By Mike Woitalla, Executive Editor
Soccer Amerca Magazine
The latest graduating class of U.S. SoccerÆs residency camp in Bradenton, Fla., reached the quarterfinals of the U-17 World Championship in September in a run that included a 3-1 win over Italy. We asked four of the young stars to look back on how they earned a place among the nationÆs elite teen players and where they hope to go from here.
Kevin Alston (Silver Spring, Md.)
GOING FORWARD
He came from a family with no soccer background – his uncle, Mitchell Johnson, played for the NFLÆs Washington Redskins – but that didnÆt matter because youth soccer was part of the Maryland landscape.
He joined a neighborhood rec team at age 5 and ''It was a lot of fun. I would always go forward because it was fun running past defenders.''
With the U-17s, Alston became an outside back, defended tenaciously and attacked on the flank as only a former forward can.
But one of his forays ended early in the quarterfinal when a Dutch midfielderÆs foul broke two bones in his leg. The Americans were already short of defenders, and the loss of Alston was too much for them to overcome. They fell, 2-0.
Alston, whose rehab is coming along quickly, will attend Indiana University next year.
Before attending Bradenton, Alston played for the Potomac Cougars, where his teammates included Freddy Adu and his brother, Fro.
AlstonÆs invitation to Bradenton came after Coach John HackworthÆs predecessor, John Ellinger, had him come down for a tryout after he had been overlooked by the U-15 program.
AlstonÆs only complaint about the residency experience is that ''it went by so fast.''
Ryan Soroka (Langhorne, Pa.)
A CLOSE-KNIT GROUP
He has spent the last two years living with his teammates in Bradenton, where six players share a dorm apartment with two bedrooms – one that sleeps two and another with four beds. Ryan Soroka enjoyed every minute.
ThereÆs daily practice, early morning weight training and an accelerated high school curriculum that enabled Soroka to graduate a year early – cramming three years of high school into two.
To leave campus, players must sign out for the privilege of going to the movies or hanging out at the mall.
''I donÆt go out much,'' he says. ''I just relax when I have free time.''
That or play some pickup soccer. Yes, despite all the training sessions, the boys still go out on their own for some small-sided play. The FC Delco product, who scored against North Korea and Italy, plans on playing college ball at St. JohnÆs. He says living in close quarters bonded the team.
''I had no problems,'' he says. ''WeÆre all brothers.''
Not even sleeping in a room with three teammates proved inconvenient:
''YouÆre so tired at the end of the day youÆre out minutes after you hit the bed. If someone snores, you wouldnÆt even know it.''
David Arvizu (Santa Ana, Calif.)
PLAYING ADULT LEAGUE AT 15
David ArvizuÆs fatherÆs dreams of pro soccer ended when he was hit by a truck in the streets on Leon, Mexico. The first diagnosis called for the amputation of his leg, but he found a doctor who saved it. His father recovered sufficiently to play amateur ball after he moved to Southern California. His son remembers going to his games at age 4.
''After his games, we stayed at the field and played,'' says David, who soon joined a youth league run by the Mexican restaurant chain ''Super Antojitos'' that was comprised entirely of Latino children.
At age 9, he joined the Coast Soccer LeagueÆs Pateadores.
''I also always played with my father,'' he says. ''He emphasized movements with the ball. We juggled and worked on technique that helps players be creative.''
At 15, David also joined a menÆs team.
''Receive ball, let it go. Receive ball, let it go, so they wouldnÆt hurt me,'' he says of how he coped.
Meanwhile, Pateadores coach Brian Wallace convinced national team scouts to check out Arvizu.
During the first half of the game they attended, Arvizu scored a pair of goals. Wallace told Arvizu about the scouts at halftime, and in the second half Arvizu added a pair of assists. After attending three camps, he got the invite to Bradenton in fall 2004.
''We didnÆt have to discuss it,'' he says. ''It was a done deal as soon as I was invited.''
At the world championships in Peru, Arvizu gave the best U.S. individual performance of the tournament during its 3-1 win over Italy. ''He has emerged as the creative hub,'' wrote a FIFA observer. ''He reads the game with daunting speed.''
ArvizuÆs only regret is that he didnÆt score.
''ThereÆs lots of things I need to improve on, but since I got back finishing is what IÆm really focusing on,'' says Arvizu, who is weighing options between foreign clubs and MLS.
''Playing pro is what IÆve dreamed about since I was a little kid,'' he says, ''and after my national team experience IÆm feeling confident that it can happen.''
Kyle Nakazawa (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.)
SOLO TRAINING PAYS OFF
He says heÆs grown about four inches, to 5-foot-10, since joining the Bradenton residency two years ago when he was the smallest among his peers.
Growing up in Southern California, Kyle Nakazawa usually played an age group or two up, making his size disadvantage even more profound.
''When I was young I was usually the smallest kid,'' he says. ''That forced me to improve my technical ability.''
Nakazawa did that by going to a local park where he shot against a wall, juggled and practiced dribbling. Even at Bradenton, he spent time on his own or with a goalkeeper after practice working on his free kicks.
''I knew set plays would be important,'' says Nakazawa, who scored on two free kicks at the World Championship.
At age 13, he spent six months with Ajax Amsterdam. The experience got him used to being away from home and he jumped at the Bradenton invitation.
''When you live with a group of guys for two years, everyone gets so close and you develop a bond,'' says Nakazawa, one of the U-17s with serious interest from European teams. ''I think that was a major advantage for us.''
(This article originally appeared in the November 21 & 28, 2005 issue of Soccer America Magazine.)