Army is three games away from their huge showdown against rivals Navy in the Army-Navy Cup, and head coach Russell Payne is looking at a squad chock-full of potential for a run through the Patriot League.
A 4-0 loss to 2018 regular season Patriot League champions Loyola followed by a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat at home to Fairfield -- a match in which Army forced six second half saves -- has not damaged Payne's belief in his experienced squad in the slightest.
"We're still finding our form," the nine-year head coach said recently. "We had a game rescheduled so we've played fewer games than other teams across the country.
"If you look on the defensive side, we're a little more connected, our movement is symmetrical and we get back into our shape quickly and defend as a team instead of a lot of individual defending. Limiting teams' chances, as far as being able to engage teams in the midfield to limit back third penetrations. And on the attacking side, creating more goalscoring opportunities in a balanced way so success is sustainable."
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For Payne, sustainable success is about intelligence and adjusting to the speed of the game over time. Instead of taking the first open shot, he wants players learning when to make the extra pass and how to support the attack properly from midfield so you're generating multiple opportunities each time you approach the final third.
Sustainability also means finding multiple routes to goal. Payne has one of the Patriot League's best strikers, Keenan O'Shea, back in the side. But he doesn't want his team leaning on O'Shea when they can better use him as one piece of a more complete and dangerous offense.
"I wanted us to score goals by committee," he said of his objectives for 2019. "We have a couple of really talented guys in the attack, Keenan O'Shea is one of them.
"But one of the really good things about Keenan is that when he has good guys around him that are goal-dangerous, other teams can't focus on him. And we've seen a lot of attacking actions come from guys around him, even though Keenan has been the guy scoring the goals."
O'Shea was also the guy scoring the goals against Navy in 2018 -- two of them, in fact. He picked up a pass from Christian Takaki and drilled it home in the 41st minute to even the scoreline at one apiece before adding the team's third in the 66th minute off a free kick.
"In that one, it looked like an open affair, but it wasn't," Payne said of the 2018 Army-Navy Cup. "It was a close game, as these games always are. We just happened to make the most of our chances.
"Big players love big moments in big games, so you can't hide -- you don't want to hide -- from the fact that this is a meaningful game. It's one of these games that players and schools remember long after they're over. We relish that and appreciate that, and look forward to being on the big stage."
Talen Energy Stadium will provide the stage once again when Payne brings his side to Philadelphia on Friday, October 11. Cadets and midshipmen will pack in for 90 minutes of breathless action. Payne is looking forward to it all, but he's also thinking about how to keep his team focused.
"For me, this is why we play," he admitted. "We play this sport, especially at the college level, to showcase the game and showcase ourselves, to fight for something meaningful.
From that standpoint, this is a great, great stage to play on.
"The good thing is that we have experienced guys on the team now that understand the spectacle of it and how to focus and keep out distractions."
That sounds like advice that Union captain Alejandro Bedoya might dole out to the young core of the Philadelphia Union, and, indeed, Payne has a history with Bedoya dating back to his time helping the US Men's National Team.
"I got to know Alejandro Bedoya really well during my time with the full team," the Army Head Coach said. That time included a stint as the USMNT's goalkeepeing coach during both the 2015 Gold Cup and 2016 Copa America.
"I thought he was a fantastic leader, a fantastic player, a great teammate," Payne continued. "I really enjoyed conversations with him about the team, about things outside of the team, things off the field. I think he's one of the players I got to know best."
Army and Navy meet in the Army-Navy Cup on October 11 at Talen Energy Stadium. Tickets are on sale now on PhiladelphiaUnion.com
