I was just like any other normal boy on the date of June 13, 2009; expect I was getting ready for the national soccer championships. I knew that many scouts from many different parts of the world were attending the match, but I knew that none of them were going to recruit this youngster from Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. I was living in poverty, working most of the day raising money to feed my family. I was hardly ever happy. Those rare moments when I was happy was when I had a ball at my feet and some friend around me. “Just think that you’re in back home with all of your friends” I though, trying to relieve the stress. The fact was that I wasn’t at home, but I was hundreds of miles away playing in one of the biggest stadiums in the world, the Estadio Azteca. A stadium that seats tens of thousands of people, but only about four of 5 thousand people are here. That isn’t that bad, is it? The thought of all those people out there watching me do the thing that I love most frightens me, but I have the comfort of my friends and family here with me as we prepare for the match ahead of us.
I am only 12, so we are playing for the u-14(under 14 years old) national championship. The referee goes into each one of the team’s locker room and yells,” 5 minutes until kick-off”. My palms are sweatier, and my mother notices it. She turns to me and says,” Carlos, son, just pretend all the people are gone. Pretend that you are just playing back home with all your friends. Try your best and don’t let anyone make you feel nervous. If none of those scouts recognize your talent, then it is their loss. They will know what a horrible mistake they made if they let you go home unsigned. Good luck!” She and the rest of my family take off to their special seats in the stands. Her words have comforted me. The referee goes into the locker room and tells us,” Let’s go, it’s kick-off time.”
The rest of the team and I line up, with the captain up first, followed by the goalkeeper, then the rest of us. We walk out of the tunnel, on to the field, and stand side by side with the other team, with only the referee and his assistants between us. They play the national anthem, and then each of the teams exchanged handshakes. As I looked into the eyes of the other team, I knew that they were not going down without a fight. We huddle up in a circle, while our captain says some words of wisdom. He said, “Listen up! We came too far to not come home without they glory, so I want you guys to give it your all and try your best. Carlos, you’re our goal scoring machine, so I need you to try and shoot on-target always, stay with the last defender, and try to win the ball a lot.” “I won’t let you down”, I said. We got into our formation, the 4 – 4 – 2, then the game was underway.
The Road to Glory by: Omar Rodriguez