22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 12-18, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com there are 128,694 male professional players worldwide. The leading countries are Mexico, Spain and England with 9,464, 8,560 and 5,582 professional players, respectively. Soccer is the most popular sport in these countries, which have youth academies that feed their professional teams. The U.S. is far behind, with only 2,791 professional players. These come from a pool of youth players numbering in the millions in the U.S. alone. While many dream of becoming professional players, the odds against even the best of these are rather striking. Of all youth participants in the U.S., only 0.6 percent make it to any professional level. Even in football-rich countries like England or Brazil, the chances are slim—0.56 and 0.71 percent, respectively, according to a compilation of studies presented by Football Bible. Research by the University of Essex in England found that even of the best teen academy players, only 4 percent make it to the top tier. Just 6 percent end up in lower level leagues. It’s not any better for those who play college ball. A mere 1.7 percent of those good enough for American college soccer end up as a pro. The University of Essex report even questioned the tradeoff between the work and discipline necessary to move up through the youth ranks versus enjoying recreational play. Discipline applies both on and off the field. When Garcia was still in high school and attending the Quakes academy in San Jose, his day started at 6am and ended between 10-11:30pm. Sometimes, exhausted after a long day, he didn’t have time to finish his homework. “My parents always insisted on me having good grades, so I had to make it work. You sacrifice a lot of things to be able to do the thing you love,” Garcia says. Managing it all was tough, but good grades are a requirement to play high school and college soccer. “If I was getting bad grades, I probably wouldn’t play as much,” Gallaway notes. Rebollar says skipping parties, family and friends reunions wasn’t a loss for him because playing soccer is what he wanted to do. Enabling him to pursue his passion fell on others around him: “My family had to sacrifice their time,” Rebollar says. “That’s why I love playing here even more, because then they get to kind of feel like it was worth it, the time that they put into being with me and going with me on trips.” Beyond self-discipline and family support, it takes athletic skills and a structure that supports the best players. “I was playing really well, and doors just started to open,” Gallaway says. The Central Coast region is a hotbed for soccer, and for successful players. Ramiro Corrales is one of the most successful ones. He played for various pro teams including the Quakes and HamKam, a Norwegian soccer team. Corrales also played for the U.S. national team and participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Since 2021, Monterey County has had a USL Championship team, MBFC. To attract local fans, the team hired several familiar faces including coach Frank Yallop, who coached the San Jose Earthquakes, and Corrales as assistant coach. They also hired two former CSU Monterey Bay soccer players, Walmer Martinez from Santa Cruz and Rebollar from Watsonville. Corrales served as assistant coach for MBFC and head coach for MBFC2. The U.S. has several professional, semi-professional and amateur leagues for men and women. The top tier for men’s is MLS. It’s followed by USL Championship, a second tier professional team. On the third tier are MLS NEXT Pro and USL1. Semiprofessional leagues include USL2 and National Premier Soccer League. Local high school and college teams rank high in their divisions. The Hartnell men’s team won its first state title in 2013. The men’s team was the runner-up while the women’s team clinched their first state title in 2021. Last year, they ranked 12th and 17th, respectively, in the state. Last season, several high school teams qualified for playoffs in their divisions. For boys, Everett Alvarez clinched Division I and Gonzales, Division IV. For girls, Salinas High and North Monterey County were Players as young as 15 came out on May 17 for the U-20 tryouts. Some out-of-town players hoping to land a spot on the team spent the previous night in the area; others started their journey at 5am. Simon Dawkins, Monterey Bay FC technical director, watches young players on Saturday, May 17 during the U-20 tryouts at Cardinale Stadium in Seaside. “YOU SACRIFICE A LOT OF THINGS TO BE ABLE TO DO THE THING YOU LOVE.” CELIA JIMÉNEZ CELIA JIMÉNEZ CELIA JIMÉNEZ Adrian Rebollar, right, spends time with fans after games. Being close to his family and seeing familiar faces at every game are reasons he likes playing for Monterey Bay FC.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==