Although I’ve never played professionally, I have learned some important lessons playing football for over forty years. The lessons center around commitment, communication and how doing what is best for the team can build a lasting culture. I learned that watching the game can improve your football brain and your performance on the field. After working back from injury, I realized that a football field is the one place where everything else in life melts away for me, and it’s a passion I want to share with others as a coach.
THE BEGINNING OF A LIFELONG LOVE
When I was growing up, football did not have much exposure in the USA. The 1994 FIFA World Cup changed my life, followed by the launch of the MLS and it’s first match in 1996 which broadened the opportunities for generations of players to come. It was difficult to find European soccer until the mid-1990’s brought the rise of satellite broadcast and pay-per-view services. I became a regular viewer of the European leagues in 1996 after this goal made me a lifelong Manchester United fan. This is all to say that, if I had my early years to do over again, I may have sought a path as a professional player.
In 1974 my family moved from New York City to San Carlos, a suburb 20 minutes South of San Francisco. The first friend I happened to make was Brady Berg, the son of a key entrepreneur in the NASL. It was likely Brady and his Mom who encouraged us to explore the game of soccer and the local AYSO league. And so it was that by 1977, two soccer careers began. My Dad signed up to be a volunteer referee (more on that later), and I joined the Rangers, a team coached by Ed Stokan and Dick Haars. My soccer career began as easy as you’d like. The whistle blew to start the first game, the kickoff was tapped to Mark Predovic, who proceeded to slalom gracefully between several players not paying attention and a few who were. When Mark reached the end of the field, he put the ball in the net and we were up 1-0. I remember a few more whistles in that half, almost all followed by the same occurrence...Mark would take the ball, run down the field and score. If it weren't for the impressive athletic achievements which followed, I might have questioned whether Mark was familiar with the game of soccer or had just been subject to some sort of Pavlovian learning involving whistles, a ball and a net. I’d never heard of soccer before and I don’t think I knew what a trophy was, but the photograph of Mark standing next to me cherishing his achievement for the season (as I don’t think the rest of us did all that much) suggests that he loved this trophy and wanted to earn more! The Rangers taught me that soccer was fun, made me feel good about the team around me. Oh, and that shirt may still be the best looking kit I’ve ever been given by a team...long sleeves with red and blue stripes that bring to mind some of the best clubs in the world...wow! In retrospect, it also gave me early insight that dribbling fearlessly, with confidence, is a skill which players have to acquire early on.
LESSONS LEARNED
By my high school years, I had won a few trophies and played under at least two coaches with an impressive knowledge of the game. I was about to learn some of the most important lessons in my football career about commitment and communication. My first two years of high school were spent at Serra, a private boys school with a strong reputation for athletics and academics (probably in that order). The most famous graduates included Tom Brady, Barry Bonds and Lynn Swann, so I knew there would be strong competition for spots on the roster. We had a young coach named Kevin with an English accent who knew the game very well. I was far from the best player at the trials but, going into the last trial date, I felt pretty good about my performances. When the selection was posted, my names was not the list. I went to speak with the coach and learned that I had been the last name cut. Kevin did realize my love for the game and offered me the opportunity to be the equipment manager. I’ll admit I struggled with this idea, as it seemed like less of an opportunity than I felt I deserved, but a conversation with my parents led to me accepting the role. In retrospect, the time I spent as the manager alongside Kevin may have been my first actual insight to coaching. Midway through the season, we lost a key player to injury and I was promoted into the playing squad. I don’t recall how the team did, but I appreciated the few minutes here and there during the matches and the lesson that Kevin had taught me about commitment.
I switched schools the following year, and joined a larger group of friends in a public high school with boys and girls! The presence of girls was important for a few reasons, but did play a minor role in the next lesson I would learn. We had a tough soccer coach with a good knowledge of the game and a reputation for a tough fitness regime. I played my way into the starting lineup during my senior year and the team was enjoying a very good season. Enter the temptation of a family ski trip. I loved to ski and decided to just skip the weekend match without communicating to the coach. The following Tuesday, I was called into the locker room for a 1:1 meeting where the coach asked where I was, explained his disappointment in how I had let the team down with my lack of communication and commitment, and that he would cut me from the team immediately. My spot on the roster was saved by the lobbying from my fellow players, but my new position would be a seemingly permanent spot on the bench. This punishment was disappointing in so many ways but, while it would be a fantastic stretch of my imagination to assume I missed any college scouting opportunities, primarily because word of our progression to a Championship had spread and lots of students (including the cheerleaders!!!) began attending the games. I assumed the attention of those cute girls I had a crush on was focused on laughing at me riding the bench, while my friends heroically played out the season of our dreams. We won the title and went on to the regional finals where I was given a token 10 minutes at the end of the final, in my mind because we were already down by a significant scoreline. I do believe this experience made a big dent on my confidence at that point in life because I defined myself through soccer, but I’m grateful to Coach Roguero for the lifelong lessons he showed me. I learned about honest communication, commitment to a team, and the coach’s big-hearted decision to give every player a few minutes in the final.
I never stopped playing the game at the intramural level during my University years but never even attended an NCAA trial as I decided to focus my time on my love of music as a college radio DJ and drummer in several bands. I don’t really regret that decision, but I do sometimes ask myself the big what if soccer stars had already attained their current level of visibility in the US.
I continued to play as an adult, walking across the LA river to dirt fields for tough pickup games and founding the Velvet Fog FC when I returned to San Francisco. The 1994 FIFA World Cup and the arrival of satellite television would bring my passion for the game back into focus as a fan and student of the game. I also started to become a much better player in my 20’s and 30’s, something I credit directly to the impact of being able to watch quality football on a regular basis. The only time I stopped playing was in 2009 when I snapped my achilles tendon on the field. The recovery was long and hard, but my appreciation for playing the game came back greater than ever and I enjoy every minute I spend on the field. I’ve maintained my fitness and feel my ability to take part in training sessions and scrimmages helps my coaching to this day.
