It was announced last Friday that the Colorado Rapids had signed their fourth and fifth Homegrown players. We get to hear from one of those players on ColoradoRapids.com, central defender Kortne Ford.
ColoradoRapids.dom: What does signing a Homegrown deal mean to you?
Kortne Ford: I mean, it’s a dream come true. I can remember as early as second grade in reading group telling people that I wanted to be a professional soccer player. You know, you tell people along the way, they laugh and giggle, some people believe, some people don’t, but at the end of the day I achieved that goal today, signed on the dotted line, and after that I’m just ready to put in the work and everything else is history.
CR: How important is it that this next step is with your hometown club?
KF: It’s very important. It’s awesome. I moved here in 2008, and started training with the Academy around 2010, 2011, and it was great to stay home for college, stay close, and then come in and get training sessions over the summer with the club, (and) keep those relationships with some of the guys that are still in the locker room, (and) with the coaching staff. And, at the end of the day, I think it makes the transition a lot smoother, and it makes the whole process a lot easier.
CR: Like you, Nat Borchers - also a central defender - came through the University of Denver. He also played for the Rapids. How would you compare your game to his?
KF: I think he’s dominant in the air. I think he’s hard, he’s hard in tackles, and that’s kind of the one thing I got from him. Coming through the program, especially with (head coach) Jamie Franks, they pride themselves on blocking shots. As a defender you got to block shots, you got to block crosses. The more shots and crosses you block, the less chances they have of scoring, plain and simple. It was nice to have him as a mentor throughout the process - he was very helpful - but I think that we have very similar qualities and I look forward to hopefully playing against him or with him one day.
CR: Going through the Development Academy (DA) and through college, and now signing on the dotted line, how much does the work start now?
KF: All of it. I think that Jamie Franks and his program at DU has set myself up for success. Although we only have three month seasons, we’re grinding for 10 months of that and that helps the transition because we’re coming into an MLS program, the MLS season, where it’s a 10, 11-month season. So, in regards to that, it’s awesome, but I’m ready for it and I’m ready to start the work now, and I’m prepared for it and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to get on that field.
CR: You’ve trained with the First Team in the past, when with the DA. But what was it like last summer to train in front of Tim Howard, and did you ever imagine you’d be on the same field as him?
KF: First off, no. You don’t really imagine that. That’s a figure that I’ve looked up to my whole life, watching on TV and in World Cups, and in games. I remember coming that first training, out there together, and he treated me as if I were any other player, as if I were on the team already … and that was awesome. I gained a lot of respect for him. He didn’t think that he was better than anybody else. I remember when he came in he said that he had earned the guys in the locker room respect as well, and from that point forward I knew that I was going to play for an extremely good goalkeeper and one that was going to mentor me along the way and I’m really excited to get in there and play with behind me.
CR: Coming through the Academy at the time you did, you will have been around when Pablo Mastroeni was a legendary player and captain in the First Team. How big is it to now have him as your head coach?
KF: In a similar aspect to Jamie Franks and him playing at Wake Forest and with the one year he played in MLS, I think it’s important for coaches that are doing the transition from player to coach, I think it’s important because they know the hard work it takes, they know how important culture is. And that’s a big thing with Pablo. He emphasizes how important the culture is, how important the locker room is, and I’m extremely excited to get in there and be a part of it.
CR: 2016 was a great season for the Pioneers. How big a year would you like 2017 to be for Kortne Ford?
KF: Even better. We start the 23rd of January. Looking forward to getting out there, putting in the work, doing extra work behind the scenes, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that I’m fighting for a spot.
CR: And to step out here, in front of family and friends, how much would that mean to you?
KF: It means the world. I have lots of supporters out there, especially mom. She’s done everything for me. It goes from her in chemotherapy, driving me two hours a day to training down here, and that’s where it all starts, and it’s very important for me to stay here, and to play in front of her.
CR: And that story of your mom, is a big reason as to why you stayed here in Denver. How much did that mean to you to be able to see through your education and continue your soccer journey here at home?
KF: Once again, it meant the world to me. I wanted to stay here, I wanted to stay close to her. We have a good relationship, and we’ve done everything together. She’s done it by herself, all along, and I have so much respect for her, and it all boils down to that. I want to be able to perform for her, I want to get on the field, and I want to play for her. It means a lot to stay home, close to the guys and the coaches, and everybody who has put in a lot work with me, and a lot of sacrifices with me and it means the world to be able to stay here and perform in front of them.
