Munoz Decides to Stick Around
It’s not often a high school soccer player has to choose whether to stay with his team or pursue professional opportunities in Sweden, Norway . . . or San Jose. But that was the dilemma Los Alamitos forward Mike Munoz faced this fall.
Surely, none of Munoz’s teammates or his coach, Trey Scharlin, would have blamed him for taking the money and running off to the Bay Area for a chance to play in the MLS or to Europe. But Munoz, ever the team player, decided to stay and finish what he started at Los Alamitos.
He also kept his word to California soccer coach, Kevin Grimes, who had offered him a scholarship.
Now that the high school season is nearly over, Munoz has no regrets. The Griffins (14-2-4) are off to one of their best starts ever and are in the hunt to win their first Sunset League title in nine years.
Even though he has missed six games with groin and Achilles tendon injuries, Munoz has a team-high nine goals, three in league, and six assists for Los Alamitos, which is 4-1-1, two points ahead of Huntington Beach (4-1).
“Once I realized we had a chance for CIF, I knew I had to stay,” Munoz said. “I couldn’t do that to my team.”
Scharlin said he would hate to think of his team without Munoz. “His one-on-one skills, his work ethic and his leadership skills are all outstanding,” Scharlin said.
Munoz’s scoring statistics aren’t as outstanding as he would like, but Scharlin said there is a good reason for that.
“Mike is getting man-marked the whole game, and then when he touches the ball, he’s getting double-teamed,” Scharlin said. “The attention he draws helps everyone else.”
The statistics prove that point. Seven different players scored in Los Alamitos’ first six league games.
Last Friday in the rain, no one scored for the Griffins, who lost at Marina, 1-0. Munoz hopes the loss to Marina, which won only its second league game, will remind his teammates that a league title and the playoffs are not a done deal.
“That was a fairly huge setback,” he said. “I hope it was a reality check. I think we all were getting a little cocky.”
These days, it would be hard for Munoz not to be a little cocky, but he is trying to keep things in perspective. “It’s a little flattering to have all this attention,” he said. “I didn’t really expect any of it.”
Munoz said he started getting noticed last summer while playing at a club tournament in San Jose. A talent scout set up a tryout with the San Jose Earthquakes and arranged offers for tryouts with professional club teams in Sweden and Norway. After a one-day tryout with the Earthquakes, Munoz said he was offered a contract.
Munoz said he was more intrigued by Europe than the MLS.
“It’s always been my dream to play pro soccer in Europe,” he said. “It was tough to turn them down, but my time will come.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Second-ranked Santa Margarita (17-3-2, 3-0) will travel to fourth-ranked Mater Dei (18-2-3, 1-1-1) Wednesday afternoon, but the game probably won’t decide the Serra League title as most people predicted.
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
BOYS’ SOCCER TOP 10
Orange County Sportswriters’ Poll
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Pos. School (League) Rec 1. Dana Hills (South Coast) 17-1-3 2. Santa Margarita (Serra) 17-3-2 3. El Dorado (Empire) 17-1-2 4. Mater Dei (Serra) 18-2-3 5. Capistrano Valley (S. Coast) 17-3-5 6. Los Alamitos (Sunset) 14-2-4 7. Huntington Beach (Sunset) 9-3-1 8. Esperanza (Sunset) 9-2-4 9. Brea (Orange) 20-1-0 10. Woodbridge (Sea View) 13-4-3
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Others: Marina 11-6-4, Fountain Valley (8-5-5), Laguna Hills 8-3-6, Sonora (12-4-2), University (8-5-4)
