A Charlotte FC goalkeeper is making his mark
'Relentless' work ethic and laser focus define George Marks; Plus: Preview of Toronto game
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Second-year goalkeeper George Marks is making most of his starting chance; Clemson grad known for his work ethic
George Marks making a save against the New York Red Bulls. (Photo by Kevin Young/The 5 and 2 Project.)
Normally, your average second- or third-string goalkeeper is not somebody you hear much about. Then there’s George Marks.
Charlotte’s third-round pick from Clemson in last year’s SuperDraft made just one MLS start as a rookie for Charlotte FC last year — when a rash of Covid-19 crippled the roster. But by then, he had already built a reputation for a work ethic that the standard-setter on the team calls “relentless.”
Veteran midfielder Brandt Bronico, who has created his own brand around his “grindset” mentality, often defers to Marks in the first-to-practice, last-to-leave department.
“You always know you’re going to get the best out of George,” Bronico said. “He’s a guy you always want on your team.”
Marks has been busy not just making a big impression on his teammates and coaches, but the front office as well. He’s been a fixture at mini-pitch dedications, after-school reading events, high school leadership panels, camp appearances and more.
Not only does he make a point to go, Director of Community Engagement Dustin Swinehart says, he’s known for recruiting teammates to join him.
Does that make him a borderline Boy Scout? An overachiever? What should we make of George Marks?
“He’s one of those players who leaves a mark wherever he goes,” said Clemson goalkeepers coach Camilo Rodriguez.
So apparently Marks is aptly-named too. And he’s not toiling as a second- or third-stringer any longer, either: he’s poised to make his third straight start Saturday night in Toronto.
Marks, 23, entered this season in a battle with 27-year-old Pablo Sisniega for the No. 1 goalkeeper spot after starter Kristijan Kahlina underwent back surgery. Sisniega got the nod for the season opener and the two games to follow, but after Charlotte FC lost all three games, culminating in a 3-0 loss to Atlanta, Marks got his shot.
With him in net, Charlotte defeated Orlando City 2-1 and rallied to tie New York Red Bulls 1-1 to accumulate its first four points of the season.
“With George, you always knew he was going to succeed,” Bronico said. “It was never ‘if’ but more ‘when.’ I knew when he got his opportunity, he would crush it.”
Driven – 300,000 miles’ worth
A 10-year-old Marks making a diving stop. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Steve Marks.)
If you ask Marks where his drive and discipline come from, his first answer is “my parents.” Steve Marks and Diane Dunning are both veterinarians, who worked their way up the ranks to become associate deans in the veterinary school at N.C. State. Dunning, who was trained in veterinary surgery, retired as associate dean in January. Steve Marks remains a dean there and also serves as director of N.C. State’s veterinary teaching hospital.
“I have really hard-working parents who sacrificed a lot for me,” said Marks, whose 21-year-old sister Sydney attends the University of Michigan. “… They throw themselves into everything they do. It’s come into how I do things. It bothers me if my daily actions and my goals aren’t pulling in the same direction. It just doesn’t really make sense in my mind.”
Steve Marks, who grew up near Newark, N.J., had his first summer job at age 11, picking tomatoes at a nearby farm. He shoveled snow in wintertime for $5 a driveway. He dog-and-cat sat for “every pet in the neighborhood,” he says.
When Marks was that same age? He gave his parents a coupon for Christmas that said he was going to play professional soccer one day and pay them back for all they had spent on him.
His parents used to hire a college student to pick him up from school and drive him to practice, where his parents would pick him up. When he was old enough to drive himself, Marks inherited a 1999 Ford Explorer from his grandfather. He flipped 300,000 miles on the odometer driving around the Carolinas and back and forth across Raleigh playing soccer.
Heading into his junior year of high school, Marks talked his parents into letting him enroll at Crossroads Flex High School, where he had to attend school only two hours a day and could do his remaining coursework online, so he could focus on soccer.
He had been invited to play for the Youth Academy team of North Carolina FC, which played in the USL Championship, a second division league. That also meant Marks could train with the first team. Being Marks, he liked to train with both.
“I don’t know if there wasn’t fantastic communication amongst the Academy staff and pro staff or if it was more of a novel situation,” Marks said. “But I don’t think they totally knew which team I was training with on which day. I could train two or three times a day. I tried to get into as many sessions as I could.”
Steve Marks says one thing he heard from coaches after every level Marks left behind was: “We’re really going to miss George. He keeps us on our toes.”
Tiger prowess – leaving his mark at Clemson
When Marks arrived as a freshman at Clemson, his goalkeeper coach had him pegged as a backup. Rodriguez based that on Marks’ undersized 6-foot-1 frame (high level goaltenders tend to be 6-foot-3 at a minimum) and what Rodriguez had read as insecurity. He said Marks used to call him with repeated questions about which goalkeeper was vying for what position in the hierarchy.
But that quickly changed when he saw Marks in action.
