Albert Kang was picked up in the spring transfer portal this year for the Hofstra University men’s soccer team. Given his experience, Kang has surpassed expectations and then some with his impactful technical play and extended amounts of playing time. The midfielder’s presence at every inch across the field has been beneficial. The connection between his style of play and the system in which he’s involved has been second-to-none.

It all began when he was on the pitch for the Long Island Rough Riders, a USL League Two team in the fourth-tier league of American soccer. Kang was a player for the Loyola University Maryland men’s soccer team but was not convinced it was time to call it quits on his collegiate career when his senior year came around. He did, however, feel the need to make a change.

“After four years I thought it was time for a new challenge,” Kang said. “Switch things up a little bit. That’s why I decided to do my grad year somewhere else.”

A handful of Hofstra men’s soccer players played for the Rough Riders alongside Kang in the past couple summers, including midfielders Ryan Carmichael and Roc Carles, defender Pierce Infuso and goalkeeper Wessel Speel. After playing alongside Hofstra athletes on the very same pitch they call home year-round, there was no question in Kang’s mind where he wanted to go next.

“When I went into the portal, I talked to them about their time at Hofstra,” Kang said. “I talked to the coaches as well, and I thought it’d be a good fit for my last year.”

Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall had a front-row seat to watch Kang on the pitch for the Rough Riders. Eventually, Nuttall decided to bring in Kang in his efforts to secure a third consecutive Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) title. Nuttall was certainly impressed by Kang’s abilities on the pitch, and the midfielder had a decent first impression of the experienced head coach.

“He had been in and around the Rough Riders,” Kang said. “I heard a lot about him. A lot of good things, very positive energy. He cares a lot about his players, and that’s obviously something, as a player, you want to hear.”

Today, Kang is one of seven graduate students on the roster for Hofstra men’s soccer and dons the number 11 jersey. It’s still early in the season, but Kang has been proving thus far why Nuttall decided to bring him in and why he’s the man to help the team return to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship.

Kang scored his first ever goal for the Pride in an away match against the Providence College Friars, doubling his side’s lead to 2-0 in the first half as they came away with a 4-2 victory. It was Kang’s best individual performance of the season as he also came away with an assist, totaling three points in one game. He then picked up two more points with an assist in back-to-back games against the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Campbell University. He accumulated five points in his first eight games and is fourth on the roster in terms of individual scoring.

Kang was one of six players to start each of the Pride’s first eight games of the season, playing all 90 minutes in the first four fixtures. His most significant stat has to do with playing time. He has totaled 675 minutes in eight matches and has the most minutes out of any midfielder on the roster, outlasting runner-up Eliot Goldthorp by 94 minutes. His endurance has been fascinating to witness.

“A lot of it is adrenaline,” Kang said. “You try to prepare yourself the best you can so that when you’re on the field, you feel good and fresh.”

Kang’s role on the field is to help create chances and occasionally contribute to the scoreline; however, most of his work is done on the technical side of the game, in aspects where many fans don’t see with the naked eye.

“One of my strengths is being a well-rounded player,” Kang said. “I think that’s very important as a midfielder and in the system that we play. Having technical moments, moving the ball, getting assists and goals in the final third, but also doing the defensive work, picking up in the box, defending one-v-one, picking up loose balls. I’d say that’s a strength of mine and something that’s highly emphasized at Hofstra.”

Nuttall has spoken highly of Kang’s fitness and athleticism, key aspects of being able to run for as long as he has in as many games as he has played. Nuttall, in his 35th season with the Pride, has called Kang a “terminator” and claimed he is “the fittest man you’ll ever see in your life.”

Kang credits his time with the Rough Riders for having the energy it takes to compete at the collegiate level. His efforts earned him the title of players’ player of the year in 2022, as voted on by his teammates.

“I was playing USL League Two,” Kang said. “Being able to get 90 minutes under my belt week in and week out, that definitely helped build that foundation over the summer.”

Given all his strengths and abilities, Kang acknowledged some of the areas where he feels he needs improvement on the pitch.

“Some of my weaknesses are aerial duels,” Kang said. “Trying to win headers in the middle of the field, whether it’s a second ball or off a cross defensively or offensively. Also, trying to be more clinical in the final third. I’ve had a couple of chances that I definitely could’ve converted.”

Imperfection is a way of life. Kang has seen enough to recognize that there is no clear-cut answer to anything, but there are ways to handle tough situations.

While he’s enjoying his start to a short life at Hofstra, much of his experience comes from his time at Loyola Maryland, where he made 60 appearances and 36 starts throughout four years for the Greyhounds, including a shortened 2020 season.

“Everyone says this, but until you experience it you don’t really get it,” Kang said. “The season is so short. Days can feel long because of training, class, you’re fatigued, but you blink and you’re already in the playoffs, and your season’s over. I think the main thing is to enjoy every game and make sure you’re doing everything you can because it really does fly by so fast. That’s probably the biggest thing I learned over the four years at Maryland, as well as how cut-throat college soccer can be. It’s about trying to find that level of consistency within a very hectic and chaotic schedule.”

Kang’s outlook on life has certainly been impacted by his time on the field, from playing as an undergraduate student at Loyola to playing for the Rough Riders and finally to playing as a graduate student for the Pride.

“One thing that I live by is that hard work pays off,” Kang said. “There have been times where I felt like I really wasn’t going anywhere with soccer, but I just kept with it. I kept trying to work hard, and I got what most people would consider to be a lucky break, but I think it’s just the results of hard work, and I think that applies to all aspects of life.”

With only one year of eligibility, Kang plans to achieve as much as he can with the team. As they approach the midway point of the season, there are a couple of ideas in mind for the midfielder.

“Two main goals right now,” Kang said. “First one: win the CAA championship. In order to do that, it’d be nice to receive a home bid, being in the top-two of the CAA or to get the first-round bye. Second, to do well enough in the regular season to get an at-large bid in case we don’t win the CAA championship.”

Hofstra tied their opening two conference games of the season and are a bit behind pace but have time to catch up. Kang believes there’s a lot in store despite a slow start.

“I think we have the talent to go very deep in the NCAA tournament,” Kang said. “Whether that’s the Sweet 16 or the Elite Eight, or even winning it all. I think this team has the potential; we just need a click.”

Kang has already shown the ability to make a difference. He looks forward to helping the Pride reach its main objective and beyond. Even the smallest victories on the pitch for Kang have helped determine the overall product for Hofstra men’s soccer. With many more games to be played this season, the future looks bright for a young man on the tail-end of a memorable collegiate career.

Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman/Hofstra Athletics