Attitude, Leadership, Voice Help Him Excel : Soccer: World Games give Mission Viejo High graduate Scott Rogers a chance to show his skills on the field--and as a singer.
As Scott Rogers watched Monday’s World Cup game between Brazil and the United States, his feelings of allegiance were tempered by concerns of self-preservation.
Rogers, 19, will leave at the end of summer to spend two years in Brazil as a Mormon missionary.
“I was very stuck,” Rogers said about watching the game July 4. “I wanted to see the U.S. win, but I was actually worried, with what happened to the Colombian player.”
That Colombian player--midfielder Andres Escobar--was murdered last Saturday in his hometown of Medellin in apparent retaliation for knocking the ball into his own net June 22 during Colombia’s loss to the U.S.
Rogers was afraid for his well-being should the U.S. team score another upset.
“I was very worried that Brazil, if they would lose to the U.S., their fans might not like me much when I went down there.”
Rogers, who says he has always been a fan of Brazilian soccer and especially enjoys watching their playmaking, will be staying in Porto Alegre, about 900 miles south of Rio de Janeiro.
“I expect to pick up some soccer tips here and there,” Rogers said. “I hope to bring back some of their culture, their way of life . . . and a little more knowledge of the game.”
Rogers, who graduated from Mission Viejo High in 1993, already is pretty knowledgeable about the sport, having played since he was 6. He has two brothers and two sisters who also play.
In fact, a brother, Mike, 17, is his teammate on the Mission Viejo Vikings, one of the American Youth Soccer Organization teams participating in the inaugural World Games this week in Mission Viejo.
The World Games, featuring 3,200 players between the ages of 8 and 19, began Tuesday night with opening ceremonies at Trabuco Hills High.
Rogers was asked to sing the national anthem in front of more than 6,000 players, coaches, parents and fans in the school’s football stadium.
He said being so honored didn’t come as a surprise.
“I started singing in talent shows when I was 5 years old,” said Rogers, who had no formal voice lessons until he reached high school. “I made the highest choir there is at high school, then I started taking professional lessons. I’ve been taking lessons about three years now. My teacher tells me I have a natural ability to sing.”
He also is a natural on the soccer field.
Rogers chose not to play soccer while attending Saddleback College on a part-time basis this past school year. Instead, he worked full-time in Laguna Niguel with a contract agency for the Immigration and Naturalization Service and continued with his AYSO team.
Bill Irvine, coach of the Vikings, has high praise for his team captain.
“Scott is a very dependable young man and a pleasure to coach,” Irvine said. “He treats the responsibility of being team captain as he does playing soccer--very aggressively and completely. He helps players with morale problems and is good with the younger kids up to the older kids with their different personalities. He’s a very good intermediary.
“Scott is a very enjoyable kid to have around and working with you, not for you.”
When asked what sets him apart from his peers, Rogers downplays his soccer skills.
“I’m not the best, skill-wise. (Mike) has me beat in skill,” Rogers said. “I think it would be my attitude. I’m not a real negative player. I’ll get upset, and I’ll get mad, but I don’t usually vent frustration. I’ve learned leadership abilities as far as keeping people cool on the field.
“I’ve always been one of the higher-ranked (skill) players, but not No. 1. I can play anywhere on the field, including goalie. It’s just my dribbling skills aren’t what they should be. But I keep a good attitude on the field, and that helps me play better.”
Rogers’ skills and leadership are currently being put to the test in the World Games, which feature teams from throughout Southern California, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Hawaii, as well as teams from Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
Competition began Thursday and will continue through the division championships today and Sunday at sites throughout Mission Viejo.
“I’m really excited to play,” Rogers said of the games. “I can’t predict who’s going to do real well . . . I would expect Germany to do well, but then I would be stereotyping. It’s all pretty exciting.”
World Games are being played simultaneously in Honolulu, Kalamazoo, Mich., and Sunnyvale, Calif., during the break between the World Cup’s Round of 16 that ended Tuesday and the quarterfinals beginning Saturday.
Rogers is happy about the exposure his favorite sport is receiving.
“For someone like me, who’s been playing for 13 years, it’s like, ‘The World Cup is coming to the U.S.A. . . .’ Good, maybe people will wake up. It’s really exciting to see people getting excited about soccer.”
