Last week, Captain Steve Ralston earned the MLS Player of the Week award for his two-goal performance in the Revs’ victory over Toronto. Ralston has played right and left midfielder, right fullback, and now attacking center midfielder for the Revolution, and is currently tied with Adam Cristman for most goals (six) this season. He is ranked first in MLS with 121 career assists.

ASN: The Revolution doesn’t have an established striking pair this season. Can this be considered an advantage in any way?

Ralston: We’ve had pretty much a rotation of players throughout the season. It’s good for us in the long run because a lot of guys are getting experience and getting some good minutes. We have so many different games, tournaments and cups going on that everybody’s going to get a chance to play this year.

ASN: You’ve scored six goals already this year, four goals and 14 assists last year, and six goals and five assists the year before.

Ralston: I think the most I’ve ever scored was seven, and that was my rookie year in ’96. But this is my first year playing in the center of the field, whereas my first twelve years I’ve played outside, so I think I’m obviously getting closer to the goal and getting more opportunities. Fortunately, I’ve been in the right place at the right time, and gotten a couple easy ones, a couple of bunnies on the post that came back to me for open heads. I try and get myself in good spots.

ASN: Before you were at Tampa Bay, you were at Division 1 Florida International University [FIU], for three years and won some accolades there.

Ralston: We got ranked in the top ten. FIU was never traditionally a powerhouse really, but we were ranked and made the tournament a year or two. Individually, I had one year where I led the nation’s scoring with 19 goals and 18 assists or so. But we were also playing in a conference where the competition wasn’t the ACC like a lot of these guys [team mates] do. It was fun.

ASN: Before that, you were in Forest Park Community College.

Ralston: Yeah, coming out of high school – I didn’t start for my high school team my senior year. I played on the freshman team as a freshman, I played JV as a sophomore, I played varsity junior/senior year. Kind of started some games, came in as a sub some games of junior and senior year. Started off the season starting, had an injury, came back and didn’t start the rest of the season. Came in and played quite a bit, scored some goals and things like that, but I wasn’t obviously really talented coming out of high school.

ASN: Was the injury the reason you weren’t a starter on the varsity, or something else?

Ralston: I don’t know, maybe it was the coach because when I came back I was healthy. You know what, I think I was just a late bloomer. I think I just improved so much over the period of my freshman year in college. That one year. I had a big jump when I went to Forest Park. I had a great coach at Forest Park, a guy name Pat McBride, a former professional player who really helped me. I just really improved.

ASN: That jump, that freshman year. What were you studying?

Ralston: Education.

ASN: What were you even doing at Forest Park? Did you have a clue or were you just a regular [clueless] student?

Ralston: No! It was just a junior college. I was just going to school and playing soccer and trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I didn’t get into the schools I wanted to go to. I wanted to go to a Division 1 school and play soccer, and that’s the reason I went there, because I wasn’t recruited by any of the schools I wanted to go to coming out of high school. I went there and really did well, and after that first year I got a couple opportunities. A friend of mine was at FIU already and he talked to the coach, and it went on from there.

ASN: What was it that sparked you that freshman year?

Ralston: I’m not sure. I worked really hard. I played a bunch of games that summer after that senior year in high school. I was playing all the time. There’s a league in St. Louis – St. Louis is a great soccer town, there’s a lot of good players – there was a bunch of games every week, all ages, a bunch of older guys, and I was going out there just trying to play in games. I wasn’t on a specific team – I’d go out and try to play two games a night if I could. Just try to find a team that needed players and go play as much as I could. I think the experience of playing against the older guys and things like that might have helped. I had some great coaches around that time. I think a lot of it is just confidence. I just got more confident.

ASN: Why was Pat McBride such a good coach?

Ralston: He showed me – he told me, that I was a good player. And I should be confident in looking to do things I was doing well. And I started scoring goals, and obviously once you start scoring goals your confidence increases. And I just realized it.

ASN: When you were sitting on the bench your senior year in high school, did you ever imagine you’d go this far?

Ralston: No, but then, MLS didn’t exist then, either! I loved playing, I always wanted to play, whether it was the ASL, the MPSL, different leagues, indoor leagues – I grew up as a big fan of indoor. I didn’t know what the future would hold. At the time, I wanted to go to college and play Division 1 soccer, and it just so happened that after my senior year the league started, so it was great timing for me – I came right out from my senior year in college and the league was there for me.

ASN: What do you take with you from that first year at Forest Park Community College when you come here to practice with the Revolution?

Ralston: I was just talking about this after practice with Michael Parkhurst lying on the grass over there. What else would I rather be doing? What time is it, noon? I’m done with work for the day. I can feel the sunshine, hang out for the day. Playing soccer, I love it, I wish I could do it forever. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, but I just try to enjoy every day, come out and play, work hard, and have fun. I know I can’t do it forever, so I might as well enjoy it while I can.

ASN: Looks like you’re enjoying it now. Are you going to coach when you’re done?

Ralston: I hope so. That’s just what I was telling him [Parkhurst]. I said I love getting up to go to work every day, being around the guys in the locker room, and competing every day. You talk to guys who are done playing, and what they say they miss the most is just being around the guys and the competition. So I just enjoy it now.