My name is Conor McGlynn and I was born on November 20th, 1998. I grew up in Middle Village, Queens, New York, where the city is a melting pot of different cultures and backgrounds. There was a wide variety of different sports that were played, but soccer had a strong community and was popular around the city. I lived across the street from a soccer field, and that’s where I spent countless hours of my childhood kicking around with my younger brother and playing pickup games.
I was introduced to soccer by my Dad, who was a player himself in Ireland where he grew up. I had played other sports growing up, but soccer eventually became the most important to me. I fell in love with the game not only by playing it so much, but by watching it as well. I was a big Liverpool fan growing up, and I loved watching Steven Gerrard play. I would pretend I was him and try to do the things he did on the field. The process of watching the games and then trying to implement what I saw when I would go play is what made me appreciate soccer and love it more than any other sport.
“Playing for them helped shape who I am today”
I started playing organized soccer when I was seven years old for my local school team, and then jumped into club soccer the next year, playing for the BW Gottschee Academy. This jump to the academy put me in a much more serious environment than my school team, as they introduced me into a more competitive game. The training sessions were much more intense, but I ended up really liking it because they prioritized molding their players on and off the field. Many youth academies have their players solely focus on soccer, but Gottschee also focuses on how their players are as individuals. The coaches tried to put their stamp on me in a positive way, and playing for them helped shape who I am today both as a player and a person.
I played for Gottschee for my entire youth career up through high school. I played on some talented teams throughout each age group and made some great friends while playing in tournaments both locally and all around the country. We won a few national championships, and one of the most memorable tournaments we played in was the Surf Cup, which is in San Diego, California. Experiencing such a different setting on the west coast was really cool for me, and we made it all the way to the final of the tournament.
“I was 5’10’ at the time”
When I entered high school, I had to decide if I wanted to play for my school team or keep playing for Gottschee. Since Gottschee wasn’t an MLS affiliated academy, their entire goal was to help their players make it to college and play for a good school. Also, the level of play with the academy was a step up from high school soccer, so I only played one season for my school and committed to playing with Gottschee after that.
As I entered my senior year of high school, I was not a highly recruited player by colleges. I was a late bloomer physically, as I was 5’10 at the time.” For perspective, I am 6’3” today. I ended up growing four inches during my sophomore year of college, but while being recruited, I was physically disadvantaged. I had to rely on my technical ability, which isn’t the most valued attribute to college coaches. However, I was connected to the head coach at Siena College and got the opportunity to go there for a visit. It’s a small school in Albany that was about three hours from home, but I was familiar with it. I felt comfortable on the campus during my visit and I knew some close friends that were committed to going there. Towards the end of my senior year, Siena made me an offer to play there and I was in.
“I thought professional soccer might not be for me”
My four years at Siena were extremely valuable for me both as a soccer player and as a person. I loved the people there and made some lifelong friends. On the field, I grew so much as a player. I learned how to play in several different roles. For example, I played center-forward during my senior year, which I never would have thought I was even capable of doing. As a team, we had our ups and downs, but there were plenty of bright moments that I still carry with me. We made the playoffs for the first time in years my freshmen year, and I’ll never forget scoring my first goal against Manhattan College because my entire family was there to see it.
After my senior season at Siena ended, I wanted to pursue professional soccer but was unsure how realistic it would be for me. Siena wasn’t a big-name school, and I knew that I couldn’t enter the MLS draft. I thought that professional soccer may not be for me, but I wanted to try to get the attention of a team while finishing my degree at Siena.
My younger brother Jack, who was also pursuing a professional contract at the time, had an agent who was willing to help me find opportunities to try out with professional teams. Sure enough, a few weeks after my senior season ended, I got a call from him about the New York Red Bulls college combine. It brought together some of the best collegiate players in the area for a few days, and I decided to go. I held my own on the field, competing well against players who were going to be drafted in MLS, and this made me believe in myself a little bit more. I thought that my soccer career may not be ending so soon and that I might have a real chance at becoming a pro.
“I didn’t even get on the field for the first 45 minutes”
Just about a week later, I got word about the Hartford Athletic open tryouts for the 2020 season. This posed a challenge for me, as I was still in school and getting to Hartford for tryouts every day would be a two hour drive there and back. However, I really wanted to make the team because I wasn’t sure how many more chances I was going to get. So, I would wake up at 5:00 every morning that week and drive to Hartford for tryouts that began at 8:00 AM. It was an intimidating setting because there were so many people trying out, I believe it was around 120 players. I remember during the first day of tryouts, I didn’t even get on the field for the first 45 minutes. It was a challenge to stand out in such a large group and I was nervous, but I was proud of the way that I played.
The open tryouts would finish up around 3:00 in the afternoon, and then I’d drive back to school to study at night. I am so grateful for the forensics professor I had at the time. She would come to campus at night just to catch me up on classes that I missed, and she was a major reason why I was able to pursue a soccer career and still get my degree.
After a week of open tryouts in the freezing cold of January, I was invited back for invitational tryouts the next week, which were a lot different because they were indoor at Farmington Sports Arena. It was also a step up in talent because it was a smaller group that was filled mostly with the best collegiate players from the open tryouts, and it took some time to get used to the increased speed of play, personalities of other players, and the coaching style.
“It was a true whirlwind”
After a week of the invitational tryouts, I got an email a few days later inviting me to preseason with Hartford Athletic. This was the third and final stage of my pursuit of a professional contract with the club. The first few days of preseason were difficult because it was yet another big jump in talent, speed of the game, and overall intensity. I was able to adjust after a few training sessions and I felt strongly that I was a serious contender to make the squad. After a few weeks of training and multiple preseason games, I was offered a contract. I felt extremely proud but also so fortunate, as I was unsure I’d even have the chance to play professionally after finishing my collegiate career. Signing that contract marked the end of a month-long tryout process, and it was a true whirlwind. The cherry on top for my family was that my brother signed a contract with the Philadelphia Union the week before me, so we both became professional soccer players at nearly the same time.
It was an exciting time as the 2020 season approached, and I remember being told that I was in the starting lineup the day of our first game. Then, COVID-19 hit. We were actually on the bus about to leave Hartford to go to New Jersey to face the Red Bulls II, and we were suddenly told that the game was canceled because a few Red Bulls players had COVID. Then, the season was put on hold for a few months. With the unfortunate news, I still felt lucky to have signed my contract before COVID hit because there would be no telling what path I would have taken while there were no opportunities to play soccer.
While the COVID period was unfortunate, I was able to stay in shape by training with my brother. My Dad was a coach for most of our childhood and was still coaching at the time, so it was extremely helpful to have him there to train us at home.
“Surreal”
Once the 2020 season resumed, I got to experience my first season of professional soccer and it was a great one. I saw a lot of time on the pitch, and we made the playoffs for the first time in club history. I was brought back for the 2021 season and it was awesome to experience the Hartford fans for the first time, who make our home games so fun to play in. Despite not making the playoffs that year, there were still so many memorable moments that I will cherish for a long time. It was a no-brainer for me to say yes when I was offered to come back for the 2022 season.
Now, I am approaching the end of my third season with the club and it’s hard to believe it’s been that long. I’ve had ups and downs, have learned a lot about myself, and have met a lot of great teammates and coaches. It’s been a surreal experience because as a kid, I would always think about doing this, but I reached a point in my life when I thought, “It’s pretty unrealistic [that I’d play professional soccer].” Then, I got an opportunity from Hartford Athletic and didn’t look back. It’s been a crazy journey, and I can’t wait to see where else it takes me.
