Maurer Stars in Goal for Silverbacks

After being taken in the fourth round of the supplemental draft by the New York Red Bulls, Lawrenceville native Jimmy Maurer was released, but all was not lost. Now Maurer is with the Atlanta Silverbacks and is hoping to catch on with another MLS team. Maurer grew up in Flower's Crossing near Brookwood but went to St. Pius. After high school Maurer started 78 games for the University of South Carolina and had 28 shutouts.

Maurer began playing soccer like every other child at the age of three in the youth league. By the time he was eight, he started playing on Select teams. "I started traveling around like crazy and had a lot of different coaches as I was growing up," Maurer said. "I was lucky enough to have some great club coaches and have a very good high school career and then moved on to college."

South Carolina recruited him from his club teams moreso than the high school teams. "I really didn't think about it (playing professionally) until after my freshman year in college," he said. "After my first college season and talking to the coaches, you start hearing things from different message boards. But before that, you just really are not thinking about it. You just love to play and I don't I really think about it until after my freshman year of college." Maurer is 22 and took over at goal from Felipe Quintero, who will be 32 in July. Maurer has started the first two games for the Silverbacks and has given up only three goals in the two games. However, the team has lost both games 2-1 and 1-0. "Both were very close and we lost in the last minute in the first game," said Neal Malone, PR director for the Silverbacks.

Maurer, who just graduated in December was training with the Red Bulls in March and after they released him, he was able to come back to his roots. With St. Pius just two exits down and Lawrenceville just 20 minutes north, he's able to have quite a following at the games. "You can't ask for much more. I have a lot of family in town and my friends from high school so it's great being able to play in Atlanta. I love the city of Atlanta. I grew up here." Maurer said. "Coach has been great. He played soccer before so he really knows the player side of the game. He knows how to talk to you about different things. Mentally prepare you for games. He's been great and very laid back. He's not going to kill you for every little mistake. Especially with all the young guys we have."

Maurer credits some of the older teammates like Quintero for helping him. "It's been great. This being the first year back for the Silverbacks, everyone is pretty much new," he said. "Felipe was the only guy around before. He's an experienced keeper. He played in Mexico. It's been great working with him."

He added that the pressure with being the goalkeeper is tough. "You are either the hero or the goat," Maurer said. "You either win the game or you lose it."

Goalkeeper coach Gaucho Pinho says it was a pleasure working with Maurer. "I watched him last year play some PDL (Professional Development League) games and he came in what was suppose to be a third string  goalkeeper but he got the priviledge to play the first two games," Pinho said. "He's a very dedicated kid. He did very well in the first game. Of course we didn't get a positive result (2-1 loss) but last game he came back and made some great plays one on one. I think for him being a rookie he is doing very good, training very hard, very positive kid." Pinho said he could be a great goalkeeper. "He is young and I see a lot of potental," he said. "Whatever experience  he had before as a youth or high school or college now he can start a new book in professional. Professional is different and at his age, great vertical great size, he knows how to play at the back. I can see that he is going to have a very, very good future." And if he is getting better after giving up just three goals in this first two games, don't be surprised if teams like the Red Bulls rue the day they let Maurer go. But New York's loss is Atlanta's gain.