Fire in the Midfield
High-Impact Blue Devil Peter Stroud
Meredith Rieder, GoDuke The Magazine
Fasten your seatbelt. Locate the exit nearest you. Please review the “Safety Instructions” card. And one final directive prior to takeoff — “Be sure to secure your own mask before assisting others.” Basically, help yourself before trying to help others.
While fans watching Duke men’s soccer midfielder Peter Stroud play might need to fasten their seatbelts for a fun and emotional ride for 90 minutes, it’s the concept of taking care of your business before helping others that guides Stroud himself as he embarks on the journey of becoming the complete leader the Blue Devils need on and off the field.
Stroud’s mindset is a direct reflection of his growth over the winding course of his soccer career. He started with PDA Soccer Club in New Jersey, hopped to New York City with the New York Red Bulls and then jetted to Stratford, England and West Ham United, before ultimately landing in Durham with the Blue Devils in 2020.
Stroud, now with two full seasons under his belt, has established himself as one of the premier players in collegiate men’s soccer. In 2021, Stroud’s sophomore year, he was a third team All-American and voted ACC Midfielder of the Year — a recognition not to be taken lightly while playing in the nation’s best men’s soccer conference.
While his name might not always show up in the scoring line — he had four goals and four assists in 2021 — he’s certainly the engine that makes the Blue Devils run. And run he does. When the coaches gather the performance data from the Catapult device each player wears, Stroud is always at the top of the list.
He runs seven to eight miles per game on average, lifting the effort and play of everyone around him. Because in his mind, if he is ready to perform at his high standard then he knows he is capable of impacting a game, not only with his play, but also with his voice.
“It’s about taking more initiative and making sure I’m in a good place so I can help other people out,” said Stroud. “So, that means starting the game in a good way so that I am ready to go and I can help others is the way I see it. Making sure I’m doing (the right) things before helping others.”
That maturity, Stroud readily admits, hasn’t always been a part of his repertoire.
“I think there are a lot of ways I can improve my game tactically and obviously technically and physically, but I think the most important thing for me is being mature on the field,” Stroud said.
It’s safe to say early in his career Stroud was a fiery player and not necessarily in the good way. He was prone to getting “silly” yellow cards, getting into scuffles on the field or arguing with teammates — all things coaches don’t necessarily like to see in players.
Head coach John Kerr said as much when he watched Stroud play when he was with the New York Red Bulls. Kerr’s first in-person introduction to Stroud was when he was a sophomore in high school and playing in a camp for the U.S. Youth National Team in Sarasota, Florida.
“I saw this young skinny kid running around as if he weighed 200 pounds and was throwing himself around getting into tackles and dribbling and making long passes,” Kerr said. “I said to myself, ‘This guy really loves soccer.’”
Fast-forward nearly five years and nothing has changed, except Kerr says while laughing, “He weighs 150 pounds instead of 120.” A little heavier and stronger, Stroud still runs around as if he is the biggest person on the field, attacking with fervor and fiercely defending every play.
What Kerr saw in Stroud that day in Sarasota is exactly what drives the young player. He is the person you see making the quarter-mile walk from the locker room to the team’s practice field on a day off from training so he can continue to hone his craft and make himself better so he can help his teammates.
“I think what drives me is the love for the game, a genuine love for the game,” Stroud said. “I feel like a lot of people as they get older, they play so much that it kind of becomes a job for them. For me it’s never been like that, especially growing up and spending time in England. It was kind of a job because it was a full-time thing because I was at the training ground all day. But for me it’s always been just because I love it so much. It’s kind of the only thing I know. My dad and all of my brothers play, and I just love it so much it’s something that I want to keep doing for the rest of my life.”
While Stroud’s love for the game has never waned, his attitude and demeanor on the field have certainly changed. Early in his career, he struggled to control that fire that separated him from others as it bled into on-field issues with opponents, referees and sometimes teammates.
“I saw him a couple of times playing with Red Bulls and he had a little bit of a temper problem at the time, (arguing) with his teammates and having words with his coach,” Kerr said. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, this guy might be an issue.”
While Kerr knew Stroud would mature on the field as he got older, it was the move to West Ham United in the summer of 2018 that sped up the young American’s growth.
“Going to West Ham was tough for me,” Stroud said. “But learning from some of those coaches was a big influence. Also playing alongside certain players and seeing professional players and the life they live and how amazing they are as players is probably what influenced me the most. Just seeing those guys — I just wanted to be like them my whole life.”
Both Kerr and Duke associate head coach Michael Brady noticed the influence almost immediately when they saw him play in England.
“He learned a lot by going to West Ham and when Mike (Brady) and I went to see him at West Ham you could see how much he matured, but at the same time toughened up,” Kerr said.
Stroud and Kerr give a lot of the credit to the coaches at West Ham United, as they opened his eyes about his longevity of playing at the next level if he didn’t calm down those emotions that inevitably lead to silly yellow cards and eventually to red cards.
“I think it was throwing me in the deep end and seeing if I could swim,” Stroud said. “Throwing me in with players who were way older than me and a lot more experienced than me. It’s not just the on-the-field stuff you pick up, it’s certain things off the field they’re doing — like the way they eat and take care of their bodies. It’s the little things on the field as well. Watching the best players and their movements and how they conduct themselves when the game gets tough or the game’s going well. Just picking up on everything and slowly trying to add those to my repertoire because I obviously want to be where they are.”
After two seasons playing with both the U18 and U23 sides at West Ham, Stroud returned stateside to suit up for the Blue Devils in August of 2020.
Stroud made an instant impact on the field, starting all 17 games, playing nearly 1,600 minutes and serving up three assists in a tough season. He also picked up three yellow cards, including one in his first collegiate match.
As a sophomore and a team captain, Stroud started 19 games, played 1,717 minutes and registered four goals and four assists for 12 points. But he also had five yellow cards. Through seven games in 2022, the second-year captain had played all but 19 minutes, had a goal and two assists and just one yellow card.
“Something, obviously, I’ve gotten better at is keeping my cool a bit,” Stroud said. “I obviously still get pretty emotional in games, but I’m an upperclassman now and it’s about conducting myself like an upperclassman and trying to be more of a vocal leader.”
So as the 2022 season continues and evolves for the Blue Devils, fans can expect to hear more from Stroud in the most positive way possible. He has found the perfect blend of confidence, skill, competitive fire and composure. He’s taken care of his business and now it’s time to assist his teammates as they embark upon a fun and emotional journey with eyes set on capturing an ACC title and making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
“Now, in my junior year it’s kind of making up for the rough ending we had last year,” Stroud said about his focus this season. “Losing in the sweet sixteen, not winning a trophy after getting to the ACC final and kind of going out pretty weak. That’s the fuel for this year.”
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