JJ Greer doesn’t quite have a handle on this whole dad thing yet. But he soon realized it had changed his life.

The Switchbacks defender, performing well in place of injured back-liner Josh Phillips, is a new father after he and his wife Stephanie’s first child, Theodore Jarvis Greer, entered the world May 30.

“It does change your perspective even if it’s all so new,” Greer said. “(Veteran midfielder) Luke (Vercollone) told me that I now have dad strength.”

Vercollone is referring to the motivation a father has to excel, knowing his performance at work – a soccer field in Greer’s case – now supports a child.

“I have more to play for now,” Greer said. “This is how I support my family. He will be too young to understand now, but hopefully in the years ahead he will watch videos and see his father was a good soccer player in his day.”

Greer’s first Father’s Day is this Sunday and he doesn’t know what to expect. He’s not big on holidays and the Memphis native is still adjusting to his new normal with a newborn at home.

He has plenty of advice to absorb, unsolicited or not, with three teammates and two coaches who are already fathers. The key is being thankful for the mother of his child, Vercollone said, and all the work she does while you’re working.

His wife has given Greer the time needed to focus on soccer and perform well. He started for the Switchbacks in 2015 but was relegated to a reserve role in 2016 when the chemistry between Phillips and newcomer Christian Ibeagha became apparent during the preseason.

“It isn’t easy handling going from being a starter to a bench player, but JJ handled it really well,” coach Steve Trittschuh said. “We knew what we’d get from JJ. He is good in the air and is a good defender. He always told me that he’d be ready when needed and he was.”

Back in the lineup, Greer can dial in on what’s important when his work is done. He used Facetime to check in at home and watched his child grow seemingly before his eyes during the five-day road trip, which ended Tuesday night.

“The hardest thing is leaving for road trips,” Vercollone said. “You hate to be away from your children but this is how you make your living.”

Greer wisely took advantage of the team hotel to enjoy some uninterrupted sleep.

He was in need of that when interviewed Thursday. A bleary-eyed Greer was wearing a brown sandal on his right foot and black on his left when he showed up for morning practice. He received a healthy dose of friendly teasing for his mismatched footwear from his teammates.

“I guess I am still adjusting,” a grinning Greer said, pointing toward his feet. “It’s all been a whirlwind.”