was an incredible day.

11. Least memorable moment(s):
- Certainly my least favorite moment would be when I played for Indiana University and we played North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.  We lost a heartbreaker to North Carolina in overtime.
(Editor's note: IU recap of game)

12. Favorite team:
- I am a massive Arsenal FC fan.

13. Favorite player:
- It's hard to decide who my favorite player would be because there are so many great players out there who are great at different things.  Watching Lionel Messi play can be truly mesmerizing but Cristiano Ronaldo has a flare that is enjoyable to watch.  I HAD been a big Cesc Fabregas fan until he did the unspeakable and signed for Chelsea.

14. Indoor vs Outdoor:
- Outdoor without a doubt, but indoor can be extremely fun when playing with all your buddies.

15. Grass vs Turf:
- 100% grass any day, there is nothing better for the game of soccer than playing on a nice field of Bermuda grass.

16. Coaching experience:
- I have very little coaching experience but I have done quite a good amount of training youth players in developing their technical abilities.  I did coach at the local club Dynamo FC two years ago for one season while in my offseason.

17. Refereeing experience:
- When I was about 15 my Father, my brother and I all got our refereeing licenses.  I refereed for a few years but eventually refused to be the center official in any more games after one game when I was center official in a u-10 game and the parents were rather rude to me during the game!

18. Favorite World Cup moment(s):
- I would have to say my favorite World Cup moment would be during the US men’s game against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup. I won’t ever forget the moment Landon scored his goal in the dying minutes of the game, we all celebrated that goal for a long time.

19. Honors/Awards:
- 2011 NSCAA All-American First team,

- Drafted 21st overall to Vancouver Whitecaps in 2012 MLS Superdraft,

- 2012 Rochester Rhinos Rookie of the Year,

- IHSAA All State First Team 2007,

- IndyStar Player of the Year 2007.

20. Other sports played (and to what level):
- I played football and basketball during my 5th and 6th grade years.  I was actually a pretty good football player during these years because everyone was roughly the same height and weight at that age.  I was an absolutely horrendous basketball player but loved to play it with all my friends.  Eventually, I dropped both of those sports when I needed to start concentrating on just one sport.

21. Other Comments: