Wake Forest Athletics
Five Questions with Anthony Arena
9/25/2020 11:19:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Les Johns
Arena appeared in the College Cup as a freshman for the Demon Deacons before going on to play professionally for seven seasons.
Anthony Arena played 79 games for Wake Forest men's soccer, starting his career as a freshman scoring three game-winning goals en route to a College Cup appearance in Cary, N.C.
Arena was drafted by Houston Dynamo with the 18th pick of the 2013 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft, where he began his seven-year professional soccer career. Arena recently joined Deacon Sports Xtra for a Five Questions feature.
What was it like being on a College Cup bound team as a freshman?
Arena: "The team in general was an absolute powerhouse. As part of a new class coming in, your first thought is 'don't mess this up.' We were fortunate enough to get back there my freshman year, led by Austin (da Luz), Zack (Schilawski), Corben (Bone), Ike (Opara) and Akira (Fitzgerald). A lot of the upperclassmen carried us and were great guys to learn from.
"They obviously knew the Wake Forest way and the way Coach Vidovich had us playing. It was a very specific style. As freshmen, they got us ingrained in the style as quickly as possible. The upperclassmen made it easy on us to step in and have success. Myself and Andy Luvon started right away as freshmen. That was due to the coaches believing in us and the upperclassmen just bringing us along. They allowed us to make mistakes and just learn from them. It was a great learning experience to learn from those guys, the majority of whom went on to play professionally."
How would you describe your professional soccer experience?
Arena: "Being able to experience that and earning a contract was phenomenal. My first preseason game was in Columbus. That was a special moment.
"I was thankful, getting to play a ton of games for Pittsburgh. I'd fly back to Houston frequently, and every time I flew back I went with more and more confidence. I wish my time with MLS was longer, but I was able to play with a bunch of good guys and was thankful for that."
How did the Wake Forest mentor group help you after your pro soccer days?
Arena: "I remember when I stopped playing professionally and moved to New York, the first person I reached out to was Chad Evans. My first job was at Stryker, which is where Evans worked. Guys are always willing to help out, given that you've been through what they've been through. It's different experiences based upon the years, but similar at the same time. You still wear the Wake Forest jersey and still take a lot of pride in what you do while you're there and how you play."
How often are you able to get back to Winston-Salem to stay connected to the program?
Arena: "I've made it back every single year since I graduated, until last year. I'm fortunate to be able to get back quite a bit. The last three-or-four years I've been able to be more involved in the program. As you step back after you graduate, you really come to realize what a special place Wake Forest is. It afforded me so much as an individual. It gave me a fantastic education and an opportunity to graduate early. I was able to pursue a professional soccer career, then after that my two opportunities were from other Wake Forest grads. This university has given me everything I have."
What is it that sets Wake Forest soccer apart?
Arena: "The program as a whole is special. It takes guys a different amount of time to understand that. Sometimes it takes a couple years after graduation to step back and realize that. But it's a family. It's a special place to go to school and an even more special place to play soccer. If you are fortunate enough to go on and play soccer professionally, the amount of times where you played college gets brought up in the locker room more often than you would believe. It's nice to have those bragging rights wherever you go. To say you played at Wake Forest holds a lot of weight."
