Center midfielders savor pivotal role, leadership

Demanding position crucial for team success

All over the soccer field, there are players who can change the game in an instant.

The goalkeeper making a point-blank save. The forward hitting the top corner of the net for a goal. A defender, finding himself one-on-one against a striker, tackling the ball away.

However, there’s one position that affects a game the most. No player has more responsibility, logs more miles and is in the mix to affect the outcome in more ways than the center midfielder.

“Generally, the center midfielder is going to be the best player on most teams, and I think a lot of people like to say that if you can play center midfielder, you can

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Boys and girls soccer Top 15 polls with outlooks for each team, players to watch, key numbers put that same player anywhere,” Archbishop Curley coach Barry Stitz said.

“I like a guy that can handle the ball, and when the game gets a little hectic, he has the ability to slow things down a bit with his composure,” Stitz said. “You obviously like a guy that is technical and with a good engine, so I think the best center midfielders are the all-around players that can go forward and score

some goals and also defend.”

This season, Stitz will look to senior Anthony Dragisics to lead his Friars.

Dragisics, a four-year varsity player and captain, is one of a handful of gifted center midfielders in the Baltimore area looking to lead their teams with do-everything skills.

Defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champion McDonogh has two in seniors Andrew Privett and Luke Davis. Mount Hebron has had a list of quality center midfielders, and senior Vince Broccolino is looking to handle the role for a second season. At C. Milton Wright, last season’s Class 3A champion, coach Brian Tully will lean on senior Ryan Belfiore to steady the Mustangs’ middle.

By season’s end, every successful team will have a center midfielder or two. Simply put, it’s a must.

Privett, an All-Metro first-team selection, and Davis were big reasons McDonogh claimed the MIAA A championship and finished ranked No. 1 in The Baltimore Sun’s final Top 15 poll last season. They are also big reasons the Eagles will start this season at No. 1. Both four-year varsity players have been playing side by side since their middle school days, and it shows with their cohesive play.

“Basically, we go out there to set the tempo of the game. We’re looking to control the midfield and knock the ball around,” Davis said. “We look for chances to attack, but also find our defensive positioning when we need to. Mainly, we want to control the whole game and open it up.”

The ingredients needed in a quality center midfielder are many, and the duties are plentiful.

Considered the field general, they must have a high soccer IQ with a tireless work rate to attack and defend. Smart decisions come first.

“You just have to know where everything is — behind you, in front of you — where you can find that next ball to put someone in and really just control the whole entire game, the pace,” Privett said.

Last season at Curley, senior Brandon Knapp was the catalyst at midfield who worked alongside Dragisics. With Knapp and a strong class lost to graduation, Dragisics is primed to take over as the team’s leader. With four years of varsity experience, he’s ready for the task as the Friars look to build on last year’s MIAA A semifinal showing.

Stitz knows what he can expect from Dragisics: hard work in games and practice, a consistent ball winner, vocal leadership and emerging offensive talent.

“Just the fact that everyone will be looking to me to make the play, I kind of embrace that. You have to embrace it and run with it,” Dragisics said. “You have to be the guy to make the killer pass and make the play that can change the game and help the team win. I just want to embrace the role of being the leader.”

Last season, Broccolino knew how much