Captain’s Corner: Dan Greenberg

senior boys soccer co-captain and goalie Dan Greenberg, 17, has been playing in the net for the last eight years.

Greenberg didn’t start out as a goalie, however. He was a field player as a youngster, but after having his brother shoot at him in the backyard, he discovered that he liked playing in the goal.

“That looked like a cool thing to try out,” Greenberg said. “Then on one of my travel teams, one of the goalies got hurt. Then I stepped in the second half. I played well and I picked it up from there.”

Greenberg believes his ability to read the game well and respond well to breakaways are among his strengths.

“I am not the purest athlete that there is,” Greenberg said. “I am athletic, but not a raw athlete, so I have to train for everything that I have accomplished.”

And the senior isn't done growing yet.

“During the season I feel like I have improved on it a lot, but crosses are a big part of the game and they are one of my weaker points...but I feel I am getting a lot better at them,” Greenberg said. “Also, my distribution, my goal kicks are not great, they are just OK. I would say I have to improve on playing crosses and distribution.”

Greenberg said he was surprised when he was named captain, along with Yaron Rubin and Jesse Korzen, this season.

“I have only been on the team for two years and there are kids that have been on the team longer than me,” he said. “Once I started to take more of a leadership role and actually got it, it meant a lot to me. It feels like all the culmination of the work I have put into it to get to this point. Just to be named a captain of the team in the sport I love, it really meant a lot to me.”

As one of the Bears co-captains, his responsibilities are plenty but he wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

“On the field, you have to be motivational and keep your teammates in line and conduct yourself the right way,” Greenberg said. “Off the field, there are organizational things, getting people at practice the right time, getting the equipment there. Setting up things like team dinners, which you help set up with the other captains on the team and the other seniors. There is a lot other stuff that goes on, on the side that captains have to do.”

When he isn’t playing soccer for the Bears, he is also honing his game for his premier club team, FC Eastern, which plays its home games at Tibbets Field in Yonkers.

“My brother [Michael] was playing on Eastern at the beginning of last fall,” Greenberg said. “His coach, Alex Perez, who was our assistant varsity coach last year, said that I should come try out and that I could play at that level.”

Greenberg said he had never played at that level before, but he tried out nonetheless and made the team.

“I would say it really did get me ready for the varsity season,” Greenberg said. “My game significantly improved by playing at that level with better players. I have the skill that some players have. Now when I play against some of these harder teams, I know what is coming. Playing with premier for just one year has really helped me improve.”

Greenberg has improved to the point where he would like to play in college. He said that he is looking to at least play club, depending on where he goes to college though he added that he is considering walking onto the varsity level.

“At my size (5-foot-10) and at the size of the schools where I am going, it might not be so possible to play at the varsity level, but definitely I would like to play club then,” Greenberg said. “So many club teams, they travel, they have team practices and they have coaches, so I am definitely looking to play at the next level.”