January 09, 2009

There are times when Pablo Cruz dribbles the soccer ball like he has Velcro attached to his cleats.

He’s clever with possessions in ways that extend beyond technical skill. Some players simply have the gift of making things happen, and Cruz is certainly one of them.
 

Yes, the Los Angeles Football Club U18 midfielder is a standout in more ways than one. But just because he’s been blessed with style doesn’t mean he’s a showy player.

Far from it.

Pablo Cruz is small, but plays a big game.Whatever flair Cruz may display on the soccer field comes organically. In fact, he’s as soft-spoken and understated off the field as he is entertaining on it.

“People always say that I try to entertain, but that’s just how I play,” Cruz said. “I love to dribble. It’s just in my blood.”

It’s also in his memory bank.

Cruz grew up watching his favorite Mexican League stars, infatuated with their attacking styles. He harnessed his moves on the pitch in Pasadena, CA while playing for a Latino league every Saturday.

“The Latino style is more action,” Cruz said. “The way we play the game – we attack, and that’s our main priority.”

But Cruz has learned to balance his priorities on the field. His decision-making is constantly getting better and he’s beginning to make defensive presence a main concern.

These were two areas he displayed improvement in during his play at the US U18 training camp last week in Carson, California.

Despite a sparkling camp that saw Cruz turn some heads, he did not make the 18-man roster that was invited to Australia.

“It’s difficult when you get that many players in to watch,” said his LAFU U18 coach Josh Henderson. “Maybe the coaches saw something they didn’t like. He’s not the biggest guy, but if you watch Brazil and their youth national team they aren’t a bunch of giants either.”

The camp was far from a failure however, and Cruz earned the respect of the players there.

South Carolina midfielder Justin Watson said plainly, “I love playing with that guy.”

Other players shared the sentiment, as he shined along the likes of Miles Byass, Jose Altamirano, Amobi Okugo, Scott Caldwell, Scott Prozeller and Kofi Sarkodie.

All of which made his omission from the final team somewhat of a surprise – he played with the elite group on the second to last scrimmage, but was placed on another squad for the final Sunday.

“I was disappointed I didn’t get called. I felt like maybe I should’ve been,” Cruz said. “But I thought it was a great experience and I look at it like God has a better plan for me. I have to try harder next time and let it motivate me to work hard.”

Henderson loves his player’s attitude.

“He hasn’t complained about it, which is easy for some kids to do,” Henderson said. “He’s focused on what he can do and it speaks volumes about what kind of kid he is. He’s always early to practice and great to be around. I’ve got to coach some talented kids, but rarely do they have the off the field attributes he does. I haven’t seen many like him.”

Cruz is now focusing on playing college soccer, possibly at UCLA, and continuing to improve.

He seems to learn from every experience he’s afforded, like when he traveled to Japan with the US U17 squad and played against various countries.

So what did Cruz gather from competing against the likes of Japan and Australia?

Probably something stylistic to add to his wide arsenal, right? Wrong.

“Other countries work so hard,” he said. “They’re always playing soccer – until it gets dark. That let’s me know I need to work harder too.”

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