Joshua Garcia '22 Recruiting Profile

During the summer after I graduated elementary school I was part of a community soccer team, that was the first time I joined a team. My coach at that time told me that I’m different, but I didn’t understand him right away. He told me he had coached many kids who would rather run with the ball, try to score, and ignore the team aspect of the game. He stated, “don’t change the way you play, just keep improving and be yourself out there.” We ended winning the Final and was a highlight moment in my soccer career. To this day I keep his words engraved in my mind. Fast forward to the present, I recently got promoted in my soccer club and have been playing with 17 & 18-year-olds while still being 15 years of age. One of my current coaches told me similar words, describing me as a team player who had great positioning and game sense. To this day I thank them for allowing me to play with older aged players as I learn from my teammates and value my coaching staff dearly. 

I describe myself as a highly motivated individual, calm minded, focused, quick-witted, energetic, and eager to learn new things. Most importantly, I value my self-integrity as my most important trait. I can honestly say that soccer is my number one focus, followed by education. I run and workout 3-4 a week, have 1 on 1 soccer training sessions 4 times a week on top of club training 4 times a week. I use my weekends to play matches for my club, studying for the SAT, playing piano in my spare time, and watching YouTube soccer match/player analysis videos to learn and implement new things in my soccer style. 

I believe my knowledge and love for technical tactics, positional patterns, and combinations make me unique. As my older brother once said that I will always remember “There is more to soccer than meets the eye, you have to see it as a game of Chess, you attack and defend tactically, position yourself to bate the enemy and ultimately strike when you see an opening.” That is why every time I watch a match, my eyes tend to focus on it in a tactical aspect, not as a regular fan. If I’m given the opportunity to play for your team, you would see that I’m a person who adapts and grows quickly. I wish to be seen in person, to show that I truly am a player with talent who has trained hard to get to where I am now.