With their busy lives, complete with the pursuit of both academic and athletic excellence, trying to wrangle some Thunderbirds for a full-length sit-down interview can be a challenge, to say the least. 

With that in mind, we have come up with a bit of a different format – a quick, five question interview that covers any range of topics, aimed at giving readers a better look into the young men and women that don the Blue and Gold,

Up today: Chris Serban (Calgary), right back for both UBC men's soccer team and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC organization

AM: So, you had already signed on with the Whitecaps Residency Program when you decided to come to UBC – what made you decide to try and do both?

CS: "Well, I knew I still wanted to pursue school, and at the same time, soccer has always been my passion. I knew that UBC, with its academic rep and the history of its soccer team, would allow me to do both. It's been a kind of balancing act that I've been working on."

AM: Obviously, you eventually leaned towards soccer fulltime, but did you play any other sports growing up?

CS: "When I was really young, maybe five or six, I used to play tennis. And, I used to ski, as well. Shortly after that, maybe when I was eight or nine, I decided that I only wanted to do soccer because it was my favourite, and I really wanted to put all my effort into being really good at it."



AM: Fullbacks have got to be two way options in the modern game, able to defend and push the ball forward in transition. What aspect do you enjoy more, and which do you think you are better at?

CS: "Well, I definitely enjoy the attacking part more – I like having the ball at my feet. But, as a defender, obviously we have to be good at both, and our first job is always to defend. Really, we always have to be focused on defending, and then if I'm able to attack as well, it's just a bonus."

AM: The 'Caps came into their training camp this year with a pretty well-known competition at the starting right back spot, a spot for which you've been one of the candidates. What's it been like getting to train with the Whitecaps first team in camp?

CS: "It's definitely been a good experience. I've had to challenge myself – this is MLS, I knew it was going to be tough. I tried my best, obviously, and I know that I did all that I could, so hopefully it impressed the coaches there."

AM: With the amount of time that you spend on the field and in the classroom, what do you do just to unwind?

CS: "Honestly, I'm usually really tired after going to practice and/or school, so I'll usually just relax at home, maybe listen to some music and watch some TV. I enjoy The 100, which I'm watching on Netflix. I've been keeping up with that, and I also like Arrow, but really, I watch a lot of different TV shows. I don't have one, necessarily, that I prefer over the other."