Chartiers Valley soccer standout John Krug follows recruiting trail straight to Robert Morris

By: Ted Sarneso
Sunday, February 23, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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In his senior year with the Chartiers Valley soccer team, John Krug was deployed by coach Mike Blatz all over the field.

“We played him on the wide part of the field, played him as a 10, an attacking midfielder. We moved him around so he wasn’t as predictable when he played in one spot,” Blatz said. “He acclimated to those positions very well.”

“I can play anywhere,” Krug said. “I have good feet, so it’s not like I would get debilitated at any spot I would play. It gave me a lot of freedom to work within our attack, not be too concerned with my position.”

The ability for Krug to slot in anywhere certainly came in handy when college coaches came calling about the 5-foot-9 forward.

The process of selecting which school he would attend next fall started at the very beginning of Krug’s senior year, when he wrote down the goals he wanted to accomplish before he graduated.

At the very top of the list was to have chosen a school by February.

He beat his deadline by a month, committing Jan. 8 to Robert Morris. Delaware and Duquesne were the other schools in Krug’s final three.

“RMU had the best offer, basically anything I would need out of a college to pursue what I wanted and develop into the best player I could be, so that’s why I ended up picking them,” Krug said.

The recruitment process for Krug was essentially a breeze, as he had plenty of guidance along the way.

First, Blatz was there from the very beginning, keeping Krug on the path to accomplish his goal.

“He gave me the trail right off the start,” Krug said. “He helped me with all the coaches and what I should say and stuff like that. He kept texting me information about my games and would ask me to wake up early in the morning and come train with him before school started.”

“We started the process at that time with meetings and from there he attended some ID camps and played club soccer,” Blatz said.

It was during his time with Steel City USL League 2 that Krug would get a sense of the talent he would face at the next level, playing against Division I soccer players.

“Coach (Dan) Brower and the players at Steel City really helped to prepare me for college soccer,” Krug said. “They have a program where D-I boys come in and play throughout the summer and compete in some high-level games and get a sense of the level at which I should be playing.”

The final assist Krug got on his recruitment journey came from his teammates on Steel City. A handful of players on the team also play for RMU.

“I knew those boys for an entire summer before I even committed,” Krug said. “It wasn’t like they were pushing me to come to RMU. I mean, a lot of them said, ‘Oh yeah, we want you there,’ but for the most part, they were there to answer any questions I had or if I needed anything because they had already been through the same process.”

Even if they weren’t pushing Krug to come to RMU, having an in with those players helped when he attended a camp on the Colonials campus.

“During the camp, there were four of my Steel City teammates there helping the players and running the camp,” Krug said. “That helped a lot. After about an hour, the coach pulled me over and was telling me he really liked me. Just that connection off the start was really nice, and I could tell he really cared and wanted a winning team.”

What clinched it for Krug was watching as RMU won a conference title.

“That was a statement to me,” Krug said. “I could see they were about winning, and I wanted to be in that environment, have that winning mentality.”

Krug leaves Chartiers Valley having scored 56 career goals, 24 this past season, and being fully decorated with accolades.

After missing his entire freshman year to injury, Krug was named to the all-section team in each of his final three years. He was also selected to the all-WPIAL team in both his junior and senior seasons and was chosen all-state and all-region in his senior year.

“I had my goals set at the beginning of the season and to achieve them was very satisfying,” Krug said. “To be able to not only say you’re going to do something, but to do it really shows my determination and who I am as a person.”

Krug was also named a captain in his final year with the Colts.

“It came with a lot of responsibility, but I think I handled it well,” he said. “I think I proved to myself that I can lead, and it felt nice to be trusted by my teammates.”

When asked what Krug brought as a team leader, Blatz said Krug had an infectious nature.

“He brought a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of joy,” Blatz said. “He’s very passionate about the game, very spirited. It gets those around him excited about training and about playing.”

“That enthusiasm comes from watching my older brother play the sport when I was young,” Krug said. “Seeing how he enjoyed it made me want to pick up the game. I don’t really want to call it a legacy that I’m leaving, but I do hope the teammates I leave have also shared in that joy I have and can pass it along to future Colts players.”

Krug hasn’t decided on a major yet, but is considering enrolling in Robert Morris’ business school.

“It’s one of the best business schools in the country,” Krug said. “Not sure yet what my focus will be, but it’s certainly a good program to get into.”

As for his position on the soccer field, Krug sees himself playing anywhere on the attack.

“I realized that the position for me is on the wing,” Krug said. “A striker needs to be 6 feet tall, score headers and hold up a ball. I’m more of a guy that likes to play freely and beat players to score goals.”

Tags: Chartiers Valley