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NCAA Soccer

Navy's Joe Greenspan and Derek Vogel: A Cut Above

Greenspan and Vogel are top soccer prospects as well as midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy. ASN's Brooke Tunstall spoke with the towering defenders about their commitment and their game.
BY Brooke Tunstall Posted
September 12, 2014
1:23 PM
MOST OF THE BETTER PLAYERS in college soccer have a pretty good idea where they’ll be when they’re done with their college careers. Sure, they may not know which pro team they land with or even what league, but for the truly elite, they have a pretty good idea that pro soccer beckons after college.

And then there’s Joe Greenspan and Derek Vogel, a pair of towering defenders with surprising pace and technical skills that belie their size. If they were at almost any other college in the country they’d be considered among the top pro defensive prospects in the country.

But Greenspan and Vogel are midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy and upon graduation they’ll join the fleet as young officers serving at whatever ship or base they are assigned and, likely, far away from a chance at professional soccer.

“Both of them made a decision that was about more than soccer,” Navy coach Dave Brandt told American Soccer Now last month. “They made a decision to get a great education at a very unique and special school and to be around some amazing people and to serve their country. It’s not a decision either of them made—I don’t think any of our players do—lightly. It’s a serious commitment, what you have to do here when you graduate.”

At six-foot-six, Greenspan would immediately be one of the tallest American field players to turn pro, ever. He came to Annapolis as a target forward and after modest success—10 goals his first two years—was converted to center back before the start of his junior year last season and instantly blossomed.

He was a third-team All-American as Navy had its best season since it was a perennial power in the 1960s—it made four final fours in a five-year span and won the NCAA title in 1965—winning the Patriot League and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after upsetting Virginia Commonwealth 3-0.

“We made the switch right before we played Penn State in a preseason game and they were a good team—they went to the Sweet 16 last year and have a lot of good players,” said Greenspan. “I had played (center back) some in high school but after we beat Penn State 2-1, I thought, “This might work out pretty well.’"

Vogel, a six-foot-four junior, is a product of the Los Angeles Galaxy academy where he played alongside the likes of Jose VIllareal and Jack McBean and in his senior year of high school he was summoned to a U.S. U-20 national team camp by Tab Ramos. He was Patriot League Rookie of the Year as a freshman and first-team all-conference last year.

“He’s probably the highest-profile player we’ve brought in since I’ve been here,” said Brandt, who was one of the greatest coaches in the history of Division-III soccer, where he won six national titles his final nine seasons at Messiah before leaving for Navy, and Division I, in 2009. “He has great soccer awareness and reads the game very well.”

Attending a service academy is free to the students—everything, from tuition to books to room and board and uniforms is provided at taxpayer expense. Students can transfer away any time during their first two years and owe the military nothing but before their junior years they sign what are called “2-for-7 contracts,” where they get their final two years of school paid for (as well as a monthly stipend) in exchange for seven years of service—two while finishing school and the final five upon graduation.

“It’s pretty iron-clad,” said Brandt. “It’s free, but they pay a different way. They pay back this great education by serving their country.”

It is not without irony that Greenspan blossomed into a pro prospect at center back only after signing his 2-for-7, yet he has no regrets. “Absolutely none,” he said. “I wouldn’t be the player I am now if I didn’t come to Navy and play for Coach Brandt. If I hadn’t signed my contract, last year wouldn’t have happened and I wouldn’t be as a good a player as I am.”

Vogel admitted to considering a transfer to a school that didn’t require a service commitment, but “the closer it got time to sign, I knew this was where I wanted to be and to just be around a pretty amazing group of people. I had a loyalty to my teammates and fellow midshipmen and I wanted to be part of what we’re building at Navy."

What they’re building was on display earlier this week when the Midshipmen upset perennial power Maryland, 2-1, the biggest regular-season win in the program’s recent memory. In that game, Brandt moved Vogel to an attacking midfield spot and he used his size and athleticism to great effect as he assisted both goals and was a handful for a Terrapin team featuring multiple youth national team and former MLS academy players, many of whom will be playing for money in the next couple of years.

“It was a great win,” said Vogel. “It showed we can play with any team in the country. If we play our best, there’s no limit to how far we can go.”

At Messiah, Brandt’s dominance was predicated on high-pressure on defense and a possession-oriented but direct style, and he’s brought that to Navy—as the Terrapins learned Monday. “It may have caught them off guard a little, how aggressive we were,” said Greensapn. “But that’s pretty much how we play every game here.”

Before having to leave for Naval-related commitments this summer, both Vogel and Greenspan played for D.C. United’s U-23 team in the amateur National Premier Soccer League. There, they were coached by United assistant Amos Magee and played alongside starters from several top college programs including Maryland, Wake Forest, Duke, George Mason, and St. John’s.

“It was a great experience, to play alongside those guys and be in that environment,” said Greenspan, whom several sources told ASN caught the eye of United’s senior team coaching staff.

As part of the experience, they also scrimmaged and trained with the senior team. “It was a lot of fun, and I’m really glad I got the chance to do it,” said Vogel. “I wish we could have done it more but we had other obligations.”

And that brings us back to the five-year commitment that awaits both upon graduation and will limit their chances to play pro soccer. In 2013 the Seattle Sounders used a supplemental draft pick on Air Force midfielder Kevin Durr. He spent part of preseason with the team that year and there was talk he might get an exemption of some sort but none ever came and he’s currently fulfilling his service commitment.

So an MLS team may still draft Greenspan next winter and the Galaxy could invite Vogel to preseason in 2016 but the odds of them being available before the end of this decade are slim, especially since both are likely to pursue ship-board careers upon graduation and would be deployed for months at a time.

Still there are some non-soccer athletic precedents the navy could cite that could get them a pro chance earlier. Napoleon McCallum was an All-America running back at Navy in the mid-1980s and upon graduation in 1986 was assigned to be a supply clerk at a ship dry-docked in Long Beach, Calif.—coincidentally, Vogel’s hometown—and he served his naval duties in the first part of the day then practiced with, and played for, the Los Angeles Raiders. The next year McCallum was reassigned away from Los Angeles and wasn’t able to continue to playing until leaving the Navy in 1990.

More famous is the case of David Robinson, the All-America basketball player at Navy who spent two years away from the game upon graduating but was allowed to fulfill the rest of his service obligations in the navy reserve while beginning a Hall-of-Fame career with the San Antonio Spurs.

“The David Robinson thing, that’s what some people point to, but that was a really unique circumstance and basketball is a more high-profile sport than soccer,” said Brandt. “But I suppose if they though it could result in some good public relations and exposure for the Navy to have them in MLS it could happen.”

While neither Vogel nor Greenspan would turn down such an opportunity, neither is counting on it. “It’s not something I can control,” said Vogel. “I’ll go where they send me but I’m happy to serve.”

Added Greenspan “You never know what can happen but I made a commitment with every intention of honoring it. But that’s why I have to play this season like it’s my last.”

Brooke Tunstall is an American Soccer Now contributing editor and ASN 100 panelist. You can follow him on Twitter.

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