Bolts Alumni Spotlight
HARRY SWARTZ - NEW MEXICO UNITED
For current Bolts players, there is no better example of what can happen when you combine work ethic and resilience than Harry Swartz.
Harry played for the Bolts his entire club soccer career. He developed into a standout player for the Bolts during his time in the U-16 and U-18 academy age groups. During that time, he was consistently ranked amongst the top goal scorers in the Development Academy, and was ranked as a Top-150 college recruit for his class.
Harry went on to play his college soccer at Northeastern, where he was a three year team captain, and played over 5,000 minutes in his career. Following his last season in 2018, Harry was invited to participate in the MLS combine.
In the MLS combine, Harry suffered a serious ankle injury during the second match. As a result, he was not selected in the MLS Superdraft, and faced a lot of uncertainty in finding a place to start his career.
In May of 2019, he was brought in on trial by Hartford Athletic in USL. Not only did Harry seize his opportunity to sign a contract, but he also went on to have a breakout season for the club. In his first season, he scored 5 Goals, provided 3 assists, and was voted as the club’s player of the season.
After playing another year in Hartford in 2020, Harry made the move to New Mexico United for the 2021 season. He started off in fantastic form again, winning club player of the month in the first month of the season. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to injury. However, we all know that Harry will be back and even better than before for 2022.
Check out the interview below for Harry’s insight into what it takes to be a pro, how to overcome challenges, and his time with the Boston Bolts.
What was your favorite part about being a member of the Boston Bolts?
My favorite part of being a Boston Bolt was the honor of playing for the premier club in the area I grew up in. Being coached by the top coaches in the area helped drastically in preparing me for Division 1 soccer and later on, professional soccer.
What piece of advice would you give young Bolts players who dream of pursuing college and professional careers?
My advice to players with aspirations of playing professional soccer would be to listen to your coaches and be a good teammate. Always put your team and winning first and the rest will take care of itself if you put in the work.
What would you consider the most important attribute for professional soccer players?
In my opinion, the most important attribute for professional soccer players is learning from your teammates and coaches. The farther your career takes you, the better players and coaches you’ll be surrounded by. Professional soccer players rarely make the same mistake twice because we’re forced to learn fast. However the talent that surrounds you at the professional level will elevate your game to new levels every day.
How can young players handle adversity and how have you approached challenges throughout your career?
Anyone who plays this game long enough is going to face adversity more than once in their career, like getting put on the bench or having to battle through injuries. The key is to continue to battle back. No matter how discouraging these ups and downs can be, if you love this game, then keep fighting and never give up. Most importantly, never allow adversity to interfere with your passion for the game.