Kuba Waligorski made an immediate impact for the UC San Diego men's soccer program last fall with his strength and steadiness in the center of what was once again a top-10 defensive unit nationally. The Tritons qualified for their second straight postseason under head coach Jon Pascale. "Kuba embodies the culture of our program," says Pascale about the redshirt junior who is majoring in mechanical engineering at Marshall College. "He is very professional in his approach to training, he performs at a consistently high level, and he is a great teammate to all the other guys. Kuba is exactly what we want our players to look like." Waligorski had a two-year stopover in Dayton, Ohio, between growing up in his native Poland, and arriving in La Jolla. Via email from Poland, we caught up with him on his summer, roots, and thoughts on the upcoming campaign. UCSD kicks off the 2015 schedule in the Pacific Northwest during the first weekend in September.
Q: Walk us through your journey from Poland, to Ohio, now to La Jolla. How did you find your way to UCSD?
WALIGORSKI: I always wanted to play soccer as a pro. Maybe I was never courageous enough to go all in, or I was smart enough to have a plan B just in case something would go wrong, but I decided I did not want to play (pro) right after high school, and (instead wanted to) go get a college education first. I firstly wanted to play somewhere in a lower league in England and study there, but then I found out about college soccer in the U.S. Here, you get to compete in your sport at a good level, while getting a great education as well, and because you represent your school, you get more support from the professors when you have to compete on the day of class or even an exam, so it's much easier to connect both and stay on the right track both on and off the field.
I started making highlight videos and reached out to some college coaches. I chose the University of Dayton in Ohio because it had a good team and good engineering program. I made a lot of good friends there and really liked my teammates and the school itself, though it was a lot different than UCSD. It just never worked out on the soccer part for me in Dayton. I am thankful to the coaches for giving me the chance to come to America to play college soccer, but I decided to leave.
I got my release pretty late in the spring of my first year, so it was tough to find something for the year after. I thought about my options, and I liked UCSD the most because of the great soccer program and academics. Another factor was that my girlfriend studies at UCLA, so I could finally be a little closer to her. Coach Pascale told me their roster was full, but that he could bring me in for the following season. I was pretty determined to come to UCSD, so I decided to stay in Dayton for one more year. The coaches allowed me to fully practice with the team so I could stay in shape.
Q: What's your hometown of Szczecin, Poland, like?
WALIGORSKI: Szczecin is a beautiful city that I love coming back to. It is not the biggest, as it has about 400,000 people. It is still developing very fast. Every time I come back, something has changed or something new has been built, and it shows me how long I always leave for. I definitely want to come back and live in Poland at some point in my life. I know it might sound like a cliché, but I am very proud of where I come from. I cannot imagine not ever coming back for good.
Q: What's colder? Polish winter or Ohio winter?
WALIGORSKI: It depends, really. Poland gets really cold in the eastern part, as the climate is more continental, but in general, I think an Ohio winter might be a little colder than a typical winter in Szczecin.
Q: What have you been up to this summer?
WALIGORSKI: A lot of practicing and fitness work. I also practice with my old coach and his team at home. I stayed in Poland since whenever I came back. Being away for 10 months a year makes you want to hang out at home a little. I've been meeting with my family and chilling with friends. I even met up with Chase Cockerill from the UCSD water polo team at the Open'er (music) Festival in Gdynia. I still plan to have a quick Euro road trip before I head back to La Jolla for preseason.
Q: We know you as a fan of Spanish giants FC Barcelona, but who are some of the players you admire most in world soccer? Do you have an all-time favorite player?
WALIGORSKI: My all-time favorite players are (Italian defender Paolo) Maldini and (Spanish center back Carles) Puyol. Those guys made defending in soccer look like art. From the players still in the game, I would choose Marcin Wasilewski from Leicester City (in England). He is a beast. At the age of 35, he is still one of the best Polish defenders. I love watching him play. (Polish defender) Kamil Glik, who captains Torino (in Italy), is another player I look up to.
Q: Poland tops a tight Group D in qualifying for the UEFA EURO 2016, undefeated ahead of world champion Germany with four games left in September and October. Do you think they'll be able to hang on to a top-two position and earn automatic entry into next summer's tournament in France? Big game in Frankfurt against the Germans coming up on September 4, in fact a day after the Tritons open the new season at Saint Martin's. Score prediction?
