Edward Cantu '22 Recruiting Profile

My athletic goals in college is to help create an optimistic atmosphere for my team. As a Captain of my club team, I’ve observed my teammates being victims of bad habits including, Groans after a missed shot, putting their heads down after being get scored on, and even doubting their own ability after a handful of mistakes! I understand it can be frustrating, but I am a strong believer that you’re attitude is contagious. To illustrate, If a miscalculated pass happens leading to a counterattack and eventually a goal, the player that made the bad pass is already in a state of guilt and his teammates cause a chain reaction in blaming him and the whole team shuts down. On the contrary, if his teammates were to give him support in telling him its okay to make mistakes, then the player will change his attitude and it is inevitable that they will remain strong and bounce back. So my job is to keep everyone’s spirits lifted in any adversity we have faced and ultimately challenging the odds of us winning.
September 18, 2020: my goal for this school year is to influence the behavior of my teammates by being an example. I have noticed how my teammates arrive to training physically but not mentally. They engage in conversations about topics outside of soccer and they don’t bother stretching until the coach tells us to. I understand how some may see this as a flaw of the coaching staff, but I see it as a lack of leadership because I do not agree that the coaches are responsible for everything when soccer is a team sport. I will actively help my  teammates engage in beneficial activities while I first do the activity myself. This is how I plan on improving the behaviors of my teammates so we can compete more efficiently during trainings and games.