JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Florida National Guard Soldier is looking to bring home gold for the Army, as he leads the U.S. Army Men's Soccer team against other armed forces teams later this month.
Capt. Roye Locklear, commander of the 356th Quartermaster Company based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is serving his fifth year as the head coach of the All Army Men's Soccer team. In a few weeks, Locklear and his crew of 18 soccer-minded Soldiers will bring their best moves to the U.S. Armed Forces Soccer Championship in San Diego.
"It is an honor to do this and represent the Florida National Guard," Locklear said during a team practice in North Florida on May 5.
Locklear, who has served in the National Guard for 24 years and is also a member of the Florida National Guard Counterdrug program, watched intently as 21 Soldiers pushed through intense soccer drills on the closely cropped soccer field at Jacksonville University. Charged with paring the group down to 18 Soldiers before the tournament, Locklear put his years of experience into making sure the "best of the best" would be representing the Army at the San Diego tournament.
"When we select the final team, these guys will have their unit patches sewn onto their uniforms," Locklear explained as the Soldiers ran soccer drills up and down the field. "There is a lot of pride that comes with being on the team and representing their units."
Each year National Guard, Reserve, and Active Duty Soldiers from across the globe compete to be a part of the prestigious All Army Men's Soccer team, and Locklear's coaching staff drills the Soldiers in preparation for the highly anticipated Armed Forces tournament. Over the past week the team has been training twice a day, and playing scrimmage matches with local teams, including the Jacksonville Armada professional soccer team.
"I am very optimistic about our chances of going out and recapturing the gold medal this year," he said, noting the Army team took first place in the tournament under his tutelage in 2010.
"Soccer has always been part of my life," Locklear added. "When I come here I don't look at myself as a Guardsman...I'm the coach. Ninety-nine percent of these guys are active duty. But we are one big family here. Whether you're Guard, Reserve or Active Duty, we are all here to represent the Army and put the best product on the field that we can."
In traditional Army fashion, the Soldiers bring a mix of intensity, professionalism and positive attitude to the sport. The Soldiers are also at the top of their game as far as their physical fitness levels, so Locklear has the luxury of working with a healthy and energetic team.
"We play an 'up-tempo' style of soccer," Locklear said. "I think just by the nature of what they do in the military there is a level of aggression that we bring to the field that you don't see in some of the civilian teams that we play against."
Captain of the soccer team Capt. Andrew Hyres of E Co., 2-158th Assault Helicopter Battalion, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, said he is also encouraged by the team's prospects this year.
"I think we are looking very strong," he said. "We have a good mix of young talent and returning veterans from previous years."
As a new company commander, he said the intense training for the tournament can often be a challenge for him as he tries to balance his military duties while training for the soccer tournament.
"Being a captain both on the field and off the field is definitely a challenge," Hyers admitted. "When I'm not playing soccer I'm on my computer doing work and talking to all of my leadership at the company. I feel very blessed to represent the Army."
U.S. Army Reservist Spc. Raul Quinones of the 217th Transportation Company based at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, said his unit and his civilian employer both support his endeavor to play on the All Army Men's Soccer team, but since his wife just gave birth to twins, his family has had some additional stress to overcome as he practices to make the cut.
"(My wife) found it kind of difficult to adapt to it, but she knows how much I love the sport...she understands," he said.
All Army Sports directly supports Soldier readiness and well-being, with the motto of "Soldiers first - Athletes second." All Army Sports is a program of Army Family and MWR Programs.