Josh Bauer: From Bedford, NH to Atlanta, GA

Josh Bauer: From Bedford, New Hampshire to Atlanta, Georgia

In the 2021 MLS Superdraft, Atlanta United picked UNH defender Josh Bauer as the 4th overall pick in the second round. Hailing from Bedford, New Hampshire, and being the most decorated player in the University of New Hampshire’s men’s soccer program history, Bauer looks to develop his talents in the south and help put New England soccer on the map. Wicked FC caught up with Bauer to talk about his future, his time at UNH, and his thoughts going into the draft. 

*DISCLAIMER: this interview took place before the draft, and we are waiting for further comments from Bauer about being drafted by Atlanta United. When he is ready and able to, we will provide further updates* 

WFC: Tell me a little about yourself and your background: did you grow up playing soccer? Has it always been your dream to go pro? 

Josh- “I was born in Florida, don’t really remember much from there. Moved to Texas for a couple of years, no soccer memories there. My earliest soccer memories come from when I was living in Columbus, Ohio. You know, you have your rec leagues and other leagues and you’re still figuring out what kind of sports you like. Then I started taking soccer more seriously when I discovered I was decent at it (Josh Laughs). Then I started playing for the local club team and graduated to the Columbus Crew Juniors. Then the year before I was set to enter the academy was the year I moved to New Hampshire. So then it was like ‘okay where do we go from here?’ We’re moving to New Hampshire- we’ve never been there- how do we get connected to soccer because at this point I want to take soccer seriously.

WFC- Why did you move to New Hampshire? 

Josh- My dad came over here for a temporary job, like a trial thing before we actually moved out here. He got in contact with John Price (A very notable and influential soccer coach in the NH area.) At this point, he was at Seacoast Academy and we knew we were going to be moving to Bedford (NH). And Seacoast (Academy) is an out that way. And we’re like ‘okay Seacoast seems cool but it seems kind of far driving an hour every day to training and paying all this money to play in the academy. Or I could stay right here in Bedford, my hometown, for New Hampshire Classics (which later evolved into GPS New Hampshire). So that’s where I spent my club years in New Hampshire through high school. And then I played public high school soccer for Bedford High School. I never played for Seacoast academy or Revs Academy or anything like that. I’ve been playing locally and making the most out of that. In terms of College soccer and getting involved with that, I wasn’t even fully sure I was going to play college soccer. I was between playing soccer or maybe not playing soccer and going to a bigger school, like a medical school, and focusing on my studies. I wasn’t highly recruited or anything; I wasn’t this big name coming out of high school. I had a couple of D3 offers and around two D2 offers. My only real division 1 offer was from UNH (University of New Hampshire) Then basically it came time for a decision where it was: okay do I want to play college soccer or do I want to go to school and have fun and focus on my degree? And then it came down to it and I just couldn’t give up soccer. I want to keep playing, I want to make this (soccer) a part of my life. Then I committed to UNH. 

WFC: What’s the specific reason for being unsure about playing soccer after high school? 

Josh: “I don’t know exactly what it was. I think I didn’t realize the potential that I had. If I do something, I want to do it at the highest level. I wouldn’t say I was doubting myself but it’s always in the back of your mind: ‘okay sure I can play college soccer but then what? Am I done? Do I try to play professionally?’ So I don’t know if I was doubting myself and holding myself back. My major in school was biomedical science because UNH didn’t have a pre-med major. So I was thinking I’m going to be playing division 1 soccer and trying to earn a pre-med degree. That’s going to be pretty tough, am I cut out for this, can I manage it? So that was going back and forth in my head. I had done a big college tour- or road trip- with my mom. I toured a bunch of schools like Maryland, UConn, Clemson, South Carolina, North Carolina State, so we went all over. I mean, I loved those schools when I toured them, or a couple of them at least. I was like ‘this is so cool!’ And then I thought ‘okay I don’t have a soccer offer here.’ I could go and try to walk on, but then that’s always a risk as well. Obviously, if you don’t make it you don’t make it, and you’re stuck there or you have to transfer. I think it was a combination of those things. Committing to playing division 1 soccer - because it is a commitment- being able to manage myself with academics, and just realizing what I really wanted for myself. I’ve played this game ever since I can remember, I’m good at it, and I think I have the potential for this, and I want to make something out of this. Okay, I'm going to do this, I’m going to commit to playing soccer. And then once I was committed, I was all in from there. 

