Latest / Tectonic Takes / Preston Judd Exclusive Interview
Transcript
- Tectonic Takes: What's up, Quicks fans? We're back with another Technic Takes player interview. Devin and I are joined today by earthquake striker Preston Judd. Preston, how are doing today? I'm doing great. Pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for joining us. So let's look right into it. Going into the season, there was a lot of turnover. But despite that, you guys have had a really nice start. How do you think that the team has adapted to the roster changes, particularly in the attacking department? Yeah, I think... maybe on paper, looking on the roster before the season. I think there wasn't a lot of belief within the team and the roster. But as a player's standpoint and player's point of view, I think a lot of us players have been waiting for an opportunity like this. Especially in my position, I think it's hard as an American forward coming out of college to get a true fair shot at a starting position in MOS. So when the chance comes along, you have to take it, have to... Take the opportunity for all it's worth and I think I've been doing it to this point and I got to keep going forth that and I know a lot of players like me on this team I have been waiting for their chance to really play and everybody that's been playing has stepped up. So Yeah You think about you know getting the opportunity at the start of the year Bruce said that one of the reasons why they didn't bring in too many more attacking You know reinforcements was because of how you could you were off the bench last year but How would you say you have managed to maintain the hunger of that player who was fighting for minutes last year? I mean, I know within the MLS and within professional soccer, as a striker, if you're not scoring goals, you're not playing. If your team's not winning and you're not producing on the field, you're not playing. So every week I have to go out there and show why I should be there, help the team win, whether if it's scoring goals or not scoring goals in game, doing whatever I can do to help the team win. Now Preston, you're someone who came through the Superdraft and had a lot of success through college and MLS Next Pro. Looking around at the rest of the team, there's been a lot of guys who have taken the similar route more recently. Do you feel any responsibility to help mentor some of those younger guys in making that transition? And what do you think is the best way to develop their confidence and truly prepare them for the next jump? Yeah, I think with Bruce as our coach and with the team we have right now, it's a good situation as a college player to come into. I think a lot of other clubs, it's coming from Galaxy, you're not going to get enough, enough opportunity at a lot of other clubs. And that's just most college kids aren't. So coming into this team, I mean, we've proven that we can hang with the better, the better teams with, with college kids. And I think most of our roster, most of the 11 are college kids. ⁓ right now. ⁓ so just, think the confidence is proofs in the pudding, right? we were all doing our job and we're all getting our chance right now. So if they could fall on our footsteps and if I could do whatever I can to help them gain that confidence, I think it's just a matter of experience within the league and your confidence grows through there. Yeah. I think the general fan base too would agree that you're, definitely making the most of what you got now. ⁓ the big fan favorite as, as of this point, ⁓ you know, being a striker, the onus. typically falls on you to score goals, but this year, you we've also seen you score once every two games on average so far. ⁓ But we've seen the team score from all different areas of the pitch, just besides the front line. Do you feel confident that your teammates can help pick up the slack when it comes to finding back of the net? Yeah, I think that's the thing with this rosters that we're a team. We're not relying on one player or two players score goals or one one player to defend. I think we're all going to defend as a team. all going to attack as a team. And just like you saw it in the first game of the season, Daniel Munich scores two goals. And last game, Nico steps up and scores two goals. You just never know where the goals are going to come from. I think that's the good part of our team is you can't really focus one player because we could hurt you from all angles, whether you're like. We don't know who it could be on that day. ⁓ I think that's cool part of our team is that we're a unified team and we all believe in each other. ⁓ I mean, you've obviously been a huge part of the club's culture thus far during your time here. Coining the term grit, which is something that now really embodies the current philosophy of the club, as well as what the fans have come to expect from you guys. With that being said, what is the message you're sending when you kiss the badge as part of your celebration on Saturday? I think, kissing the badge, think, I mean, coming over, you guys have taken me in and you guys have all supported me from the very beginning, even though my first year maybe wasn't that great and wasn't as I expected or wanted it to be. The fans have stuck with me through it. And going through what I went through with Poppy, I mean, all the support and love I got from the fans, especially in the support sections and even the club, it's family now. So me kissing that badge, I'm part of this family, so I'm gonna do everything I can for this team and for the fan base and for the supporters. It's special to me now. I mean, yeah, thank you for saying that. you know, everyone's really behind you, but, ⁓ so you spoke about Poppy in the media availability earlier this week. ⁓ but for those who may not have seen that, ⁓ how was Poppy and yeah, how is she doing right now? Yeah, Poppy's doing a lot better. She's, she's made a recovery. ⁓ right now we're just taking it day by day and she's, she still has a huge, ⁓ huge incision in her, in her chest going through her belly with a bunch of staples in it. So. waiting to get the staples taken out, but day by day she becomes more like herself. And it's really, it's truly a miracle to see that and I'm blessed, blessed to have this situation with Poppy. Yeah, I think in a way I can kind of relate