Falvey enjoys the physical side of soccer

Whoever said that soccer wasn't a contact sport never met Charleston Battery defender Colin Falvey.

While Falvey doesn't have the most fouls or yellow cards for the Battery this season, the tough, gritty Irish central defender guards his space like a rabid pit bull.

"It's a man's game and sometimes it's going to get physical," Falvey said with a smile. "It's a part of the game. Growing up in Ireland, that's the way you were taught to play. It's a tough game, and you had to be tough to stay on the pitch. It's not a game for the timid or the faint of heart."

It was a lesson that Falvey learned early on in his professional career, playing for his hometown Cobh Ramblers, a club team in the League of Ireland.

"It was my very first professional game and all my family was there watching," Falvey said. "I went up for a header and just got smashed with an elbow by one of the strikers. It was a foul, no question about it, but there wasn't a call. There was an old, center-half that played right next to me, a good, experienced pro, and he picked me up and said, 'Welcome to the pro game, son.'

"From that moment on I knew it was either sink or swim as a center back in the Irish League. If you can't win your headers or your tackles and you're not aggressive you're going to get minutes on the pitch."

A shade over six feet, Falvey has proven to be a physical force in the middle of the Battery's defense this season.

"I've seen guys came at him early in the game and Colin let's them know pretty early that he's not going to back down," said team captain Stephen Armstrong. "He's going to make a hard challenge, but it's going to be clean. He's not a dirty player. Nine times out of 10, Colin is going to line a guy up and make a tackle, but it's going to be a clean tackle. He's going to let you know he's there, but he's going to do it within the rules. That's the kind of guy you need in the middle of your defense."

Falvey has been a mainstay in the Battery's back four, logging 1,421 minutes in 16 games.

"Irish players usually have a little bit of a bite to them and Colin is no different," coach Mike Anhaeuser said. "As a defender you've got to be a little nasty to make sure forwards don't score goals. Colin uses his body very well. He knows how to read the play and get in the right position and he's not afraid of contact. He's not the biggest guy, but he's excellent in the air. He has excellent timing and that's the key to being good in the air."

Although just 24, Falvey has been playing professional soccer since he was 17.

"He's not very old, but he's been around the pro game for a long time," Anhaeuser said. "He's played professionally for almost 10 years, so a lot of the younger guys on the team look up to him for leadership. It's almost like having a guy who's in his 30s out there on the field."

After playing in England and Ireland early in his career, Falvey signed with New Zealand's Otago United, where he was club captain and coached by former Battery defender Terry Phelan. Falvey played 15 games last summer for the Wilmington Hammerheads.

"That's how I ended up in America," Falvey said. "Terry played here and he knew Mike and put it a good word for me. I think Mike had seen me play a couple of times with Wilmington and I guess he liked what he saw on the pitch."

Falvey said there's been a slight transition for him adjusting to the heat and the style of play.

"In Ireland, in England and New Zealand, it's more of a direct game," Falvey said. "You get the ball forward as quickly as possible. Because it's so hot in the United States, it's more of a possession game. You want to slowly build-up and then attack. It's not better or worse, it's just a different style. I like the way they play over here."

Reach Andrew Miller at apmiller@postandcourier.com and check out the Charleston Battery 'Battery Shots' blog at www.postandcourier.com/blogs/battery