“He outworked everybody on the team,” Rodriguez said. “He’s the hardest worker we’ve ever had in our program … You have to actually tell him to stop training.”
Rodriguez said if Marks made a mistake in one of his reps, he wanted to do the entire set over again. Every day.
By the end of his freshman year, Marks was splitting time with starter Jonny Sutherland, a fifth-year senior transfer from East Tennessee State, where he had been an All-American. By his sophomore year, Marks was the full-time starter.
Marks decided to major in psychology, and he interned with the sports psychology firm contracted to work with athletes at Clemson. He took advantage of that experience to take on the mental side of goalkeeping as well.
“When he was younger, if things didn’t go his way, he’d get upset,” said Steve Marks, who remembers five-hour car rides home from Clemson early on where nobody talked. “But that just stopped.”
He learned to focus on the next play and how to move past devastating losses. His junior year, Clemson had the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament but got knocked out in the third round by No. 10 Marshall on penalty kicks. Marks came back as a senior and led the Tigers to a national championship.
‘Primed’ and ready for starting role
Marks was “up” for his second start against New York Red Bulls. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
Marks still does a midday workout on game days that he and his Clemson teammates used to do. Getting “primed” was the brainchild of Clemson strength coach Rick Franzblau. The idea was it would raise your testosterone levels early in the day so they wouldn’t tank by game time in the evening.
“Maybe it’s a bit of a placebo,” Marks said. “But I get a little bit restless on the game days. I love the gym.”
When Charlotte FC is on the road, he might run into Bronico at the hotel gym that time of day. When the team is home, he’s usually alone in the workout room of his uptown apartment building. He does it for every game, regardless of whether he is starting.
When Marks got only his second starting nod in Orlando two weeks ago, he didn’t spell it out to his parents. He just told them to make sure they had their Apple TV subscription lined up. Steve Marks said his app was good to go, but he still couldn’t watch.
“We have this rule that my wife will not scream at the TV because it makes me nervous,” Steve Marks said. “I went upstairs so I couldn’t hear (because) she was screaming at the TV from the get-go. The second half I drove around the neighborhood for 45 minutes and pulled over about every 15 minutes and checked ESPN for the box score.”
Charlotte saw a 2-0 lead cut in half 10 minutes into the second half on a defensive breakdown in front of Marks. He stopped one shot but couldn’t recover in time to cover a point-blank shot by Martin Ojeda off the ricochet. But he hung on from there.
The one other goal Marks has allowed came last Saturday on a miscue by fullback Nathan Byrne against the New York Red Bulls. Marks was making his first start at Bank of America Stadium, and this time, his parents were there.
“It was really surreal watching him walk out on the field for the first time,” Steve Marks said.
Marks has made several highlight-worthy saves while showing poise, leadership and a knack for communication during his two starts. As for his work ethic behind the scenes? Coach Christian Lattanzio said that’s been earning Marks respect since he first arrived.
“He is a guy that is consistent in his approach, is always positive,” Lattanzio said. “He trains hard and does his best. These are very unglamorous qualities. But in the long run, it makes a big difference.”
Marks’ parents watched him make plays like this one against the New York Red Bulls. (Photo by Kevin Young/The 5 and 2 Project)
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Up Next: Charlotte FC (1-3-1) at Toronto (1-1-3)
When/Where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, BMO Field, Toronto.
How to watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. For information on how to sign up, click here.
How to listen: WLNK 107.9 FM.
Charlotte FC has to go without starting midfielders Brandt Bronico, who was levied a one-game suspension for his spikes to the shin of Red Bulls player Omir Fernandez last week, and Ashley Westwood, who is missing his second straight start with a thigh muscle injury.
Karol Swiderski rejoined the team after scoring the lone goal in Poland’s 1-0 victory over Albania in the Euro 2024 qualifier on Monday. Swiderski, who has played both winger and midfielder this season for Charlotte FC, was the first name mentioned when Christian Lattanzio was asked where he might turn with two midfield mainstays missing. Lattanzio also mentioned Nuno Santos, who started in place of Westwood against New York; and Ben Bender and Chris Hegardt.
Center back Bill Tuilomo (thigh injury) is listed as questionable in the game report but Lattanzio said he was hopeful for his return.
Charlotte is looking for its first win in Canada after taking losses in both Montreal and Toronto last season.
Enzo Copetti has scored in each of Charlotte FC’s first two road games this season (St. Louis and Orlando). Should he score in Toronto, he would become only the third MLS player to score in his first three road games, joining Columbus’ Cucho Hernandez (2022) and former New York Red Bull Juan Pablo Angel (2007).
Federico Bernardeschi scored in each of Toronto’s wins over Charlotte FC last season and has scored or assisted goals in nine of Toronto’s past 15 MLS goals.
Toronto hasn’t conceded a goal in his past two games and hasn’t lost since falling 3-2 in its opener in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now cutting her teeth on soccer and the Charlotte FC just as fans in Charlotte do. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
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