WFC: Did you always want to go pro?

Josh: “Even still when I committed at UNH I went in as a freshman and I red-shirted my freshman year. I had no experience in my freshman year so I was like I don't know what I can make of college soccer, I don't know how good I can be, I don't know where I stand compared to where other players are, and where I would need to be to get to the next level. So I guess after the first couple of years and talking with my coaches. So after I guess my sophomore year -which was my first year playing- and then my junior year my coaches were kind of like you have pro potential, it's just a matter of do you really want to focus on what you need to do to get there and take the right steps. I was like ‘you're telling me this’ and I was like ‘yeah I want to play professionally.’ But I mean, everyone says that when they're a kid, and you know, you're playing soccer and you always think you’ll want to be a professional soccer player when you grow up. But it's like, okay, at what point do you start taking that seriously and really thinking that it can be possible? And that part for me didn't come until college, probably my sophomore, junior year. 

WFC: Your mindset is you've never been or it seems like you want to focus on the future, but you're never too sure how the future is going to pan out. Are you a more in the moment kind of guy or do you like to plan for the future? What’s your mindset on a game like that?

Josh: I mean, I love to have a plan. If I could just have something planned out and set in stone, like, okay, I'm going to do this, that, and then this other thing, you know, I would love that. But in reality,I know that's not how it works. There are so many variables that come up, things pop up, there are so many uncertainties that just go through. So I would say, I like to be in the moment, but at the same time, I have stuff in the back of my head that I'm working towards. 

WFC: In a New England Soccer Journal article, you were labeled as New England’s most accomplished college soccer player since now Chicago Fire Center Back Wyatt Omsberg. When you get titles like that, do you enjoy it and how do you look at your success so far? 

Josh: “I mean, it's a cool title, you know, and when he said that I kind of had the same reaction I just had with you. I just kind of laughed and whatever.  I mean, yeah, it is a cool title and you're right. Like if you look at the accolades like they're there and stuff like that. But I mean, at the end of the day, a lot of things had to happen for that. It's not just me playing, you know, like obviously my parents and family have sacrificed so much time for me just to be able to go play. I mean, all the traveling and stuff like that. If that doesn't happen, I'm not where I'm at. Coaches taking a chance on me, wanting me to play, developing me, fitting me into their system. If none of that happened, I'm not where I'm at. So yes, it's a cool title to have and, look back on and stuff like that. But at the same time, I still have so much more to accomplish as well. Like in my mind, I have so many more goals and stuff that I want to do, so I try not to focus on that stuff already. It’s cool being from New Hampshire. Because most people are like, oh, New Hampshire, you know, what's that or where is that even exactly. And it kind of makes you have a chip on your shoulder almost where it's like, all right, like yeah, I'm from New Hampshire, but I'm here to play.” 

WFC: What are your thoughts on New England Soccer culture currently? 

Josh:  I mean, a professional soccer team in New Hampshire, if you told me that five years ago, I'd be like, okay, whatever that's kind of unheard of. I mean, I think that's great. I think that's definitely gonna help the culture. I think that's definitely going to- not raise awareness of soccer in new England- but kind of just put New England soccer even more so on the map. And I'm really excited to see what they do with those teams. It's going to be cool. 

WFC: In a New England Soccer Journal article published in July 2020, you were quoted saying you were ‘pissed off’ at the final whistle in a game against Virginia Tech last November, not knowing it was your final match in a UNH uniform. Why was that? 

