Two years ago, UCLA soccer alums were screaming that the program had gone down the tubes. Last year, the Bruins survived a traumatic coaching change to win the national championship. Still feeling underappreciated, the team's seniors have set their sights on becoming the first Bruin team to repeat.
Symmetries exist within the senior leadership of the UCLA men's team, just as there were symmetries in the season that they and the other Bruins fashioned last year into the program's fourth national championship.
Captain Tony Lawson jumps up and down and screams as he takes the field for each game; his defensive partner Leo Griffin hardly says a word. Goalscorer Matt Taylor's jovial behavior off the field borders on hyperactivity; setup-man Adolfo Gregorio is notoriously serious.
These four players – none of whom was profiled last year in any publication, none of whom was named All-American by the NSCAA and just one of whom (Gregorio) was named to the all-conference first team – now constitute the backbone of a team that has a legitimate chance of earning UCLA consecutive national titles for the first time in the NCAA championship's 44-year history.
The Bruins' somewhat surprising championship season splits neatly along its midpoint with nine wins in the first 12 games and nine wins in the second 12 games. And as for the two games, both losses, that players singled out as turning points in the season? Well, fate brought those two opponents, – Loyola Marymount and California, – back to UCLA's door during the NCAA tournament so that the Bruins could right their wrongs en route to the College Cup.
That everything fell into place for the aforementioned quartet and their five classmates becomes even more remarkable when one considers the string of events prior in their college careers: UCLA lost more games in the Class of '03's first two years than it had in the previous four seasons combined. Along the way, the Bruins posted the first four-game losing streak in program history and received criticism from fans and alumni.
After the 2001 season, three of the class's biggest talents – Nelson Akwari, D.J. Countess, and Alex Yi – all jumped to the pros. And just before spring practices began in 2002, then-coach Todd Saldana suddenly was removed from his position for possessing what school officials deemed an invalid college degree.
In the end, it seems all of these setbacks contributed to the collective resolve that buoyed last year's title run.
PARTING REMARKS. Saldana's sudden departure was a significant test. Players went months without a head coach, but none transferred, in part because of Saldana's parting words.
''Todd even called it,'' Lawson said. ''In our last meeting with him, right before he left, he said, 'In this room is a final-four team.'''
Unrealized potential was one incentive, but the efforts of assistant coach Jorge Salcedo, who was named interim head coach, further unified the team in spring training. Lawson called Salcedo ''the glue that definitely held it all together.'' Salcedo stayed on as an assistant after six-year MLS veteran Tom Fitzgerald took over the program.
''In the spring, we were destroying teams, practices were incredibly intense but guys were smiling and playing,'' Lawson said. ''[Salcedo] was constantly encouraging guys, getting them to feel good about themselves. Then Tom came in with a comparable personality and it just all worked.''
Fitzgerald instituted a new system and gave every player on the roster a fresh chance to prove himself, – causing some foreseeable growing pains. After the losses to LMU and Cal, however, Fitzgerald made it clear that he would begin primarily using the same lineup and rotation the rest of the way. Players praised Fitzgerald's low-key approach.
''Tom is basically a master of the psychological side of coaching,'' Lawson said. ''Every player on the roster, from the starters to the last guy on the bench, is confident about his abilities.''
TALENT MILL. In its men's soccer media guide, UCLA dubs itself the ''No. 1 producer of pro talent,'' and based on the 31 Bruins who have made MLS rosters since 1996 – and the 56 players who have at least one appearance for one of U.S. Soccer's men's teams – the label is no exaggeration. But after Sigi Schmid's prized class of Bocanegra, Nick Rimando, Steve Shak, Peter Vagenas and Sasha Victorine all moved on to MLS, no seniors from the 2001 team stuck in the pros. And from last year's team, only Ryan Futagaki (Chicago Fire) has played an MLS game.
