It was the mistake that Ian Carry feared would cost him his job. The Irishman was set to fly to Dubai in February as USA’s goalkeeping coach at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™. As he was gathering his essentials, he couldn’t locate his green card.
Carry summoned his wife for help. They began turning their Charlotte, North Carolina home upside down in search of the elusive document. Worry promptly plummeted into panic. Ultimately, the Carrys had to call off the exhaustive search: Ian begrudgingly accepted he’d accidentally thrown his green card in the trash.
Carry missed out on serving the Stars and Stripes at the global finals and eight months later, as suspected, is no longer their goalkeeping coach. He received, however, a promotion rather than a pink slip. The head coach has just finished a training camp at Oceanside, California in preparation for March’s Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship, which serves as qualifying for Seychelles 2025.
You come from an 11-a-side background. When did you first discover beach soccer?
Ian Carry: When I finished playing 11-a-side I transitioned into five-a-side through futsal. I played for teams in the Republic of Ireland and the national team. I got used to the shape, dynamics, systems, substitutions, the goalkeeper being heavily involved in a five-a-side game. I played and worked in Scotland. I had a really good relationship with Stuart Sharp, who now oversees the ENTs (Extended National Teams). I live in Charlotte, North Carolina now. He reached out because there was a need for a goalkeeping coach for the beach national team. I was like, ‘Beach? Give me some insight’. A lot of information was provided to me on the goalkeeping side of things. It was an easy transition from futsal to beach. Chris Toth being one of the best goalkeepers in the world made my job a lot easier.
What do you think of Chris as a player?
For somebody I rank in the top three in the world, he’s one of the most humble guys with an unbelievable work ethic. He continuously wants to get better and better. When I came on as a goalkeeping coach, it was something he was crying out for. He was like, ‘I want somebody who’s going to push, push, push me.’ From day one, from our initial phone call, he believed that I could push him and make him better. With his leadership and ability, for him to allow me – he didn’t know who I was from my resume – to come into his world and try and improve him says a lot about his character. Knowing that his expectations are in line with mine means a lot to me, because I look up to him for everything he’s achieved in the game. He’s instrumental to our team, he’s instrumental to the goalkeeper beneath him, because he continuously pushes everyone around him, and he’s instrumental for young players because they’re like, ‘I want to be Chris Toth’. Now the national team is all over Fox, all over ESPN. The access the players get now in the US is through the roof. Nick [Perera] and Chris are people who are really helping to grow the game in the US.
And Nick?
He makes magical things happen any time he’s on the sand. Love him to death as a player. Not just because of what he does physically, but because of what he does mentally with his team-mates, the demand he puts on them, the leadership he has, how he gels the group together. He was very unfortunate with the injury he got just before the World Cup. It changed the whole dynamic. The style you can play with Chris Toth finding Nick is totally different. Nick can hold up the ball, invite players on, do something magical himself with the ball. He has over 100 goals for his country. That just doesn’t happen because of luck. What he brings to this group is something special. He ignites everybody around him. He expects these really high standards. I love that Nick is that person.
USA have been to seven World Cups and haven’t been able to get out of the group stage. Is reaching the knockout phase the target for you?
Yes. It’s a simple answer. We want to take this team further than they’ve ever gone before. Look at the group at the last World Cup. We gave Italy a very tough game and Italy went all the way to the final. If we’d have had Nick would it have been different? Maybe. But regardless, we know that we’re so, so close. It’s just down to the tiny details, being disciplined defensively, not getting caught in transition like we did, little structural things. The guys feel like they left something on the sand in Dubai. So yes, we want to get into the knockout rounds at the World Cup and the other objective is to grow the sport in the US. The support we’re getting from US Soccer is wonderful. The creation of a high-performance centre in Atlanta is going to push us forward so much. The expectations are very high. I’m very, very happy that I’ve been afforded the opportunity to get us through the Concacaf qualifiers and hopefully make history in the Seychelles.
What does Ian Carry bring to the squad?
Twenty-plus years of being involved at a high-performance, elite level regardless of the discipline. I’ve been part of successful teams in Scotland and Republic of Ireland. I’ve been in a cauldron where there are big expectations. When your normal Joe Bloggs would be nervous, fear is the last thing that comes to my mind. I think I am bringing that mentality into this group. If we’re playing Brazil or a team at the bottom of the rankings, the mentality should be the same. I’ve also got experience of being in the States. I know the mindset of the players and how to get the best out of them. I think relationships are absolutely crucial. I’m also comfortable putting myself in uncomfortable positions. I’m not shy in saying, ‘I need some help in this area.’ I surround myself with people I know can assist me and the team. We want our own DNA, own identity. We want to be difficult to break down. Bring everything together, managing all those little pieces, including the players, is something I think I’m good at and I take pride in. Hopefully that’s going to be the nucleus of what we put together on the sand. That’s going to bring us that success.