Josh: “First of all, I have nothing, but like nothing but love for Durham and UNH and all that, but I’ve just been out of college for like eight months now. And everything's like, oh, UNH, UNH, UNH. And I'm like, yes, I love them and I'll always have ties to them. But at the same time, it's not me right now. So like I said, I redshirted my freshman year, so I didn't play. And then my sophomore year I played,  my junior year I played, and then that Virginia Tech season was my senior year academically. So I still had one more year left to play because of that redshirt year. So my plan was after the Virginia Tech game, I would have played the next fall. And then I would have gone into the draft. There was potential for me to go into the draft after my third season of playing, so that would have been my senior year (academically), but my junior year because that was my third year of playing. So it kind of gets tricky with the red shirt and whatnot, but, there was potential, you know, I could have done that, but then the draft was in January, and I would have had to leave after the fall season. And then all I would have left is a spring semester to get my degree and graduate. So I was like, you know, I could go in the draft. There are no guarantees though. Like you can get drafted, but it doesn't mean you're signing a contract. It means you basically have an invite to pre-season.

WFC- So what was your decision from there? 

Josh-  I basically had a lot of talks with my family and my coaches and decided what was best for me. And I was like, okay, I'm gonna come back to school, graduate in May, then I'm going to play in the fall, which would have been this past fall, as my final year. And then I'll enter the draft.  I didn't know it was gonna be my last college season here because of COVID. So we played Virginia Tech. We lost four to one. That was just a tough game. I mean we came out hot. We were up one to nil. I mean, as soon as we went up one, I was like, okay, there's no way we're losing, like we're here, we're flying. Things were going well, but then a couple of lapses, mistakes, and unlucky bounces and, you know, two becomes three, three becomes four and then you're chasing a game. At least I was pissed off after we lost because you know, we lost and I thought we deserved to win or could've gotten a win. But in the back of my head, I'm thinking, okay, like I got one more season, we're gonna come back and we're going to make a run at this. Like we're not going to disappoint. So, I guess the reason that I didn't know it was going to be my last college game is because that was before COVID had kind of come around.

WFC: How did the pandemic affect you, your mindset, and your plans going forward? 

Josh: “When that happened, that's when it really kind of hit for me. And I was like, okay, my college soccer career is done. Because at that point, I'm not going to wait for the fall semester to pass. I wouldn't be taking classes because I already got my degree in the spring. So I wouldn't be waiting for the fall to pass and then the spring to get a spring season and then I would have to wait for the fall and then the next draft. So it would just be putting it on hold for too long. So that's when I was like, okay, I just have to move on. College soccer is done, and I'm going to take the next step to try and play professionally.

WFC: how are you feeling going into the draft? Do you feel like you made the right decision? 

Josh:  I honestly don't really know because as soon as I realized I wasn't going back to play in college, I was like, okay, I gotta do something now, I got to play now. Because you know, you're not training. I was training in Durham all summer, all of the summer during COVID. I was like, I need to play, I need to play, I need to play. And I'm sure you saw I was playing at the Birmingham Legion in the USL. So that opportunity came for me. And that's a unique opportunity that wouldn't have happened Had it been for COVID because, because of COVID,  MLS, made some sort of exception for guys in my situation who are done with their college careers, but still need somewhere to play before the draft. So they said you can sign short term in the USL until the end of the season and then still be draft eligible. So I thought that's a unique opportunity that doesn't happen often. So I was able to get pro training and playing experience before the draft had happened. There's some give and take with it, but at the end of the day, you can't focus on that and look back and think I could have done this. I kind of had to roll with the punches and take what's given to you and make the most of it. And that's what I tried to do with that situation. Going into the draft, I mean, I'm feeling great. I've been on a strength and conditioning program for the last eight weeks and that'll continue for the next three weeks up until the draft.

WFC: In my opinion, you have a lot of similarities in playing style to New England’s Henry Kessler. When you see players like him who make an immediate impact in the league straight from the draft, how does that help you view the draft? Does it help motivate you to become a better player? 

