by Andrew Rogers

AR: It’s often been said that it’s St. Louis, Missouri but Millstadt, Illinois is where you’re actually from.

Simek: Yeah that’s my hometown, when everybody asks me I usually say St. Louis because that’s the big city and everybody knows where it is but ’Stadt’s actually my hometown it’s a little town in southern Illinois maybe about 3000 people in it.

AR: Ok so a town of 3000 people, where about is soccer in a young American’s life in that situation?

Simek: To be honest I played soccer since I can’t even remember, it was one of the first sports I started playing. When I was real young I played that and baseball was the other big one I’d play soccer one half of the year and baseball the other half. Then obviously as I got older I started to focus more on soccer.

AR: So would it be fair to say then, that football wasn’t the be all and end all for you; there were still other avenues for you?

Simek: Up to a certain point, up until about 12 years old that is when I really started to concentrate on soccer and that is when I really wanted to become a professional soccer player. Baseball is still something that I like to do, I still go to the batting cages or whatever but I’d say that from 12 onwards I really focused on soccer.

AR: Ok so is that when you came to England?

Simek: It is yeah, we moved over here as a family and of course living in England it’s hard not to get immersed in the culture over here, and obviously baseball its not played anywhere so I’m sure that had a lot to do with it actually.

AR: So take us through the steps, you come over to live and then you become part of the Arsenal set up and that is any young players dream. How did that come about?

Simek: Actually when we moved over here as a family I played for a Sunday league team and the coach of that was Tony Gale who was an ex-West Ham defender. When we moved over he knew some people at Arsenal and he got me trials there because he was the coach of my Sunday league team. That was when I was about 12 and I was with them from around 12 to about 20.

AR: At 12 years old did that shock or surprise you, was it intimidating? Obviously you were too young to appreciate it but at the same time did you realise the situation because this was a big occurrence for you.

Simek: Yeah it was, it was a big deal I mean previously we were here about two years and I knew all about Arsenal and how big of a thing soccer was over here. But to grow up in the Arsenal youth system that produced some good players it’s not an easy club to progress through because there are so many good players. But when you’re working day in day out with those players it helps you tons as well.

AR: A large number of our readers for some strange reason support Arsenal. Can you tell them about the Arsene Wenger youth set up or the Arsenal set up?

Simek: I think you have to look at it as one of the best in the world, I think what Arsene Wenger has done there is nothing short of spectacular. I think if you look at the amounts of money he spends as well, compared to the likes of Chelsea, just bringing people through and the scouting networks that they have.

Looking back just being part of that youth set up maybe that’s not a good thing for you because they are always looking to bring players in, trying to unearth the next gem from wherever. But that’s what makes them such a good club as well you know, they bring in players like Fabregas who they didn’t pay any money for and what he has done there to develop the young payers that he has brought in, Gael Clichy and players like that, he has done a fantastic job.

AR: What did it do for your game, playing with the world’s best?

Simek: I think it really helped it. When I was trying to break through I was 18,19,20 and I think I made my debut when I was 19 in the Carling Cup. It’s tough though it’s really tough to try and get into that team with so many world class players, and obviously they are always looking to bring in players to challenge you and to make the team better. But looking back it’s a good learning experience to see how things are done there and also to work with world class players.

AR: Ok so what are your thoughts on the current argument, obviously England didn’t make it this year, there’s a lot of talk about more English guys being in the top sides. What’s your take as an insider?

Simek: I think its tough you know, I talked about it earlier, they are always trying to bring new players in that are challenging you but if you’re good enough at Arsenal you’re going to play. Personally speaking I think it’s not because you’re English that you’re not going to play, if you were good enough I think you’d be playing.

I mean you look at the players that he has brought in like Fabregas, Clichy and Senderos they have done well and people like that that have proved that they are good enough. We is going to doubt Arsene Wenger with the track record that he has got to bringing young players through. To say that there are too many foreigners at Arsenal, you know if they are good enough they will play.

AR: What about as young lad, you’ve left the environment your used to, how did you cope with those kinds of things, I mean obviously it’s not the be all and end all but your not in your most natural environment.

Simek: Yeah right, and obviously the most important thing as well is that you’re living away from your family, people that are closest to you I think that was probably the hardest thing. But if you really want to make it, really want to do well then I think you’ve got to make some sacrifices and that was just one of those sacrifices that had to be made.

If you look at a professional footballers career you’re not going to go more than about 35 you’ve got the rest of your life to go live in America, you know, obviously you’re going to miss those things growing up when your 16,17,18 but in the long run if you do make a decent career out of it it’ll be worth it.

AR: And of course you pulled on the Arsenal shirt in the Carling Cup, there are millions of people in the States dreaming, day in day out, that they could do that, can you describe that?

Simek: Yeah, it was probably the highlight of career to be honest, one of two I think. To pull on the Arsenal shirt was something special I just wish it could have happened more than once but it wasn’t to be and obviously I moved on but just to pull on the shirt as an 18,19 year old, to see your name on the back of an Arsenal jersey and to play at Highbury was something I’m never going to forget for the rest of my life: a great experience.

Coming up life at Sheffield Wednesday and with the US National Team.

Andrew Rogers can be reached at andrewrogers@optonline.net