Castillo Selling Life Now Instead of Shoes

Julio Castillo, Reseda High boys’ soccer coach, was 8 when he started working after school, selling shoes on a street corner in his native Guatemala.

Castillo earned 25 cents a day, enough to eventually buy a pair of shoes. He wanted to be one of the few kids in his neighborhood of La Bethania who wore shoes to play soccer on dusty sandlots.

“[Reseda’s players] don’t appreciate the fields they play on,” Castillo said. “At least they have grass.”

Reseda forward William Sims also came from Guatemala, but his background is much different than Castillo’s.

Sims, whose father, Oscar, played professional soccer in Guatemala and was on the national team, wasn’t exposed to the same hardships encountered by Castillo.

In 1985, at age 10, Castillo came to the United States to escape the poverty. Sims came in 1990.

“My main thing is I don’t want the [Reseda] boys to look at themselves as just another Hispanic,” Castillo said. “I want to give my boys the opportunity to be someone special and achieve better than I have. That’s the reason my mom brought me here.”

Castillo’s influence is helping Sims keep his priorities straight. The two didn’t known each other in Guatemala, but are using their heritage to forge a friendship and help maintain Reseda’s strong program.

“The reason I’m staying at Reseda is I understand what these boys are going through,” Castillo said. “I want them to go to school and get a good education.”

Each has taken a different path, but Castillo and Sims are living the American dream. Castillo will graduate from Cal State Northridge in the spring and Sims, among the region’s top players, is aiming for a college scholarship.

“I think I want to go pro right out of high school, but people keep telling me to go to college to see how it is first,” Sims said. “I have been keeping my options open by keeping my grades up.”

Sims, a junior forward who is bused to Reseda from South Central Los Angeles, could finish among the top players ever at the school, although not likely the leading career scorer. His brother, Oscar, set Reseda’s career record with 72 goals from 1995-98.

Sims has 33 goals, but said he’ll find a way to break the record.

“I’m going to have to finish every opportunity I get and get help from my teammates, but I think I can do it,” Sims said.

Reseda featured some outstanding players in the past, including Marvin Quijano of the Galaxy and Jose Mejia, who is playing professionally in El Salvador, which leaves a long road ahead for Sims to travel before joining the school’s all-time elite.

“Until he has a championship ring, he can’t be better than us,” Oscar Sims said. “He could be better, but the level of high school soccer has gone down and everything is easier than it used to be. The competition isn’t as tough.”

Some who have seen Sims play have been impressed.

“He’s a natural player,” Hart Coach Robert Ciccone said. “He’s been the best high school forward I’ve seen.”

Sims has 21 goals in 16 games despite being double- and triple-teamed every game. The Regents are 14-3-1.

“Anyone can be stopped, but it’s not easy to stop me, because my ability of going one on one against people is my weapon and I’m good at it,” Sims said.

For Castillo, success is measured by more than victories and losses.

“If you are judging him for what he’s done for those he’s [touched] as a soccer coach, he’s a true American success story,” Northridge Coach Terry Davila said.

“He’s definitely made life better for his family and has been a tremendous role model for his players.”