In Brendan Quilici's eyes, there is always room to improve. And when he and Sean Connor travel to Holland to play soccer, both players expect to do just that.
After successful seasons at Bellingham United FC, both players have been asked if they would like to train with partner club, VV Zwammerdam in Zwammerdam, Holland.
They jumped at the chance.
"It's always good to see how other coaches do things and how other clubs do things in different countries," Quilici said. "You get to see different tactics and styles and learn new things with a different perspective."
Quilici played center midfielder for United. United coach Lance Calloway said Quilici is a "blue collar" type player who isn't afraid to dig in and get dirty, that he is a very hard working player with an incredible motor and work rate.
"He is a very gifted player," Calloway said. "He is a great ball winner and has an eye for the goal and plays dangerous balls into the attack."
Connor is also a center midfielder. Connor said he and Quilici are very similar players and thinks they will gain much of the same knowledge from the experience.
"I see myself as a midfield player that is really technical," Connor said. "I rely more on my touch than my speed and me and Brendan are pretty similar in that."
Calloway said Connor is a hard-working player with great vision and playmaking abilities and is a leader on the field.
Connor and Quilici coach a youth team together in Whatcom County.
Something all three hope the players gain is experiencing a different style of play, and bringing that back to Bellingham.
"They are both very sharp players at analyzing what we do," Calloway said. "I asked both of them to closely watch what happens at training and to bring back that knowledge to be able to improve our trainings here."
Connor said he was a little nervous about going overseas, but that this is something he has always wanted to do.
He doesn't think the language barrier will be an issue though for him and Quilici.
"Soccer is a universal language," Connor said. "Once you start playing it doesn't matter what language you speak. The top clubs in the world are all made up of players from different countries and still find a way to win."
Quilici said he also never dreamed an opportunity like this would happen to him. He said that as a player you always want to travel and play in a place where soccer is the biggest sport and everyone enjoys it.
Quilici and Connor helped the Hammers to a 9-5-2 record in Bellingham United's inaugural season as the central midfielders.
After finishing third in the league standings, United was knocked out in the first round semi-finals of the Pacific Coast Soccer League's Challenge Cup - the playoffs.
Bellingham United created partnerships with two overseas teams in hopes of swapping players, tips and information to build each club's success. This is the first player swap for Bellingham United.
Quilici and Connor will leave on Jan. 27 for three weeks of training and games before returning to begin the 2013 Bellingham United season.
Calloway said the exchange will go both ways. He said hopefully in the late spring or early summer, Zwammerdam will send three of its players to Bellingham to play with Bellingham United FC during its second season.
Bellingham United begins play Sunday, May 5.
