A Q & A with Dawson McCartney: Continued Success

HANOVER, N.H. – Dawson McCartney '21 got quite the start as a member of the Big Green soccer team, winning an Ivy League Championship after going undefeated in Ivy League play and earning the league's Rookie of the Year honor his first year.

After being drafted to Major League Soccer's Portland Timbers and playing there for two years, McCartney now plays for the United Soccer League's Birmingham Legion.

Despite being in season with the Legion, McCartney took time to reflect on his time as a member of the Big Green and journey to Birmingham.

Q: Tell me about your experience as a student-athlete at Dartmouth?
A: Looking back, it was some of the funnest times I've had being a student-athlete at Dartmouth. I got to play the sport I love with some of my best buddies and also got to experience one of the top-rated educations in the country. There's really not much else like it.

Q: What did you learn and how did you grow while you were here?
A: I definitely learned a lot. Having to balance such a hard academic school with also top level D1 program is tough. Obviously as a freshman, times when you come in, you're not really ready… when you have that much on your plate, but you use the guys around you, use DP2, counseling, all the tutoring, all those people around you to help you. You learn how to manage your time and try to perform as well as you can on the field and also in the classroom.

Q: What was your favorite experience and why?
A: Definitely winning the Ivy League Championship my freshman year. It was such a cool experience. We had such a good team with such a good group of guys that got along so well. We lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, I thought we could have went further, but we still had a great group of guys. Winning that was super special, especially the way we did it. We went undefeated through all the Ivy's we played.

Q: Now that you have finished your time at Dartmouth, where are you now? What are you doing?
A: Now, I am playing for the Birmingham Legion in the USL, the USL Championship down in Birmingham, Alabama.

Q: What is it like playing at that level?
A: It's been awesome. The past two years, I was playing in Portland, I got drafted out there. It has definitely taken a little bit to adjust to the pro level because coming from college, it is a high level, but it's another step above. You have to think faster, be faster on the ball, and make quicker decisions. I've started to get more and more and learn a lot along the way but it's a tough environment. In college, your kind of playing for yourself, you're playing for your school. But once it becomes a job, it becomes a career, people are playing to put food on the table for their families and it's kind of like a no messing around type of environment.

Q: Walk me through a typical day in your life.
A: A normal day would be, I usually get up. Our normal training session is around 9 a.m., but I like to get there a little early, do some treatment, maybe some stuff in the gym. So, I usually get there around 8, 8:30. Do stuff in the gym, do some warmup stuff, talk to the trainers. Then, we usually have a video session where we go over the past game or go over the stuff for the game coming up. Then after that, we do a light warmup in the gym, we are out to the field, usually around 10, then an hour and a half, two-hour practice and we are back in by 12. Then another hour or so lift, and after that is your own rehab stuff, maybe a little bit of stretching, some more film, and then I usually get home by 2 or 3 and you start to settle down for the day. I've started to get into some hobbies, I like to go play golf or I like to read, but I use that as my own time to finish up the day and try to get to bed early and start all over again.

Q: How is playing professionally both different and alike to your time at Dartmouth?
A: I would say it's a high level and its guys that are super passionate about the game. But like I said it's like coming from high school to college is a step up in level and then from college to pro is another step up in level. Like it said, it's people's careers, that's all these people focus on day to day and it's definitely a lot quicker, a lot faster, a lot more physical. It's definitely a big difference.

Q: How did Dartmouth as an institution and Dartmouth as the men's soccer program prepare you for this next step?
A: When you come to Dartmouth, you're playing at a high level on the field but it's also a top 10, top 15 university in the country so academics are a bit of a grind, and you learn how to manage your time. There are some things you have to sacrifice in order to succeed in what you want to do, and Dartmouth definitely helped with that. It allowed me to learn when I need to be doing things and to do that type of stuff. You have a great support staff at Dartmouth with the coaches, DP2, and all that stuff.

Q: What is your biggest piece of advice?
A: I would say my biggest piece of advice would be you have to put in the hours. You want to give 100% every time you're at practice with the team but putting in the extra hours when it's just you and you're by yourself is super important. I think that's one of the biggest keys to make the jump to the next level.

Schedules