Two Players Put High School on Hold
High school soccer or the chance to play against the best in the world? Not much of a choice for Capistrano Valley’s Jordan Harvey or Woodbridge’s David Chun, who will each play about half a season of high school soccer and then leave in mid-January to join the under-16 national team in Bradenton, Fla.
Harvey and Chun, sophomore midfielders, are part of a residency program the U.S. Soccer Federation implemented last year for its top youth players.
Harvey and Chun are the county’s two players on the 18-man team. A roster trim will be made in June to determine the roster for the FIFA Under-17 World Championship in Trinidad in 2001. If Harvey and Chun are chosen, they won’t return to their high schools until their senior year.
“It’s just such an opportunity,” Harvey said. “You can’t pass it up.”
When they aren’t traveling the world, competing against other youth teams, Harvey and Chun will be attending a private academy in Bradenton and train with their teammates.
Woodbridge Coach Jon Szczuka said he’s thrilled for Chun, even if his loss hurts the Warriors’ postseason chances.
“What they’ll be exposed to is something they’d never get in a normal environment, certainly not in high school soccer,” Szczuka said. “It’s something we’ll have to plan for and a decision you have to make as a coach. Do you play them in the beginning or try to base the season around not having them?”
Szczuka said the choice wasn’t hard.
“David’s done so much for the program,” he said. “He’ll be in the starting lineup until he gets on that plane.”
Capistrano Valley Coach Ron Willms will be without Harvey for today’s game against Santa Margarita and possibly five more in the Fresno tournament while Harvey is away at registration
and training. Harvey returns Sunday, then leaves for good after the third South Coast League game.
“It’s good news, bad news,” Willms said. “The good news is I have him for a while. The bad news is I lose him when I need him most.”
Said Harvey: “I hope my teammates aren’t mad. I hope they understand I have to do this.”
This year’s under-17 national team finished fourth at the World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand. Three of its players were signed to foreign club contracts, including Redlands’ Landon Donovan, who is playing in Germany.
Szczuka predicts Chun, who had six game-winning goals for the Division II champion Warriors last season, will also play overseas.
“I don’t think he’ll be coming back,” Szczuka said. “Once they see how well he trains every single day, someone will want him. In the situation he’s in, he’ll be a pro within a year or so. He does everything. He scores, he will not be beaten defensively and he never has a bad day.”
Although Szczuka said the residency camp won’t be a great fit for every teenager, he believes Chun and Harvey will thrive in their new environment.
“They’re getting their education and their soccer,” Szczuka said. “These guys are soccer heads. They’re getting to focus on what they want to do. I’m ecstatic for them.”
MIKELSON ALSO TAKING LEAVE
In addition to missing his top midfielder for half the season, Willms will be without starting goalkeeper Zach Mikelson for the first eight games. Mikelson will be with his club team, the Santa Anita Breakaway, at the Adidas Showcase tournament in Charlotte, N.C. The club tournament will be held before the NCAA Final Four games.
“It’s a great chance for me to play in front of a lot of college coaches,” said Mikelson, a junior. “I think the team will be fine without me.”
Mikelson will be replaced by defenders Luis Vega and Arthur Araiza, each with goalkeeper experience. Mikelson, who is bothered by a sprained right ankle, won’t leave for North Carolina until Dec. 9. But Southern Section rules say he can’t mix club and high school soccer, so he won’t be eligible to play for Capistrano Valley until he returns from North Carolina.
IRVINE A NO-GO
The Irvine tournament, which was scheduled to begin Friday and run through Dec. 10, has been canceled because of scheduling problems, tournament director Rich Breza said.
“I can take the blame,” Breza said. “I didn’t know I’d stay with the school and I got started on planning it late. I got a lot of cooperation from the school, but not a lot from people outside of the school.”
The 12-team round-robin tournament was to have featured Huntington Beach, Woodbridge, San Clemente, Newport Harbor, Estancia and Irvine. Breza, who notified schools four weeks ago that the tournament was being canceled, said he has tried to help teams coordinate makeup games. Breza said he is confident the event will return next year.
