Coach Canevari gives the ’06 Boys some post-game words after their first 2018 State Cup victory.
In the 1989 classic, fantasy sports movie Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner’s character, Ray Kinsella, was inspired by an inner-voice repeating, “If you build it, they will come.” Kinsella built a baseball field in his Iowa cornfield and the movie unfolds. Field of Dreams went on to become recognized as one of the best Fantasy films ever.
Saucon Valley’s Christian Kittelstad doesn’t live in a fantasy world and likely does not hear voices as he walks across a soccer field (not that he admits, anyway), but nonetheless he is in the midst of building a premier soccer program in the Lehigh Valley that aims to compete and excel on a national level.
After one year with one quality team and still in the very early-innings of development, FC Steel is plowing ahead to grow from one championship caliber soccer team to possibly ten. It is obvious that Kittelstad has a playful sense of humor, but he is very serious and passionate about the construction of FC Steel.
Following FC Steel’s first ever State Cup game and first ever State Cup victory, Saucon Source was able to get together with Kittelstad and his Director of Soccer Operations, Ray Canevari, to ask a few questions and hear the “State of the Steel”.
Check out our interview below!
FC Steel is for real and already moving down the long road of success.
Q: Last winter and spring you basically had fourteen boys committed to play on one team. Can you describe the transformation of FC Steel from last year to this year? What is the difference that a year makes?
A: The difference is we’ve had time to spread the word about FC Steel to the Lehigh Valley soccer community. Also, the success of the ’06 Boys team in the fall continued into the winter indoor season. The Boys won three tournaments and had a lot of success. We’ve also had success with two girls indoor teams. We have received a lot of interest and our numbers are up.
Q: What are the next steps for FC Steel moving forward? As an organization what is next on your “to-do” list?
A: We aim to continue growing the club, provide professional coaching to the area and form partnerships with colleges and organizations that help the community. Our ultimate goal is to make sure we can pave the way for players to make the transition from club soccer to college soccer. We want to stress the importance of academics and being a student-athlete. Having said that, we also want to give back to the community and help those who are less fortunate.
Q: What about FC Steel keeps you awake at night? What do you foresee as the biggest challenges moving forward?
A: I’ve done this long enough to not let any of it keep me awake at night, but our biggest challenge is getting people to know we’re in the Lehigh Valley and that there’s another choice for select soccer.
Southern Lehigh’s Noah Jellison is congratulated by Saucon Valley’s Jeffrey Holzbauer (8) after another FC Steel goal.
Q: Can you provide a list of your expected teams and who the coaches of those teams will be?
A: It’s hard to say what teams we’ll have next year. We have close to 250 players signed up for our tryouts. If we can have 8-10 teams next season, that would be an amazing jump from where we were at this time last year.
*Ray Canevari- ’03 Girls, ’05 Girls, ’06 Girls, ’06 Boys
*Scott Cullen- ’05 Boys, ’07 Boys, ’08 Boys
*Brandon Chambers- ’07 Girls, ’08 Girls, ’09 Boys
*Cora Synder and Anders Isakson- ’09 Girls
Q: What is the geographic reach of FC Steel? Can you give a sampling of where those registering for FC Steel tryouts reside?
A: A majority of players come from the Lehigh Valley, but there are many players coming in from outlining communities. There are players coming in from Bucks and Berks County.
Q: What type of player best fits what FC Steel provides? What kind of player are you looking for?
A: As long as a player has the desire to play, put the time in and has a good work ethic we want them at FC Steel. We never want to turn a kid away and will always do what we can to accommodate that player by somehow finding them a team to play with.
Q: The dates for the tryouts have already been announced. Will you allow walk-ons?
A: The tryout dates are April 2-13, but with the weather situation shaky during that time, interested players should continue to check the website (www.fcsteel.org) for possible field and time changes. Yes, walk-ups are accepted.
Saucon Valley’s Tanner Riefenstahl and Parkland’s Luke Blenis share a celebratory moment on the pitch.
UP NEXT: FC Steel will hold their fall season tryouts April 2 thru April 13 at Penn State Lehigh Valley, Cedar Crest College and Whitehall High School. Check their website (www.fcsteel.org) for more information.
Good luck Steel, the Source is with you!