That's why losing Akwari, Countess and Yi – all starters on the 1999 U.S. U-17 and 2001 U-20 teams – as sophomores seemed so costly. For the Bruins' image, it hardly mattered that those three had mixed success. The exodus had taken place and one odd side effect was that the remaining players' stock dropped, as they were perceived as leftovers.
Gregorio played alongside Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and Bobby Convey on the 1999 U-17 team that finished in fourth place at the World Championships in New Zealand, but has drifted in and out of national teams since. Seeing his peers move on did not sway him from becoming the first member of his family to finish college. Gregorio's parents both moved to the United States as teenagers – his father from Portugal, his mother from the Azorean Islands. His younger brothers – David, a freshman, and Andrew, a sophomore – both play for Fresno State.
''If anything, I was excited for [Donovan, Beasley and Convey] because I played with those guys,'' Gregorio said. ''It's always good to see your buddies rise and do well. I guess I could say I was pretty quiet; people might have forgotten about me.''
Gregorio wants to play in MLS, but knows how long the odds are. Although a few four-year college players have made their mark in the league, far more college stars never make it.
''I guess you could say it's discouraging,'' Gregorio said. ''There are a lot of great players in this country, and it's unfortunate that we only have 10 teams because if we had more players in the league, it would only help U.S. Soccer. … It definitely is tough. Even being an All-American doesn't guarantee anything. You've got to play hard and the coach has got to like you – that's the bottom line.''
YINS AND YANGS. Gregorio and Griffin enter the season as the two Bruins most likely to be drafted, according to Fitzgerald. Both are men of few words around the soccer field. Griffin, a tall defender with smooth ball skills, almost constantly wears a silent smile, whereas the crafty Gregorio is more likely to scowl.
''He reminds me a lot of a bulldog,'' Lawson said. ''He's the complete competitor. Out of all of us, he definitely has the most amazing soccer skills and talent.''
Lawson and Taylor are far more vocal, supplying inspiration and levity, respectively. Lawson's best attribute is blinding speed while Taylor's is dogged persistence. Lawson is sometimes known as ''Reverend'' for his rousing speeches, while Taylor, the team's leading scorer last season (12 goals, eight assists), injects oddball humor.
''If we're in the airport after a game and everybody's tired, Matt will be the one with his backpack on his front, playing it like a drum in people's faces,'' Lawson said. ''Guys are like, 'Matty, leave me alone,' but he'll just keep on doing it until you finally have to crack that smile. Matt really plays like his personality off the field. He never stops moving.''
The Bruins' senior class finds strength in these contradictory personalities. Several players still keep close contact with the trio that left early.
''It was great having those guys here, but it just shows that it comes down to a team, not necessarily players,'' said Gregorio. ''D.J., Nelson and Alex were great players here … it would be nice to still have them here, but they chose to pursue a dream, and I think everyone was cool with that. It just shows that if you put in a lot of hard work, a team can get it done.''
The LMU and Cal defeats last season reminded the Bruins of the ruts in the previous two seasons. This time they halted their losing streaks at one, crushing San Diego State, 7-0, in the game after LMU and winning, 1-0, at Stanford after losing to Cal.
''We had been told that we were, like, one of the worst teams in UCLA history,'' Taylor said. ''We were in jeopardy of not making the playoffs. I guess we were getting letters from alumni like 'What are you guys doing to the program?' We had been kind of looked at as the team that wasn't a part of UCLA's history.''
This year's team looks certain to make it 21 straight NCAA tournament appearances for UCLA. But even since winning the national championship, Taylor said he does not feel like this UCLA team is nearly as heralded as some of its predecessors, which featured players like Paul Caligiuri, Brad Friedel, Cobi Jones, Joe-Max Moore, Frankie Hejduk, Eddie Lewis and Ante Razov, who achieved pro and international fame.
''We don't really have, for the time being, those kind of world-class players. I'm not sure,'' Taylor said. ''We feel, to make our mark in UCLA history, we'd have to win two in a row, because it's never been done before.''
by Soccer America Senior Editor Will Kuhns