Q&A with MRU Cougars MSOC superstar Justin Anderson-Louch
Fourth-year MRU Cougars men’s superstar and veteran Justin Anderson-Louch recently came off 392 of rehab after tearing his ACL on opening day in September of 2018. Photo courtesy of Justin Anderson-Louch
By Dan Khavkin, Sports Editor
Fourth-year MRU Cougar superstar Justin Anderson-Louch recently came back from a 392 day hiatus after tearing his ACL on opening day in September of 2018.
Anderson-Louch sat down with The Reflector to talk about the wild personalities of the men’s soccer team.
The Reflector (TR): Who is your favourite player?
Justin Anderson-Louch (JAL): It was Steven Gerard, but now it’s gotta be Leo Messi.
TR: Dream job?
JAL: Professional footballer, of course.
TR: Dream club?
JAL: Liverpool for sure.
TR: Do you have any pre-game superstitions?
JAL: I’m always at the back of the line for warm up and second last during walk out. And after handshakes, I do one jump at half. I’ve got a few smaller ones as well.
TR: Your favourite celly?
JAL: You might get a fist bump in there depending on how big the goal is. Playoff game, you might even see a knee slide. But if it was a final and it was the game winner, the shirts coming off 100 per cent.
TR: All-time warmup song?
JAL: I’m a big Drake fan so I’ve got a few. ‘All Me’, ‘Legend’, ‘Energy’, ‘6 God’ to name a few! I’m usually on the aux in the dressing room so I’ve got quite the list of pre-game music.
TR: What about your guilty pleasure song?
JAL: Honestly, ‘Gravity’ by John Mayer. Tough one to admit but great tune.
TR: Your favourite store to shop at?
JAL: I’m a big Zara fan, for sure my go to place for clothes.
TR: Celebrity crush?
JAL: Huge crush on Alex Morgan. Who doesn’t?
TR: Your go-to pick up/ Tinder line?
JAL: I mean, I have a few but I can’t be letting my secrets out.
TR: Who’s the team’s ladies man? Why?
JAL: Well I mean, Dane [Domic] would probably sweep the votes on that one. You could toss a few others in there if Dane wasn’t there. We’ve got a great looking team to be fair.
TR: Who’s the quiet but innocent guy who has hidden flirting skills?
JAL: Oh this has Zach MacDonald written all over it. Nicest man you’ll meet but he’s for sure smooth with the ladies.
TR: Who is spotted swiping on Tinder the most?
JAL: This is a risky one but I’m sure no one wants to be exposed, so I’ll keep it safe and say no one. (Too many to choose from).
TR: Who’s got the best Instagram game?
JAL: I’m giving myself this one. Follow me @justin_07. We’ve got some dead Instagram accounts so it’s not too much competition. Dane [Domic] does have 27.5k followers but he’s got some questionable pics up there.
TR: Who’s the dad of the team? Why?
JAL: 4-million per cent it’s Evan [Kakke], absolute dad in everything he does … even looks like one.
TR: Who gets roasted the most?
JAL: I’d probably give that one to Romel [Ayerdis] but everyone gets their fair share of banter. It’s also dependant on if someone slips up one week or something. Fabian [Bunk] would be able to tell you about that. We like to hold onto banter and use it continuously.
TR: Describe the five Germans on the team in one (or five) words.
JAL: Crazy, funny, odd, weird, great.
TR: Who flexes the most?
JAL: Tom [Ruetten] likes to flex his gigantic chest. Hafiz [Mahjor] grinds in the gym and loves to walk around looking large… and of course Tysen [Chatani]. If Tysen was actually big he would never stop flexing.
TR: Thoughts on Coach Gyaki’s man-bun?
JAL: Gyaki’s man bun is iconic. Suits who he is! You should see him with his hair down … You’d wish it was still up in that little acorn on the top of his head. The good thing about it is that he can never talk about anyone else’s hair with his being in the state that it’s in.
TR: Can you talk about your rivalry with the Calgary Dinos?
JAL: We try to think of them as just another team, but the rivalry there is huge. I wouldn’t say that there is hatred, but the desire and motivation to smack them is next level. Opening our season handing five to them in front of our home crowd felt unreal.
TR: What’s an MRU goal you’ll never forget?
JAL: This is a tough one. It’s a split between my goal against the Dinos in my first year, or the program’s first ever playoff goal versus UBC. The edge probably goes to my playoff goal against UBC. Incredible feeling to score to go up 1-0.
TR: What’s your favourite MRU memory?
JAL: That’s a tough one. It’s gotta be when we beat Dinos at home, under the lights on senior night in my second year. We won 1-0 and our senior keeper, Kamil, stopped a penalty in the 86th minute.
TR: One thing you’ll miss about MRU?
JAL: I’ll miss the whole feeling of Cougars Athletics. Our soccer program is something special. I’ve spent a long time trying to help the program get to where it is now and I’ll miss it forever. The whole Cougars program is incredible. It’s such a close program with all teams supporting each other every single weekend. I’m extremely happy I chose MRU and was able to be a part of all this.
All answers have been edited for order and clarity.