Josh:  “I definitely keep an eye on just the guys who get drafted, especially in the last couple of years, typically in the first round from college and to MLS teams. I just keep an eye on them to see how they're doing, especially guys in my position, like Henry, seeing where they end up. And the truth is a lot of people that get drafted don't sign contracts. It's kind of just a product of he has the potential to play himself and he's a great fit for them and what they need right now. A lot of guys will get drafted and they say we don't need your position right now. We'll just send you out to our second team or something like that. Looking at Henry, he is a great success story. Like I want the best for him and I wish him success, but at the same time, I'm thinking I can do this too. Like I played against this kid in college. I can be here as well. But for guys that are coming out of college and getting drafted and actually getting time in the MLS, like that alone is awesome for them.” 

WFC: How would you describe your time at Birmingham Legion and how would you say it helped in your development? 

Josh: Birmingham is completely different from New England. I went down there, it was a complete culture shock and it was cool to experience for sure. My time there was good. I got to play with pros and guys that are fresh out of college, like Bruno Lapa, who played at Wake Forest University. The biggest advantage to going down there was just getting used to playing with professionals and playing at the pace that professionals play at because it's much faster than college soccer. It is way faster and more competitive. Like guys are fighting for their jobs. It's not like  you just have the guy who's a computer science major who also happens to be playing soccer. This is what they do for a living. And it's just a different ball game. It was great to go down there and experience that.

WFC: Mutual friends of ours call you a “class player”. Do you think that's how most people would view you, as one of the best defenders? When you look back at your career and just your playing style, do you want to be known as a really good defender or do you just want to be known as a player that is always constantly improving? 

Josh: I didn't start playing defense until I moved to New Hampshire. That's when I really started actually playing in the back line. But before that I was like a forward and a winger. I want to be known for like, I want to be known for being a player who just locks down the back line, someone who's solid, can organize and communicate. Also someone who reads the game and sees everything before it happens.  But at the same time, I want to be known as someone who's constantly getting better, who is adding elements to his game that he didn't have before. That's one of the things I really tried to focus on in my time at UNH. I do this well, I can do this well. Well, what can I do to make myself even better? And that's why I was telling my coaches to coach me and tell me what my weaknesses are, tell me what to do here. And once I realized what those things are, then I can apply them in training. So now I'm focusing on training on my pasing range and my weak foot, and then just tweaking other aspects I want to be known for improving and, and on being a well-rounded player. I'm uh, I'm like, people will tell you this. I'm like one of the most competitive, like, like I want to be the best to everything that I do. If I'm going to do something I'm not going to half-ass it. I have no desire to be mediocre. Like I want to be the best possible defender and player that I can be.

WFC: What's one thing you would want US soccer media, and sometimes general sports media would focus on more, and one thing you think they should focus on less? 

Josh: Oh boy, that's a tough question. I wish soccer media would do a better job of covering-I don't want to say underrated guys, cause they're not underrated- They're just undiscovered. Like if you look hard enough for it and it doesn't always show up in the stat sheet with goals and assists. There's been players who are really, really good, who are overlooked because you might have a guy who goes out and has one good season or something where he'll score like 10 goals. And like, once you get that name, sports media says oh my god, this guy is really good. Like, he’s the guy. But he may have had  a good season. But is he really there and consistent? And then you have, these guys are just like steady and consistent. Consistency is huge and they're good players too. I wish they would kind of like get brought up a little bit more in the limelight. I wish soccer media would focus less on what people have done in the past and focus more on what people are doing right now in their career. You can be a great player for two to three years in high school or two to three years in college, but where is he now? What's he doing now? What's you know? Is he consistent? Like, can he keep doing that?

WFC: Which player did/do you idolize and try to take after? 

Josh: I would say Sergio Ramos. Yeah, the guy's a beast. He plays with a swagger about him. He plays with an edge. He's not afraid to be a little chippy, like have a little bite to him. And I just think that's so cool. And he's got skill, he's got good feet for a center back and I think that's awesome.