George Kuntz put his feelings right on his sleeve for all to see. You’d think that a coach who has seen it all and done plenty more in his 30-plus years coaching soccer would look at a season with only three wins and chalk it up to just one of those seasons.

But this … this felt different. Even as it was easily rationalized on a basic level, this “one of those seasons” was more painful. More frustrating. More disappointing. Yes, having your leading scorer and standout left back turn pro hurt. Yes, not being able to replace them drove Kuntz crazy. Losing six one-goal games? Yeah, this leaves a mark.

Oh, and all of that coming out of the COVID year off? Yes, you can add that to Kuntz’s mental Samsonite. He wanted to come out of that firing on all cylinders.

Instead, the Titans uncharacteristically misfired. And Kuntz simply had a hard time letting go.

“I’ve been through this experience with start-ups and rebuilds before, and you have to deal with a down season,” he said. “You could have your leading scorers go down or your goalkeeper could get hurt. Last year, our first five games were against NCAA playoff teams. But you don’t know that two years in advance.

“We were scrapping and trying to fight to stay in games. It was devastating for me emotionally. It was a hard year to get through. When you go out and recruit, you’re selling the season. You’re selling the program. You’re selling potential. I was trying to sell the university, what we’ve done, what the opportunities were for new guys. At the same time, I was pushing our guys to get out of that funk and realize that a year earlier, we were ranked in the top 12 in the nation, and they were a part of that.”

Two years earlier, in the last pre-pandemic season (2019), Kuntz’s Titans opened the season 8-0. They didn’t lose a game until Oct. 2. Christian Pinzon and Oscar Flores were scoring almost at will, tallying five goals apiece in the Titans’ first eight games.

That CSUF lost five of its next six and finished the season 12-7-1 didn’t detract from what Kuntz and his staff built. And what they built on top of that.

This is what you’re seeing now. The Titans opened the 2022 season winning four of their first six games, a string beginning with a 3-1 victory over Cal. After a Sept. 9, 4-1 beating of St. Francis, CSUF surpassed its 2021 win total and Kuntz — while taking the necessarily pragmatic approach that anything can happen at any time at this level — is more optimistic than he’s been in more than a year.

“This year, our plan was to be much more structured preparing in all aspects, from equipment to recruiting to scheduling to planning our training,” he said. “Everything we did was geared to making sure we had no last-minute slip-ups. It worked. We really came in much more prepared this fall than last fall. We didn’t have two guys go pro and two guys not get in we were counting on. We knew what we had coming in and knew what we were doing from a preparation standpoint, and that set the tone from the start.”

Those “two guys turning pro” were forward Pinzon and left back Owen Lambe, one of the best defenders in the Big West. Kuntz’s two planned replacements fell through, leaving gaps at two key positions. Kuntz’s heavy emphasis on technical prowess and building attacks from the back out — think South American or Portuguese soccer — puts a premium on skill from the goalkeeper through the back line to the midfielders and finally, to the forwards.

To play for Kuntz, you must be technically sound, able to keep possession while advancing the ball upfield. He wants his players moving the ball on the ground, not blasting balls halfway down the field. This means Kuntz and assistants Enrique Cardenas, Irving Garcia and goalkeeper coach Miguel Martinez recruit based on those defined technical elements, beginning with the ability to play under pressure.

Go back to Kuntz’s laundry list of reasons for improvement and recruiting gets buried in the wash. It’s time to take it out of the basket because you can’t explain the Titans’ early success without looking at who Kuntz and his staff took out of the transfer portal. Starting with goalkeeper Tetsuya Kadono, a transfer from San Diego State, the Titans welcomed 10 players out of the portal.

“We asked ourselves what we needed to do to get better in every area and bringing in the right type of guys who can play the way we want to play was the first thing we thought about,” Kuntz said. “We wanted to bring in skillful guys who wanted an opportunity to play and create something here at Cal State Fullerton. They came to us, and knew they had a new lease on life coming to a new program.”

There was Kadono, who beat out three other keepers for the starting job. There’s University of Massachusetts-Lowell ex-pat Reziq Banihani, a member of the Jordanian National Team, who went into the weekend with three goals and five assists. Kuntz called the physical Banihani “a bull in a china shop” for his power and finishing ability.

There’s fellow forward Jorge Quintero, who finished third in the state in scoring among community college players at College of the Desert last year. Next to him is Norwegian target striker Sander ForØ, who transferred from Florida International. Putting him between Quintero and Banihani gives the Titans a plethora of scoring opportunities.

There’s center back Giovanni Calderon, who arrived from Navy after one of Kuntz’s former players — Tray Hayes — referred him. Kuntz was so impressed he named him one of the team captains.

There’s fellow center back, Khaya Gregory, brought to Kuntz from England. At 6-5, Gregory is the perfect defensive stopper: big, imposing and technically exquisite. So is 6-3 center back Mason Lamb, who arrived from Rollins College by way of the Sima Academy, one of the most prestigious soccer academies in the country.

Yet, the Titans’ cupboard wasn’t bare. We haven’t mentioned Sebastian Cruz yet. Last year’s leading scorer, Cruz’s seven goals tied for second in the Big West, and his 17 points tied for third. Three of Cruz’s goals were game-winners.

This year, Cruz picked up where he left off. He’s racked up six goals in the Titans’ first seven games, scoring a point in six of CSUF’s seven games and a goal in five of the seven.

“He’s the guy who has been the engine for us,” Kuntz said. “He’s been one of our top guys, if not the top guy. The team looks to him. But he’s been the focus of other teams the last couple of years and people would try to X him out of the game. They would double-team him or X him out. Now, we have more weapons, and they have other people to worry about. …

“… This is a fun team to watch. If I’m a mom or dad that wants to see good quality players who are fun to watch, I would pay to see this. Tell their kids who play, ‘Watch that position. That’s your position.’ Win or lose, this is going to be fun to watch.”

Did you know…? One of the Titans’ transfers, midfielder Roberto Ordoñez out of Western Texas College, hasn’t played yet due to a back injury. “He was one of the best JC players in the country, and nobody’s seen him play. I guess that’s a good thing, but we want to see him play. It’s scary to think what could happen when he’s healthy. He’s fun to watch,” George Kuntz said.

He said it: Kuntz on one of the Titans’ unsung players, holding midfielder Justin Jovel: ”He’s the windshield wiper in front of our back four. He cleans up things before they get there. He’s had a stellar year. We knew he was good and he is good for us. Last year, we had five starters hurt who didn’t play the first half of the season, and Justin was one of those guys. If you remember (Manchester United midfielder) Paul Scholes, one of those unsung heroes, that’s Justin. You don’t see what he does in the stats but you know what he’s worth.”

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