Where Are They Now: Cullen and Payne
7/15/2011 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
July 15, 2011
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After successful playing careers at Maryland and professionally, former Terp standouts Leo Cullen and Russell Payne have teamed up to lead the Army men's soccer program.
After being named an All-American his senior season, Cullen was Maryland's first No. 1 draft pick in the Major League Soccer Draft in 1998. He went on to enjoy a solid professional career as well as a stint with the U.S. National Team. He joined Payne as an assistant at Army in 2010.
Payne was head coach Sasho Cirovski's first recruit at Maryland and went on to be the first Terp in Maryland men's soccer program history to win a championship as both a player and a coach. He took the reins at West Point after serving as an assistant on Cirovski's staff for five years following a successful professional career as a goalkeeper.
Cullen and Payne are the latest former student-athletes to be profiled in the UMTerps' summer series "Where are they now?" You can catch both of them when Army heads to College Park for an exhibition against the Terps August 14.
Q: What was your favorite memory of your time with the Terps?
Cullen: I think it has to be our first ACC championship as far as the new generation with Sasho. It was a huge turning point for the program and validated the hard work that we were doing and that the success we were having wasn't a flash in the pan. To ultimately get a group of kids to come together and choose Maryland and choose to fight their way up through the ACC, beating Virginia at Virginia in the ACC championship, it was tremendous. Since then, obviously Maryland has enjoyed a ton of success, winning national championships and ACC championships, and I think Sasho appreciates all of those in a different and unique way. I can't imagine though, even for him, if any were more rewarding than that first one, validating it all, making a statement to the country that Maryland was for real. It was one of the most rewarding experiences in my entire career, not just my Maryland career.
Payne: Two on-field memories stand out the most. Playing and beating Georgetown, 4-3, in the NCAA First Round at Georgetown in front of 5,000 fans and, of course, winning the ACC Tournament Championship in 1996 at Virginia, 2-0.
Q: How was your career influenced by head coach Sasho Cirovski?
Payne: He had the biggest impact on my life of anyone outside of my nuclear family. Mentoring me on the field and teaching me the game; off the field, teaching me how to make the most of myself and the relationships with the people around me.
Q: How did you land in College Park?
Cullen: Sasho brought me to College Park. The opportunity to be a part of the rebuilding of a program was a unique opportunity. Sasho was very persuasive in his approach to bringing in a bunch of young guys that had the same idea of working hard and battling up the ACC. It paid off. Looking back and being able to say that we helped lay the foundation and rebuild the program is fantastic.
Q: How would you describe your time as a student-athlete at Maryland?
Cullen: I have nothing but fond memories of my time as a student-athlete at the University of Maryland. The success we enjoyed on the field exceeded all of our hopes and dreams. For me, it is the most enjoyable window of being a soccer player at all levels because we had a group with a common goal and we worked very hard and achieved that goal. I'm happy the program continues to steamroll. I'm glad to continue to be a part of it.
Q: How did Maryland prepare you for your professional career?
Payne: Who I am as father, husband, coach, and friend can all be linked to my experiences as a Terrapin student-athlete.
Cullen: The culture that Sasho and his staff work to create there is the kind of environment you need to prepare yourself to be a professional. The attention to detail, the commitment to competing and succeeding every day, it can't help but prepare you for that next level. Mentally, physically, technically, and tactically, Sasho puts a lot of emphasis on meeting those expectations every day. Sasho understands you are there to get an education, but he also wants guys to maximize their soccer experience so that they may enjoy a professional career after college. It's a credit to Sasho, the staff, and the University to provide the facilities and support staff. It's as professional of an environment as I ever had, even in my professional career.
Q: What's it like coaching alongside your former teammate and roommate?
Payne: I couldn't have asked for a better partnership. Leo and I have an understanding of each other's personalities that date back to our days as roommates and teammates. He has a similar vision and competitiveness and we make each other better every day. I'm blessed to have him as a teammate once again. Also, we brought Kevin Reiman with us because, as a former player from the 2004-05 teams, he knows what a championship culture is all about and he also brings a professional balance to our staff.
Cullen: It's like coaching with Sasho. It's obvious in working with Russ that Russ has been working so closely with Sasho and is a product of the University of Maryland. He knows exactly what he wants to do and how he wants to get there and the standard and the level that he wants these kids competing at. I've certainly enjoyed sitting back and watching it. It feels like a little bit of home - like we have a miniature version of the University of the Maryland here. We are all products of that environment. Being able to work with one of your good friends is unique and an opportunity I couldn't pass up on.
Q: How well do you still keep up Maryland athletics?
Payne: Aside from hiring two Terps on my staff here at West Point, there are several of us still in the soccer world that I see regularly (former players in MLS, USL, and coaching in youth clubs and college programs) but the best thing about all the former players from each generation is that no matter how much time has passed since our last encounter it still feels like yesterday when we shared those memories.
Cullen: We are down there as much as we can be. Following Maryland is pretty easy. It's a very successful athletic program. We have weekly and daily phone calls with the soccer staff. We are still very closely tied to everything that is Maryland. We check in on a regular basis as extensions of that family and that community. It's very genuine. We enjoy every success and let Sasho know how proud we are.
