Ian Khodjasarian '21 Recruiting Profile

Nothing has made a greater impact on my life than soccer, and my love for the sport has carried me very far in life so I do not plan on stopping anytime soon. My parents have both shared the same passion for the sport as I have and their influence has allowed me to push myself harder to improve my attributes, whether they are on or off the field. As a coach, my father had the ability to instill other important qualities into my game, including the right mentality every time I would step on the field, as well as making sure I was relevant in the game, even if my time on the field was limited.  These abilities have allowed me to become more coachable and I am able to understand my role on the pitch much clearer as well. I have continued to watch videos and documentaries to improve my intelligence, as the game is constantly changing with time.

 On another note, with regards to my technical abilities, I have continued to train using both feet so that my game is not hindered by having a weak foot, which also allows me to be a more versatile player ranging from every position on the defensive line, and even occasionally in the defensive midfield spot too. My club, Pateadores Los Angeles, plays at the highest level and we constantly compete for the top spot in the Discovery League, which is the highest division in the Southern California Developmental Soccer League where we often play academy teams as well. We have also gotten far in other prestigious tournaments including the California Regional League, Surf Cup, Manchester City Cup, and National Cup, which was accompanied by our successful trip to Spain where we went undefeated against multiple local teams and just came up short against a professional team that plays in the third division of the Spanish Football tier system. From all of these competitions, it is clear to see that I am accustomed to playing at a very high level.

In terms of my future college career, I would prefer to go to a school that fits my profile from both an academic and athletic standpoint, meaning I can get a fair balance between focusing on my potential career in the medical field while still being able to compete at a high enough level in college without either interfering too much with one another. I hope to either travel and play again at a professional level in Europe, or enter the USL 1 and make my way back up the ranks and getting the right amount of exposure to opportunities as possible. If I were to attend a four year college of my choice then it would be important to focus on my education too, and  although I hope to continue playing soccer past college at a high level, I also want to see where that school can direct me and hopefully I would be allowed to make the right decision for my career. I look forward to the future and hope that I can locate a school that meets the criteria I have requested and that I can provide for their needs and expectations too.