Futagaki Has Proven to Be Worth Waiting For

Fountain Valley soccer Coach Kevin Smith remembers this little guy running around on his sidelines saying, “One day, I’m going to play for you coach.”

Smith said he always answered, “I don’t know if I’m going to be around that long.”

Fast forward five years. Smith is still the coach and that little guy, Ryan Futagaki, is the star of his team. Futagaki, all of 5 feet 5, 135 pounds, hasn’t grown much in size, but he has become awfully large in stature.

In late November, Futagaki was one of 24 players selected to the U.S. under-17 national team. Futagaki was invited with 100 players from four regions to a tryout camp in Cocoa Beach, Fla. He was one of eight Californians selected to the team.

Smith is happy he stuck around.

A first-team All-Sunset League selection his first two seasons, Futagaki is quickly making everyone at Fountain Valley forget Joey Vazquez, a former Times Orange County player of the year who is redshirting at Cal State Fullerton. Futagaki has five goals and five assists for the Barons, who are off to a 5-1-2 start.

“Joey was a great player who had amazing breakaway speed,” Smith said. “But Ryan’s just a better all-around player. Ryan can score, play defense, he can be the playmaker, he can do it all. He’s just a more polished player.”

Futagaki, who has been playing soccer since age 5, is the third Futagaki to play at Fountain Valley. His brothers, Brandon and Brent, also played for the Barons, but neither impacted a game the way Ryan does.

Smith believes Futagaki has turned his disadvantage into an advantage.

“He’s got such a low center of gravity,” Smith said. “He’s a great dribbler and his balance is amazing. He doesn’t get knocked off the ball at all.”

He doesn’t get intimidated either. Futagaki said he constantly hears about his diminutive frame from opponents, but he’s rarely bothered.

“There’s a lot of trash-talking,” he said. “Sometimes it’s racial stuff, like you’re never going to grow because . . . I know they’re just trying to get me out of my game, but it makes me play harder.”

Futagaki’s body is able to handle more of the physical play this year now that he’s added five pounds of muscle. Smith said Futagaki is also tougher than he looks.

“He’s quick and strong,” Smith said. “He’s only 135, but you can feel every bit of that 135 pounds on a tackle. Guys can’t get close to him. Sometimes he can hold the ball for almost a minute before guys begin to close on him. And he doesn’t back away from any tackle.”

Though maybe he should have last year. A deep thigh bruise he sustained last year when he was playing for his club team, the Mission Viejo Pateadores, caused Futagaki to miss nearly half of Fountain Valley’s season.

In Futagaki’s freshman season, the Barons advanced to the Southern Section Division I finals before losing to Simi Valley Royal, 5-4, in the title game. Vazquez was the star of that team, but Futagaki started every game and surprised himself and his opponents by making first-team all-league.

“They probably laughed at me and thought, ‘Oh, this little kid, what can he do,’ ” Futagaki said.

Said Smith: “I never really saw him play until his freshman season. But he was 10 times better than most everybody else. He looked like he was about 12 though.”

Last year, Fountain Valley barely qualified for the playoffs and lost in the first round. Futagaki should have a lot more to say about where the Barons finish this season. Smith said Futagaki’s center midfielder position will be expanded.

“He’s got pretty much free rein this year,” Smith said. “Ryan’s going to be more of a creator from the midfield.”

Futagaki said he already has seen some positive signs with this year’s team.

“We have a lot more talent,” he said. “I feel a lot more comfortable with the players around me.”

Yet Smith worries that the players around Futagaki occasionally slow him down.

“Ryan’s just in another class than a lot of players in high school and I know it’s frustrating for him sometimes,” Smith said.

Futagaki said he’s at his best when he plays the best.

“I like it when I’m playing against better people,” he said. “It’s a total change from high school, where there’s not a lot of club players on the field. In Florida, I was playing the best of the best.”

On the bus ride to the airport, Futagaki was notified that he had been selected for the national team.

“I played really good and I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t made it, but it felt good when they told me,” he said. “It’s brought my confidence up a lot.”

By making the national team, Futagaki fulfilled the first of his four goals.

“I wanted to make the national team, become a four-year letterman, go to a four-year college and then go pro,” Futagaki said.

As Smith learned, Futagaki is pretty good about keeping his promises.