For Rodriguez, Dreams Expand Into the Galaxy : Soccer: Mission College midfielder hopes to play for L.A.’s new professional team.
One sweeping glance at the soccer field confirms what many people have known for some time: Miller Rodriguez is not long for the amateur ranks.
All it takes to reach that conclusion is to watch his confidence and control. From his elegant stride to his nimble footwork to his keen understanding of the game, Rodriguez is clearly a gifted player with a potentially bright professional future.
Even his coach at Mission College, Adolfo Perez, wonders whether his star midfielder will return next year for his sophomore season.
“I would love for him to come back,” said Perez, a former standout at Cal State Northridge who coached the El Camino Real High boys’ team last season. “Realistically, the chances are slim. But I’m going to do everything within my power to keep him in school.”
Rodriguez, 19, would like to play for pay someday. Little else besides soccer interests him and schoolwork hasn’t been his forte, so the decision might be an easy one.
And with America’s new professional venture, Major League Soccer, set to start with 10 teams in March, Rodriguez might have a viable option even though few of the players signed by the clubs are under 21.
But Rodriguez hopes to get a tryout with the Los Angeles Galaxy, which will play at the Rose Bowl. The team’s main drawing card is Jorge Campos, the colorful former goalie on the Mexican national team.
“A lot of people tell me I have a good chance, that I could play pro,” Rodriguez said. “I’d love to.”
Those people have seen the potential Rodriguez displayed in youth leagues and later at Kennedy High, where he led the Golden Cougars to the City Section quarterfinals in 1993 and ’94. Kennedy was headed for the playoffs again in 1995, his senior season, but was forced to forfeit several games because a player broke City rules by playing with an adult club on weekends during the season.
The player was not publicly identified but speculation centered on Rodriguez because of his considerable skills. But Rodriguez and Perez, who have known each other for nearly a decade, deny the charge.
“I can’t remember the name of the kid, but I guarantee you it wasn’t Miller,” Perez said.
After last season, Rodriguez wasn’t sure where he was headed. His soccer prowess would have opened doors at any Division I program, but his school transcripts would have slammed them closed. Between soccer and socializing, there was little time in high school to study.
“Now I think back and say, ‘Dang, I wish I could correct all the mistakes,’ ” Rodriguez said. “Guys I used to play with in my club team [California Stars] are playing in [UC] Santa Barbara and UCLA.”
Rodriguez, 5 feet 11 and 165 pounds, had to go the junior college route. And when Perez was hired as coach of the Free Spirit a few months ago, he persuaded Rodriguez to play. Perez was Rodriguez’s first coach in an organized youth league.
With Perez’s guidance and Rodriguez’s leadership, the Free Spirit has improved dramatically.
After a 2-1 loss to Hancock in a Western State Conference matchup Tuesday at the Van Nuys field where Mission plays its home games, the Free Spirit was 7-2-4, 2-2-2 in conference play. That’s a remarkable turnabout from last year’s 0-11-1 finish.
This is a much different squad, one Perez virtually put together from scratch. There are only a handful of holdovers surrounded by 17 newcomers.
But Rodriguez is the undisputed centerpiece, the guy who makes everyone hold his breath whenever he touches the ball.
He has only three goals but leads the team in assists with seven, evidence of the playmaking ability that Perez said makes Rodriguez so valuable.
“As a coach, you run across a player such as Miller once or twice in your life,” Perez said. “His field of vision is unbelievable. He’s extremely unselfish. What makes him truly unique is that he’s very humble.”
Rodriguez, who was born in Cali, Colombia, and moved to the Valley when he was 4, patterns his play after Carlos (Pibe) Valderrama, the wild-haired midfielder on the Colombian national team who is considered one of the best at the position.
“I like to create things with my forwards,” Rodriguez said. “To play my position, you have to think. . . . That’s why I like Pibe, because he makes things happen. He controls everything.”
By next spring, Rodriguez could be controlling the action someplace other than Mission.
If his childhood dream of turning pro is not enough to persuade him if given the opportunity, the $25,000 minimum salary in the MLS might do the trick.
That’s a decision Rodriguez will have to make, but one that might be a slam dunk.
“Soccer is like life to me,” he said.
