Last Marcus Brother Shall Be First at Edison : Soccer: Charger Coach Trent says his youngest brother, Todd, is the one with the most talent.

Edison High boys’ soccer Coach Trent Marcus would prefer that people didn’t talk about his playing career at Edison. The less said, the better.

“I’m a better coach than I was a player,” Marcus said. “I was a 12th man, if that. I’ve got a different perspective than everyone else.”

Fortunately for Marcus’ four brothers, their older brother had perspective.

“I was the one that got everybody excited about soccer,” Marcus said. “I enjoyed it and stuck with it. I saw it through. I think soccer is a great sport to not only develop as an individual, but also be part of a team.”

Now, eight years after Marcus began the family tradition of playing for Edison, the youngest brother, Todd, is finishing it with a bang. As a junior, Todd Marcus was named first-team All-Sunset League and second-team Times’ all-county after finishing with 14 goals and 10 assists. Now as a senior, Marcus is one of the top forwards in Orange County.

Though he’s reluctant to talk about his playing career, Trent isn’t afraid to talk up his brother’s.

“Todd is the most talented of all of us,” Trent said. “He has a sharper focus than the rest of us. I think he’s inspired by his talent. When you know you’re good at something, you tend to spend a bit more time with it.”

Andy Strouse, who played with the Splash and the Salsa and is now an Edison assistant coach, said he has seen all five brothers play soccer.

“Todd’s by far the best,” Strouse said. “A lot of it is natural, but playing the game since he was young is definitely a bonus. He plays differently than the others. Attitude and personality-wise, they’re about the same, but Todd’s just bigger than the others. He’s talented with the ball and he’s more a physical presence.”

Marcus showed his talent and his presence in Edison’s 3-0 opening game upset of top-ranked Orange two weeks ago. He scored a goal, assisted on another and drew the penalty that gave the Chargers their other goal on a free kick.

“That just shows how important he is to our team,” Strouse said. “He just completely took control of the game and dominated it.”

Marcus played that game with a badly bruised right foot, which he hurt during a game with his club team. But Marcus has not played since the Orange game and the Chargers have felt Marcus’ loss. Without him, they have lost two and tied two.

Last week’s X-rays on his right foot were inconclusive and doctors told Marcus he can probably return to the field before Christmas. He has tried stay in touch with the game by encouraging his team from the sideline during practices and games, but coaching is not the same as playing.

“I’ve been playing soccer year-round for three years,” he said. “I had opportunities to play other sports, but I decided to stick to what I knew best.”

Todd Marcus said he can’t remember a time when he wasn’t playing soccer.

“I think I got into a league when I was 4 or 5,” he said. “It was always really fun for me.”

But it wasn’t always really easy. When Marcus entered Edison three years ago, he struggled with his gawky body.

“He was the slowest guy on the team,” Trent Marcus said of his brother. “Now, he’s 6-2 and the fastest guy on the team. He still had talent back then but he was falling all over himself for a couple years.”

Back then, Todd Marcus was a freshman playing on the junior varsity.

“With my brother coaching the junior varsity, I wanted to make sure I deserved to make the team as a freshman,” Todd said. “I didn’t want anybody to say there was any favoritism, so I wanted to be the best player on the team.”

Fortunately, Trent Marcus, in his second year as varsity coach, doesn’t have to worry about people saying he’s playing favorites anymore.

“I went four years without saying anything about Todd,” Trent said. “I don’t play favorites. I let his talent speak for itself. He doesn’t need me anyway. He’s good enough on his own.”

How good?

“I think he can go as far as he wants,” Strouse said.