to that where my dog just had, you know, ⁓ life-threatening surgery for someone who has a heart disorder. You know, we had to put our dog under for a little bit and it was a very stressful situation. So I, you know, I can only feel it. you were going through during that time, Preston. But as also someone whose family rescues dogs, this charity definitely strikes a chord for me. Can you tell us more about Poppy's story, like how you got her and maybe what she's like? Yeah, for sure. So actually, I had Poppy, I was in a previous relationship when we got her brother, Poppy's brother. His name was Roo, and we were only expecting to him as our dog. We had him for three or four months and the breeder that we got him from called us and said, hey, like Poppy was taken. She was adopted by a family, but they brought her back and she really needs a family. can't, we can't help her anymore. Can you take her? And I said, yes. We said, yes. We took her in. We thought originally that something might've happened with Poppy cause she was very, she was different. we thought she might've gotten abused by her previous owner. ⁓ she was very on edge all the time. was shaky, anxious. ⁓ so she's, she's been a special dog from the beginning. ⁓ once she warmed up, warmed up to us, she built a special connection with me. ⁓ especially she's like, I'm her person and, ⁓ like she, she'll protect me from anything, any, anybody, any, it gets to the point where it kind of gets bad to where she's overprotective. ⁓ but that's just how she is. And, ⁓ she's a goofy dog. She's. She's got the zoomies all the time. eats, she loves food more than the world itself, probably more than me. ⁓ So when she did get sick and she wasn't taking the snacks I was trying to give her, was a big, it was big, ⁓ no, like something's actually wrong. Cause this dog loves to eat. She's addicted to eating. So. It sounds exactly like my dog. He goes through our trash cans at home and does not stop eating no matter what it is. ⁓ Can you speak on the decision to expand? More from a GoFundMe to Poppy's Promise being a movement to help other dogs going through similar struggles. Yeah, I think when I first was thinking about starting it, I didn't feel right starting it for just myself. I felt plus I've already had a big love for dogs. I love dogs and I want to help. So when I was going through that situation, I was looking at it from a perspective where I was lucky where I couldn't afford all the upfront costs at the time, but I had family and friends that were donating to me and helped me pay that cover. ⁓ And I thought about it, many, many other people probably didn't have that, don't have that help or that support. ⁓ 30, 30 grand is a lot of money to pay for anybody. And to pay upfront is like, I don't know how many people can actually do that. so thinking about that and talking with my family, my girlfriend, we want to help other people in this situation. ⁓ I think it happens more than we even think about, but people, families that don't have. enough funds to take care of their dog or to go through these emergency surgeries that who knows they're even coming. We want to be there to try to help them. I don't want them to feel what I was feeling and I don't want them to let their dog pass. Like they don't have a choice but for the dog to be put down. So if we can step in there in any way and help save dogs lives and honestly we'll save families too. Dogs are more than more than dogs to most families. They're family members. My dog's like my daughter. I love her like my family, maybe even more than my family. But she's great and I know a lot of people love their dogs the same way I do. Thank you for sharing guys Throw that home. We'll leave a link in the description to go donate to a poppies promise. How about not just poppy but other dogs as well? Preston we have just a few more questions for you So my dad is old head Mexican and when he saw your celebration He thought that it was an homage to Guatemala go and then him doing a similar thing ⁓ Was that at all an inspiration or was that an original idea that you had? So I didn't see Cotama Blanco do that originally. I know it's been done before. I didn't know he did it. ⁓ I know it's kind of, it was seen as a disrespectful celebration. But when I was preparing a celebration for that, think just going off my personality, I wanted it to be something like funny and something like people will remember. ⁓ But then something like... that gives Poppy her flowers. So people knew it was a dog celebration. And I think once people started finding out why I did it, it made more sense. No, it's absolutely a very precedent-judged celebration. And I think that's why a lot of people may not have realized that it was for a purpose. I think that I just thought that was you being you. no, thankfully, a lot of people have been showing people like, no, it's not just a great celebration. actually means something. ⁓ But yeah, before we let you go, I have one last question. ⁓ So we wanted to ask what sort of media are you into that some people might consider nerdy? We asked Dajuan last month and his answers were Jeopardy and One Piece. So yeah, what are you into? ⁓ I think shows wise I Love Star Wars like I'm a big Star Wars guy Star Wars guy ⁓ Video games that I play video games every day. I play Counter-Strike and rocket League every day. So those day was Star Wars Yeah, I mean I'm a Disney guy than I should be probably No, no, we got it I know it's that last question, but I need to know who's your favorite Star Wars character? Favorite Star Wars character? New Star Wars would probably be Mandalorian. Old. Put me on the spot, man. Mine's Darth Maul. don't know if that helps. Yeah, Darth Maul. He's up there. think honestly would be basic, but it would probably be Han Solo. mean, he's classic. He can't go wrong. Not at all. I think the basic one. No offense to people who like Luke Skywalker, but I think he's the most basic answer. think Han Solo definitely. When you're watching those back in the day, you're like, well, that's the cool guy in these movies. You know what mean? Yeah. Yeah. Thanks so much, Preston, for joining us. Guys, again, go ahead and check out the link in the description. Donate to Poppy's Promise. And yeah, thanks, Preston, for your time. Thank you, guys. Thanks, Preston. Good luck this weekend.