Scott Goodwin, former North Carolina men’s soccer goalkeeper and member of the 2011 national championship team, plays for the Carolina RailHawks, the North American Soccer League team based in Raleigh. He has led his team to victories over two Major League Soccer teams in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Staff writer Joey DeVito spoke with Goodwin prior to Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchup against FC Dallas to discuss playing overseas, his performance in the U.S. Open Cup and playing in his hometown.
THE DAILY TAR HEEL: You spent your first year playing professionally in Iceland. What was that like?
SCOTT GOODWIN: It was a chance for me, straight out of college, to go in and get over 20 games in five months. That’s just an incredible experience, because normally, just like any job, when you’re a professional soccer player, it’s all about that first job and then you get a little bit of experience to go on.
So going there, being able to get those games and be a starting goalkeeper and being able to be in an environment where I was forced to see a lot of action, I could make mistakes and had to learn from them. That was really just a good experience for me from a confidence-building standpoint and from a game-management standpoint as a goalkeeper.
DTH: How does it feel to play on this stage against MLS teams?
SG: It’s an amazing experience, it really is. The U.S. Open Cup is a great tournament that allows teams to do this, and it’s every kid’s dream when you’re growing up to play against the best, and that’s why we’re all still in it. We’re competitive people who want to play against the best players, and this gives us just a perfect opportunity to do that over now our third straight game.
DTH: What’s it like to play for your hometown?
SG: I always have an awesome fan base here. The whole family and friends, neighborhood and everything comes out, and that’s awesome. Just to be in a town you grew up in and everything, being able to play in front of these people, it’s really special.
