Meet Louis Clark. Wait! Don’t fall asleep on me yet. This isn’t a history lesson about the 19th century explorers. This is about Louis (pronounced Lou-E) Clark, the 20-year-old freshman forward for the Ashland men’s soccer team.

Clark is second in the GLIAC in goals and won GLIAC Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week for his two-goal performance against Saginaw Valley State two weeks ago as well as his assist to James Livingston for the game-winning goal in a thrilling match against Urbana. Louis also scored a goal in Ashland’s 2-1 loss to Tiffin this past Friday.

Clark is a Business Management Major from Brighton & Hove, England, and he certainly takes that businesslike approach to his native game, football (we call it soccer here in the U.S.).

He lists his favorite movie as the film “The Pursuit of Happyness” and his favorite musician as Drake. His favorite food is the eggs that Convo dishes out every morning/afternoon and he chills out in his dorm while watching the popular American TV show “Prison Break.” Even though his favorite film, musician and TV show are all American, he still prefers the English version of “The Office” to the American version.

When it comes to sports, Louis is a soccer man, born and bred. He lists his hobbies as “soccer all day.” His favorite club is the English Premier League team West Ham United from East London. He has enjoyed watching some football and basketball since moving to the U.S. and states that his favorite American sports team is the new-look Miami Heat.

I sat down with Louis to get some of his opinions on soccer, both here and back home, as well as where he hopes the game will take him.

Q- Why do so many English players come here to play college soccer?

A- I suppose it’s because a lot of people leave school when they’re 16 and go full-time into soccer, into pro clubs. The pro clubs don’t take that many players, so a lot of people get let go and move on to other lesser clubs. By that time they don’t have any qualifications (college education), so they come out here for good options and to get qualifications. The perception of college out here is that the facilities are amazing and it’s like being at a pro club in England.

Q- How would you compare the level of play here to that in England?

A- I’d say it’s similar. The technical side of play isn’t as high out here, but Americans are great athletes. They’re brought up at an early age with lifting, and they’re very fit, quick and strong. They struggle on the technical side of the game, so that’s a lot more advanced back home because of coaching and the fact that it’s our number one sport. Out here (in the U.S.) if you aren’t quick or strong, you won’t make it because Americans are just beasts, to be honest.

Q- How would you describe the interest level of soccer here at AU?

A- It’s surprising, really, because about three years ago I don’t think soccer was a big deal here because the team was 0-17-1. They turned it around two years ago with the biggest turnaround in NCAA history I think. Ever since then, I think the interest level has gone up. The interest level here is high and it’s only going to go one way, it’s only going to get better. A big reason for that is also the World Cup and the large number of people (in the U.S.) that watched it.

Q- To what do you credit your success in your first year of college soccer (13 goals and 3 assists in 17 games?)

A- Just hard work, really. Training every day, all the boys getting together and just getting through it. Preparation is the biggest thing. We prepare really well and we know what teams are good at and what they are bad at. Getting fit in the summer was a big thing.

Q- Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

A- David Beckham, Joe Cole; I love Joe Cole, he’s just so good on the ball, he’s so technical. Beckham just because he’s a hero in England and he’s a role model for every up-and-coming footballer. He was captain for England for a long time. I loved Paulo Di Canio at West Ham. Zenedine Zidane was probably my favorite footballer of all time to watch; so graceful and effortless.

Q- How far do you hope to go with soccer?

A- I just want to play at the highest level I can for the longest amount of time I can. I want to play until I can’t play anymore. I’ll just keep going down the ranks until I’m playing in the park on a Sunday morning in England. I don’t want another job outside of playing football.