Why Nick Garcia loves Kansas City … His hobbies … What it’s like dating a teammateÆs sister … The key to his phenomenal rookie year, in which the 21-year-old played in every game of Kansas CityÆs 2000 MLS championship run. … Get to know Garcia, the subject of the third installment of SoccerAmerica.comÆs series on the nationÆs most promising talent. INTERVIEW BY BRYAN ALVAREZ Nick Garcia Defender Ht: 5-10. Wt: 160 Born: April 9, 1979 Hometown: Plano, TX College: Indiana International: U-17 World Cup, U-20 World Cup. Soccer America: What do you do when you’re not playing soccer? Nick Garcia: I just hang out and relaxing. I enjoy the downtime that I have by reading, fishing or playing golf. SA: What’s the biggest fish you ever caught? NG: When I was a little kid, I was with my grandparents down in Galveston, Texas. I caught a 4-foot hammerhead shark. SA: What is your favorite sport besides soccer? NG: Basketball. SA: Who is your favorite actor? NG: Anthony Hopkins. SA: What is your favorite book? NG: “Success Is A Choice” by Rick Patino SA: What’s your favorite meal? NG: Corndogs. SA: Who is your favorite musician? NG: Paul Oakenfeld. SA: Do you listen to music before the game? NG: Not really. I used to but I really don’t anymore. On gameday, I relax and get focused. SA: What’s your current living situation? NG: I live in an apartment down in the Plaza (in Kansas City) with my girlfriend, Katie. SA: Is your girlfriend teammate Chris Klein’s sister? NG: Yeah, she is. It’s great. We’ve been dating for quite awhile (3 years). She went to Indiana, also. Things are working well for us. SA: Has Klein ever had to play the big brother role on you? NG: No, not really. It’s usually all the other guys giving me s*** for dating his sister. So it’s more jokes and giggles about it more than anything else. LOVINÆ K.C. SA: How do you like Kansas City? NG: I love Kansas City. It’s a great city. The cost of living is unbelievable. The people are even better. It’s been a good transition. SA: Do you have time to go out and be young? NG: Oh yeah, for sure. I still like to go out with the team, whether it’s here or on the road. I like to have a beer or two after a game, unwind and relax. SA: Being on the road so much, do you get homesick? NG: Not really. It’s the job. You just do it and be happy with it. We’re usually not gone for too long, so it isn’t too bad. I just do what I need to do and get back as soon as I can. SA: What are your impressions of your first year in the MLS? NG: It’s been great in a professional league in the United States. I think soccer-wise, it’s been doing very well. It was something I aspired to do since I was a young boy. I’m just happy being able to get out there everyday, play hard, and get paid to do what I love. Even though, I’m not getting paid millions like some of these football and basketball guys, I definitely love what I’m doing as much. FROM COLLEGE TO PROS SA: How is the MLS different from the college game? NG: Physically, the game is more demanding. Mentally — the biggest challenge for me is staying focused for 90 minutes. In college, you were able to get away without doing certain things. In the MLS, if you overlook some things, you get punished for it on the field. SA: What is the biggest adjustment you had to make? NG: The speed of play is quicker. You’re obviously playing against bigger, stronger, faster guys. It’s been fun, but at the same time I’ve had to do the best I can to get adjusted to it. SA: What was your favorite moment from last season? NG: Winning the Championship. SA: Who has been your greatest influence? NG: Peter Vermes. He’s a great guy. He has a wealth of knowledge about the game. He’s been one to be right there next to me. If I need any help with anything soccer-wise or anything else, he’s the man I’ve been going to. AIMING HIGH SA: How do you plan to improve in your second season? NG: I think every year, I expect myself to win a championship. That’s how I gauge my season. I’m going to do everything I can to help my team win. I expect to be back in the final. If not, I’ll be disappointed in my performance. SA: What do you think about winning a championship in college, then, winning one your first year in MLS? NG: I think it’s helped me a lot. Having come from a prestigious program like Indiana, it’s helped to instill these winning qualities in me. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been a champion — the past five out of six years I’ve played soccer; two from high school, my junior and senior year, two in college, and one here in Kansas City. The only year I missed out was in ’97. PROJECT-40: A GOOD DEAL SA: What are your opinions about college and high school players coming out early? [Garcia left IU after his junior year]. NG: It’s all a personal opinion. Different players have to weigh different things. A lot of people think their education is more important than playing soccer. Each individual has to look at it differently. For me, I think I did everything I could from a soccer standpoint. The only thing I had to do was move on to the next level. Academic-wise, moving to P-40 allowed me to keep my scholarship. So, it was an even sweeter deal for me. It worked out well for me, and having come off two championships made it even better. SA: What can MLS do to improve? NG: I think time is of the essence. As long as MLS continues to grow and develop, I think things should be fine. I see the league doing well. There’s going to be a lot of young players being looked upon to be the glue for the league. It will be up to us to carry the league in the direction it wants to go toward. SA: What can the MLS do to retain its young stars? NG: It should continue to help us develop, here and abroad. I know the younger guys would like to see a better minimum salary in the league. The older guys would rather see it the other way with the older veterans getting compensated. I’m sure there could be a medium there where both sides can be happy with the league. SA: Do you have any opinions on single-entity or the lawsuit? NG: Not really. I’ve been involved in the league for one year. I’ve heard some mixed stories on both ends, so I really don’t know too much about it. SA: What’s your commitment to the MLS? NG: I think I have another two years on my contract. COMMUNITY RELATIONS SA: What is your relationship like with the fans? NG: It’s great. I try to stay involved with both the Hispanic population and the youth communities. I feel like they’re a good strong fan base that we have. I try to do everything I can both outside of the Wizards and after games to make sure I get out there and have people see my face and talk to them. SA: Do you get recognized in public? NG: A little bit more. Definitely, it’s kind of nice when people notice me. There is a bit of notoriety and visibility now that we’ve won a championship. THE TYPICAL WEEK SA: Give me an example of a week during the season. NG: Typically, we have practice everyday from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. I’m pretty much off the rest of the day. I run errands, take naps … I like to take naps whenever I can. I’m just kinda hanging out. We usually train once a day and watch some film every once in awhile. On the days that we travel, we’re there getting ready for our games. It’s usually pretty busy. SA: Who is the toughest opponent you faced last year? NG: Probably Hristo Stoitchkov. He’s just incredible on the ball. He’s a tough guy to deal with, on and off the ball. He’s pretty deceptive on what he can do. He’s definitely always keeping you on your toes. SA: Are you a soccer fan? NG: Oh yeah, for sure. I watch every chance I have time to. SA: Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? NG: That’ll make me 31. I hope to have a minimum of two more championships. I see myself being a contender for the next two to three World Cups. And, just being a happy guy, enjoying life, and being healthy.