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any of our youth soccer players dream of one day becoming professional athletes, to live that dream of playing this beloved game well past high school, college and beyond. The dreams of five young players, products of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer, came true as Major League Soccer (MLS) teams drafted them this year in the 2011 SuperDraft. Zarek Valentin of Lancaster was selected fourth in the first-round to begin his professional career with Chivas USA. Right behind him, the New York Red Bulls were quick to pick up Corey Hertzog from Reading at the #13 spot in the first-round. Next came Mechanicsburg’s Bobby Warshaw, off to play for FC Dallas as they swooped him up at #17 in the first-round. But it wasn’t over for Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer players just yet. In the supplemental draft, Ryan Richter of Southampton would move on for a chance to play in his own “backyard” with the Philadelphia Union and Drew Cost of West Chester would go to Real Salt Lake. Touchline had the opportunity to speak with Zarek Valentin and Bobby Warshaw as they were settling into the new professional phases of their lives. It was time to get reacquainted with our alums. Zarek Valentin always dreamed of playing professional soccer. His older brother, Julian, who also played professionally, is now playing semiprofessional soccer. Valentin grew up playing for the club team PA Classics. He attended Manheim Township High School and the University of Akron. Zarek said he knew the transition to the professional level would be tough, but he was prepared for it. “Things are going pretty well,” said Zarek. “There is a little bit of transition off the field trying to find housing and being in a completely different time zone, but on the field it’s a little
bit smoother. My youth national team trips and events helped me out with the spotlight on the field, and participating in Eastern Pennsylvania’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) for all those years helped as well.” Zarek’s fellow teammates are making the rookie feel at home, showing him the ropes. However, Zarek knows this is the honeymoon. He will be put to the test to earn his spot on the field. Zarek began as a midfielder, but once he joined ODP he moved to defense, where he would make his mark. Zarek was an extra set of eyes from the back part of the pitch. “The Olympic Development Program is what really helped me to excel as a player in the beginning part of my career,” said Zarek. “It helped me open my eyes to how many good players there are out there and really helped me push myself along with the other guys to show how much work I had to do. It taught me skills that are irreplaceable.” Zarek’s advice for kids who want to follow the path to a professional career is the same as what he himself has always lived by. Keep it fun. “Always play with a smile on your face. The game is supposed to be fun, and at the end of the day it is just a game. Some people take it too seriously and forget to smile and enjoy the game. A lot of people do not get the opportunity to play at a highly competitive level. So, enjoy every second and soak everything up. I have seen kids get cut from teams and guys that get put through adversity at a young age rise up against it. Always strive for your goals.” Much like Zarek, Bobby Warshaw, a former Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School student, is enjoying the transition to MLS life. He was practicing up to eight hours a day at the time of this interview and spending the rest of it with his teammates in the clubhouse bonding. “The love for the game of soccer has really helped the transition to the professional level because I am doing something I enjoy all of the time,” said Bobby “The initial toughest transition was playing against the stars of the MLS. It is weird seeing them on television and then playing them. But at the end of the day you have to get over it and realize that they are the same human being you are, and your job is to stop them or if you are on their team to help them and win with them. It is cool, but you kind of got to get over it and play the game.” Bobby grew up playing for his Mechanicsburg
club team and also played for Supernova. At the age of 16, he went on to play for FC Delco and continued to play there until he went to Stanford University. Like Zarek, Bobby also received his fare share of training in ODP. “If you really want the best competition you will find it in ODP,” said Bobby. “That training was invaluable. The best trait I learned from ODP was accountability, which translated into a winning mentality. Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer coach Mike Gorni instructed our team for the first couple of years and he did about as good a job with us as any coach and team I have ever been with. He was hard on us, but it translated into us feeling accountable and feeling like we had control over what we did and what the team did. Making players accountable really translated into creating great team chemistry and a winning team.” Like Zarek, Bobby says the game should come down to kids having fun, and doing it with a smile on your face. Even though Bobby is working for a paycheck now, he gets to have fun while doing it. “Having fun is so important,” said Bobby. “If you do not really enjoy the game or you do not have a passion for it you should not be doing it. My advice to any kid reading this would be to pursue what you really love and whatever really gives you that passion and excitement. For some people who played soccer it might be playing piano or playing baseball but for some it might really be soccer. Ride that energy and excitement of what you do, and put in a lot of work and a lot of hours. Find that passion.” “To a certain degree everyone can do kind of the same move,” said Bobby. “But the guys that are most comfortable can do it with their heads up and look around. The things that I really work on are the Coerver drills, the toe touches, the L’s, V’s, and those things where it is simple, but it is 1,000 touches so that you know where the ball is in relation to your feet, and you do not have to look down at it and you can look up and watch the field. It is the simple dribbling through the cones and the things you do when you are eightyears-old that I still work on to this day.” Zarek and Bobby are among the many professional success stories born within Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer. They show that anything is possible. But it is important to remember the general consensus of these players. Although you have to work hard and be dedicated you also have to have a smile on your face and have fun as you look forward to living the dream.
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