Professional goalie Hall lending a helping hand to Tides soccer program

Standing at midfield with professional goalkeeper Tally Hall, Gig Harbor High boys soccer coach Todd Northstrom cracked a joke about Hall being unemployed.

Some things — like the good-natured ribbing between the coach and former Gig Harbor High School star — never change.

Hall, who last played for Orlando City SC in Major League Soccer in 2015, recently found out he wasn’t part of Orlando’s plans going forward.

“It was kind of a weird little thing,” Hall said. “I (had a meniscus injury). I play with more guys that have done their meniscus than haven’t done it. So it wasn’t a big deal. But new management came in and went a different way. That new management left after two months and so I got booted in those two months, and now I’m just sort of waiting around for something to happen.”

Hall is only 30, so he likely still has several good professional years still in him. But while he waits for the right opportunity to present itself in MLS, he’s been using the time off to catch up with his old high school program. Hall, who graduated from Gig Harbor in 2003, has been working with the goalies since tryouts started a week ago.

“(I called Northstrom) and was like, ‘Hey, let me come and hang out with the goalkeepers and warm them up,’” Hall said.

Northstrom jumped at the opportunity.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been back here, so I’ve got to basically figure out who everyone is and so it’s been a mind-boggling first week for me,” Hall said. “I’m trying to learn who the kids are and how I can help. It’s been fun. It’s been really fun to get back and put some Tides gear on and get back to the old ways.”

Having a professional athlete around helps lend some credence to the things, Northstrom tells his players.

“In terms of bringing credibility to a lot of things are said, how many people get professional athletes who come out to practices? When he gives his perspective, they listen,” the coach said. “It’s good to have that reinforcement. Overall, it’s fun having him out here.”

Northstrom might want Hall’s phone to stay silent.

“Selfishly, I’m hoping he doesn’t get picked up by anyone so he can stick around here,” Northstrom said, in jest.

There seems to be a trend with professional players and the Gig Harbor soccer program; the Gig Harbor girls are coached by former United States women’s national team defender Stephanie Cox. With Northstrom hinting at his impending retirement seemingly every year, could Hall be in line to take over the boys program, giving the school’s soccer program two professional players as coaches?

Gig Harbor athletic director Bob Werner shouldn’t hold his breath.

“I tell people, ‘I’ve seen the game from the best spot, and that’s on the field,’” Hall said. “I think when I’m done with soccer, I don’t want to have any hard ties to being in the game every single day. … As a head coach or goalkeepers coach for one team, that’s not going to be me. I’ve had a good run in soccer but when I move away from soccer, I want to break pretty hard from it. I don’t want to be pegged as one thing my whole life.”

For now, Hall is just happy to lend a helping hand.

“I just see little things,” Hall said. “There’s a lot of information I know now that I didn’t know ten years ago — little things that can really change your game. Your attitude toward drills, certain approaches, positioning. I’m really big into letting guys kind of figure out on their own what works for them. I just try to give guys information and hopefully they take that information and apply it to their game — see if it works, see if it doesn’t and then at least they know more about who they are as a goalkeeper.”

For senior goalie Travis Peyton, Hall’s mentorship has already proved invaluable.

“It’s awesome,” Peyton said. “It’s good work, good training. He knows what he’s talking about. It’s always good to have another coach to bring a different perspective. (We work on) a lot of fundamental stuff — quickness and handling the ball correctly. A lot of footwork, a lot of simple stuff. It really goes a long way in the game.”

Hall plans to stick around for a while, helping in whatever capacity he can. But he’s staying fit and still waiting, optimistically, for another opportunity to play. He said he believes the right opportunity will present itself in due time.

“The only thing that’s constant in professional athletics is that it’s never constant,” Hall said.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Professional goalie Hall lending a helping hand to Tides soccer program."