 Hunter Gorskie is an American professional soccer player, currently signed to San Antonio FC. Growing up in New Jersey, Gorskie played for PDA and went on to go to Stanford University. At Stanford, Gorskie was a standout player, being named All-Pac Second Team. While in college, Gorskie also played for several PDL teams. After his successful collegiate career, the New Jersey native signed his first professional contract with the New York Cosmos. Gorskie went on to become a Cosmos legend, scoring the winning goal in their dramatic win against New York City FC of the MLS in US Open Cup play. Since then, Gorskie has enjoyed successful tenures with Miedz Legnica, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Thisted FC, Loudoun United, and he just recently signed with San Antonio FC. A versatile center-back, Gorskie is a very experienced pro and a game 1. Growing up in New Jersey, you rank number one all time in assists at Marlboro High School. Describe your youth playing career and it made you into the player you are now. I am extremely grateful for my coaches throughout my youth career as well as my brother. They definitely laid the foundation for the player I have become. In high school I was fortunate to have Dave Santos as a coach who knew a ton about the game and how to develop players. And my brother was always willing to share the spotlight with me and make me a better player. I have him to thank for the assist record because he let me take all the free kicks my whole career and undoubtedly scored off a bunch of those! 2. As a freshman, you started 20 games for Stanford. How was the transition from academy/high school to college? The transition to Stanford was made easier with the success of my academy team, PDA. We had some of the highest quality players in the country so I was constantly playing with top competition that prepared me for the next level. The class I entered into Stanford with was also one of the highest rated recruiting classes in the country at the time so we were well received and encouraged to make an impact as soon as possible. 3. What was it like to help Stanford upset UCLA in you sophomore year? It was always a battle against UCLA and they were consistently among the top teams in the country during my time at Stanford, so upsetting them was a great win for us and fun to be a part of. 4. As a sophomore, you were named PAC-10 honorable mention, and All-Academic. What do these awards mean to you as an individual? My advice is “how you do anything, is how you do everything.” If you want to succeed at the highest level, you must do everything in your life with passion, focus, energy, respect, and pride. Thats what builds a person of high character and everyone wants that kind of person on their side. 5. What’s your highest advice for college athletes looking to excel on and off the field? The only thing I can control is my work ethic and desire to improve and help my team succeed. As long as I do that, I am proud. So the awards are a bonus and I am grateful for those that recognized my efforts. My advice is “how you do anything, is how you do everything.” If you want to succeed at the highest level, you must do everything in your life with passion, focus, energy, respect, and pride. Thats what builds a person of high character and everyone wants that kind of person on their side. 6. What was it like playing for such a prestigious program like Stanford? Playing for Stanford was an honor. I wish we would have won some championships during my time there, but I grew tremendously as a player and person. My experience there transformed my life and my learnings/relationships from Stanford continue to make possible all my current and future success. 7. Throughout college, you played for several teams in the PDL. How was your experience playing in the PDL? I really enjoyed the PDL teams and seasons I was a part of. It was a great opportunity to play with different players from different places. These kinds of experiences gave me a ton of perspective and greatly strengthened my interpersonal skills as well as my soccer game. 8. After going undrafted in 2013, you trialed with the San Jose Earthquakes. How was your experience training with a professional team for the first time? I had a good experience with San Jose and definitely enjoyed playing at the next level. I felt as though it was actually easier to play at that level because everyone around me was smart, technical, and talented. I was also there with my former teammate, Adam Jahn, so that was fun as well. 9. In April of 2013, you signed with the New York Cosmos of the NASL. How were you feeling after signing your first professional contract? I was very excited and eager to join the New York Cosmos in particular. There was a lot of buzz around the club and to be part of such a historic and admired club was an amazing opportunity. It was great timing when I look back now. 10. In September of 2014, you scored your first professional goal. What were you thinking after that moment? I was very excited and eager to join the New York Cosmos in particular. There was a lot of buzz around the club and to be part of such a historic and admired club was an amazing opportunity. It was great timing when I look back now. 11. In New York, you were coached by Giovanni Savarese. What impact has Savarese had on your career? Coach Savarese always stressed playing free and with fun, without fearing mistakes. I have carried that attitude with me throughout my career. 12. You became a club legend in New York, scoring the game winning goal in penalties against NYCFC in the US Open Cup. Describe your time in New York and what the Cosmos organization means to you. That was my most memorable moment as a soccer player, period. That was a special game, with a special moment, with all the special people in my life. Playing in New York in front of my friends and family was a dream that I would truly come to appreciate only later on when I started playing abroad. The Cosmos organization is where I won championships, battled through my most significant injury, and entered into the world of professional soccer. The Cosmos mean everything to me. My fondest memories are there. 