There are many different aspects to what makes soccer, soccer. Whether it be the way the individual player plays, the specific type of coaching style that is tailored to each player, the fierce competitiveness, the camaraderie inside the sport, the bittersweet moments that happen during the game, or the bizarre superstitions that everyone seems to have… Whatever it may be, there’s no denying that those different aspects of the game are what make soccer, what it is.

Idolization in soccer is one the biggest blueprints in how people view the sport, not only as viewers, but as fans and players. Without the idolization, who does the new generation of talent lookup to? What and who makes them work harder for their goal of making it big? Who inspires them to step outside the box and use techniques they would’ve never dreamed of accomplishing?

“I like the style of Eden Hazard… I do a lot of his skills, a lot of the Hazard stuff. He’s one of my favorite players.” – Nicolas Franco

Franco, by favoring a certain player and adapting his skills and techniques to his own soccer routine, managed to be a part of JV this year as a freshman, showcasing his quick control of the ball in close situations.

“I didn’t really watch soccer as a kid, so I wouldn’t say I idolized any soccer players. I more just played for fun… I’d say one of my first coaches, his name was Coach Alex, he helped me develop a lot [of my style].” – Elias Garcia

The way a player acts plays a huge role in the camaraderie between players. In other words, personalities can sometimes interfere with the way soccer is played, or vice versa. The way a player acts on and off the field can say multitudes about them as a person. It can explain how willing they are to grow and learn, their compassion and friendliness towards others, their passionate competitiveness, and much more.

“[What makes a soccer player exceptional is] how smart they are. Anybody athletic could go play anything athletic, but i think if you have the smarts and wit in your sport, it goes a long way.”
– Coach Rigo

“I don’t say my personality really interacts as much. I think soccer more shapes who you are as a person.” – Elias Garcia

“I’m always, like, apologizing if I foul someone, but at the same time, I don’t really care… I’ll just feel bad if I don’t.” – Nicolas Franco

Pregame and postgame activities have been notorious for decades, these sports rituals, and/or superstitions have been known to boost self-control, confidence, and anxiety reduction. It’s most likely that when athletes complete these routines, their minds feel more at ease and relaxed. Whatever the ritual may be, a lucky superstition you’ve followed since the earliest of your sports days, hanging out with your friends and close ones, that is what makes every athlete more confident when playing a sport.

“I just put on my right shoe on first.” – Nicolas Franco

Winning and losing is one of the major parts of playing soccer, or any sport that is. Without losing, how will you work harder for your goal? On the contrary, how will always winning make you want to be better? That sort of ‘always winning’ mentality can add a lot of added stress and can even give a false sense to the abilities we have. There’s no disavowing that losing is tough, but it helps every athlete learn how to persevere, every time that you feel defeated, just know that there’s an even bigger opportunity to bounce back stronger than ever. As a coach, or even as a captain, you’re given a sense of duty to make sure that your players don’t let one loss affect the way they think or play, that they stay motivated no matter what the outcome of a game might be.

“You go down losing a couple at half, it’s just finding the right tweaks into your gameplay to help better that team, put them in successful situations. I think it’s just learning after a loss, the biggest thing we do is reflect, ‘What went right and what went wrong? How can we fix that moving forward?’ No matter what, win or lose, we always tell the boys that ‘you win, you enjoy it for the
night. You lose, you’re disappointed for the night, but the next day you gotta go back to work.’”
– Coach Rigo

“I think usually, I’m one of the ones who’s most devastated… It’s more of, uh, we help each other out. I try to cheer them up, get them ready for the next game, get them locked in during practices, and if they ever need any help, I’ll help ‘em.” – Elias Garcia, Varsity Team Captain.

Coach Rigo and Elias Garcia are primary examples of what most players tend to look for in coaches and captains, they both radiate a warm and friendly vibe, and are always willing to help those around them no matter what. Their compassionate demeanors are what make them approachable to everyone that comes their way, it’s no wonder that because of this, their teams are so unbreakable, including the bond with one another.

From what I’ve seen these past few weeks of interviewing the JV and Varsity teams, I’ve gathered a couple pieces of information. The tight knit bond that all the boys have with each other is like no other. It’s obvious that due to their close relationship, their performance and communication on the field is impeccable to other teams that I have seen. Friendship and sportsmanship can be a large influence with great outcomes in how the relationship with soccer can improve, because these relationships not only affect one person, but the entire team as a whole.

So, no matter what the reason may be for why you consider soccer a piece of you, there’s no denying that some of these aspects, and much more that weren’t mentioned are what make soccer so great. No matter what, everyone can admit that there’s a sort of atmosphere that comes with playing the game, the type where you can feel your own heartbeat beating inside of you, the yells from your teammates and coaches on the sidelines, your friends and family cheering, the adrenaline that comes with the fast pace of both teams, the frustration and anger that comes when you know you’re not doing so well. Being a viewer can also give you this type of feeling, the loud cheers that escape from us, the close watchful eye on the ball moving across the field, the same type of distraughtness and frustration that comes when one of our favorite teams isn’t doing as good, that is the impact that soccer has on us.