In the midst of tension, Charlotte FCgoalie Kristijan Kahlina thrives.
“You can play 85 minutes – a great game, have amazing saves and make one small mistake, even a small one, and it can be decided that we will lose the game,” Kahlina told Channel 9′s DaShawn Brown.
Kahlina added, “For the goalkeepers…you need to concentrate on every small part of the game.”
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It starts before the match, where the league’s reigning goalkeeper of the year is consistently in search of an edge – often on film – and quite literally everywhere.
“It started when I came here because it was the first time that I came to America,” said Kahlina, who is also the reigning Major League Soccer Goalkeeper of The Year.
When Kahlina first signed with Charlotte FC from a club in Europe, he’d venture out on pre-match walks to keep himself occupied during road trips alert.
It evolved when two staffers joined him, pinpointing at least one stop unique to each city they traveled to over the course of the season.
Three years later, he’s changed it up again, gathering any bit of insight every step of the way.
“Now, I walk with a really good friend. Then you are speaking about the game, which players they have, how the weather will be…you are taking some concentration to be focused on the game,” Kahlina said.
With Kristijan Kahlina, it’s focus that’s never wavered, even with the honors, and the expectations.
“Until 26, I wasn’t a professional footballer. I was an amateur, without a contract, without an agent or anything serious. Even now, yes, I am goalkeeper of the year from the last year,” Kahlina said. “It’s a big thing for me, but why can’t I do this again this year?”
Watch Kahlina’s full interview with Channel 9′s DaShawn Brown in the video above.
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