13. After several years in New York, you went to Poland and signed with Miedz Legnicia. How did this opportunity come about? It is a really long story about how this opportunity was made possible. Too long to tell here. But in short, the opportunity was made possible by my Mother. She persisted for years to try to get my brother and I Polish citizenship that culminated in her traveling to Poland to gather proof for the Polish consulate to grant us Citizenship through our Grandfather. Once the citizenship came through, I knew I wanted to play somewhere in Europe and my agent happened to have a contact in Poland. I went on trial there while still under contract in New York, but once my contract was up we made the deal happen. 14. Off the pitch, how was your time in Poland? I grew a lot as a person in Poland. I learned Polish and immersed myself in a different culture. I would have liked to be in a bigger city and could have done with a little less snow, but overall I had a good experience and met some amazing people that made my time there very memorable. 15. Once your time in Poland came to a close, you signed with another historic franchise in American soccer, the Tampa Bay Rowdies. What was your mindset like heading into your first season in Tampa? I was extremely excited going into my first season with Tampa. I had played against them a bunch of times and always loved playing in Al Lang stadium. I was eager to be in St. Pete and knew the lifestyle was going to be awesome. Great weather, cool downtown area, beaches, amazing playing venue, great organization. There was a lot to look forward to. 16. While playing in Tampa, you were teammates with an English legend, Joe Cole. What did playing with a legend like Cole teach you as a player? I have been fortunate to play with some true legends of the game in my career. Joe Cole was no exception. Most of all, Joe is just a great person. Always a smile on his face and so genuine. He was extremely welcoming and happy to share everything and anything he had learned throughout his career. But even more impressively, he was very curious to learn about each of his teammates. What he taught us more than anything was being humble, whether he knew he was teaching that or not. 17. You went back to Europe after you time in Tampa. This time, you were in Denmark, playing with Thisted FC. How was your second stint in Europe? When I first landed in Thisted, I thought wow. Only 10,000 people, very cold(I went in the winter), and very far away from friends and family. I thought I was just going to be in for a grind. I can’t even begin to describe how many amazing things came out of being in this tiny town in Denmark. I basically came out of Denmark with 3 new families and 2 new business opportunities that I am immensely passionate about and continue to work on today while still playing. Unfortunately, as a team we did not get the results we were hoping for. Personally, I was proud of my performances over the course of the season but wish we could have accomplished more as a collective. 18. This past season you played with Loundoun United of the USL Championship. What was your season with Loundon like? I joined Loudoun pretty late in the season with only 7 games to go and little chance of getting into playoffs. However, despite that, I had a solid experience there and we managed to go on a nice winning streak to close out the season. Again, like many of the clubs I've gotten to be a part of, I made some meaningful friendships and enjoyed getting to know the people in the community as well as the organization. 19. Just recently, you signed with fellow USL Championship side, San Antonio FC. What are your goals for this upcoming season? My goal for this season with San Antonio is to win a championship. I think we have the pieces in place to do that and it is a great organization. It has been a few too many years since I've lifted a championship trophy, so I'd like to change that this year. 20. If you could say one thing to your past self from five years ago, what would they be? Play center midfield. Despite playing my entire professional career on defense, I believe my most natural and best position is center midfield. 21. Who’s your greatest role model and why? My greatest role model is my older brother, Jason. He embodies everything an older brother should be. He is selfless, an amazing listener, always has my back, and willingly takes life head on to be able to share his wisdom with me so that I can get things right the first time. He is my guide and I learn from him every day how to be the best human I can be. 22. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? 1st: There was one rule in our house that carried more weight than the others: "Don't be lazy". Laziness was not tolerated. This instilled in my brother and I the habit of taking action, without delay. That habit has carried through my life and has enabled me to take big risks, work extremely hard at everything I do, follow my passions, and pursue my dreams with urgency. 2nd: My Mother always advised my brother and I: "Be a leader. Don't be a follower. Do things your way and don't go with the herd." 3rd: "its not just about the grades you make, it's more about the hands you shake." This was told to me by one of my college soccer teammates Alexander Binnie upon arriving at Stanford. 23. Any last words for the readers? Always remember that the joy is in the journey. CHOOSE to love every part of it. The people, the experiences, the obstacles, the challenges, the grind, and the small victories along the way. All of it. You're gonna go through all that anyway if you're dreaming big enough, so might as well have a smile on your face.
Huge thanks to Hunter for the amazing interview! Class player and amazing person! Wishing you the best of luck next season!
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