WALIGORSKI: I think with the amount of talent the Polish national team has, we can hang on to first place in our group. It will not be easy. The games against Germany are always special because of the rivalry that has been formed throughout history. Nobody in Poland needs extra motivation going into a game like that, and that's why I think games against potentially easier teams like Ireland and Scotland might be even harder. Tough game to predict, especially without even knowing what players will be available, but I would go with 1-1.
Q: In your first on-the-field season of college soccer, you played all but four minutes and 12 seconds all year and earned all-region and all-league honors while helping lead the Tritons to second straight trips to both the conference and NCAA tournaments. How did you feel about your first season at UCSD?
WALIGORSKI: I felt a little nervous before the season started, as I had a lot to prove not only to the people around me, but especially myself. I lost a lot of self-confidence after Dayton, but as the season kept on going, I started gaining it back. I think I had a decent season, and still have a lot more to offer. I hope I can help the team more in the upcoming year, and hopefully, we can go much further in the NCAA tournament.
Q: Despite going through much of the 2014 season with just one starter (Matthew McClure) from 2013 on the field out of the five players along the back line and in goal, UCSD for a third straight year ranked in the top 10 nationally (seventh) in team goals-against average. What makes the Triton defense so successful?
WALIGORSKI: I think it's the entire team. The first striker is also the first defender, and with such great shape and work ethic that our team has, defending is just easy. By staying focused on those, we make the game very predictable, and we can read early what the other team is trying to do.
Q: Have there been any major cultural differences you've noticed between Poland and America during the time you've spent here so far?
WALIGORSKI: There are definitely a couple. The biggest one is probably childhood movies, books and games. Sometimes, people (here) will joke about something related to those things, and I don't get it, just because I had different ones growing up. How was I supposed to know who Screech was, for example? (Editor's Note: Laughing hysterically.)
Another one is that in the U.S., almost everybody is fine with calling the other person by their name. For example, TA's, coaches, or even some professors. It is a little disrespectful to do so in Poland, unless the older person specifically tells you that it is OK.
Q: What is the most California thing you've picked up in La Jolla? Have you tried surfing, for example?
WALIGORSKI: I started skateboarding around. I was a little slow and very unconfident at first, but I got a lot better and now I move through campus pretty quickly on my little board. I tried surfing, but only twice! I should definitely learn to surf, but it always feels like I don't have time because of practices and school. Whenever I talk to my dad, he always tells me to go take a break and surf. I will try my best to learn how to surf before I leave San Diego!
Q: Do you speak any other languages besides Polish and English?
WALIGORSKI: I speak German, but not nearly as good as English. It's hard to stay fluent when I did not review or speak any German in almost three and a half years. I plan to take an intensive course so I can bring it up to the level where I am fully fluent. I want to learn Spanish as well, especially in San Diego, where so many people speak it. It seems like a good place to learn.
Q: What is your favorite Polish dish, and your favorite thing to eat in America?
WALIGORSKI: I especially love the food we eat during Christmas time in Poland. Barszcz (borscht), which is a type of soup made out of beetroots and has little dumplings with mushrooms in them, is my favorite, especially when my mum and grandma make it together. Apart from that, I like to eat clean and healthy. I don't have any special dishes that I like the most. I try to eat a lot of chicken and seafood.
Q: Your given name is Jakub. Is Kuba a traditional nickname in Poland for those named Jakub? If not, how did you get to be known by that name?
WALIGORSKI: Yes, Kuba is basically a kind of a nickname for Jakub in general in Poland. It's something like referring to someone with the name Robert as Bob, which I believe is also quite common.
Q: You'll be one of the veterans on a 2015 UCSD team that has no seniors. What can Triton fans expect to see on the field this fall? What are your general expectations for yourself individually, and for your team as a whole?
WALIGORSKI: We lost a group of great players last year that will be missed for sure both on and off the field. It's always hard to replace (that type of group). We have some really good young players coming in, and I think that combined with the players we already have, we can achieve a lot. However, I would much rather have us keep our heads down, work hard and let our game speak for ourselves. We had great support from the fans last year, and hopefully, we will be able to get just as many or maybe even more fans out there in the upcoming season. They give us that extra push. It's great to play in front of our fans, especially on Friday nights.
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