Goals Unfulfilled
Seth George tells himself that leaving soccer behind and returning to school was the right decision. He knows the sport that brought him such joy and adulation for most of his life has dealt him only heartache and grief the last few years.
But it has been only three months since he retired from soccer at the age of 25 after being released by Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire in the preseason. So the wounds are still a little too fresh and the shock too great to completely move on.
And when he thinks about where he was two years ago--All-American forward at UCLA, the 13th overall pick in the MLS draft by the Los Angeles Galaxy--and where he is now, he struggles even more.
“It’s sad,” he said. “I’m sad a lot. I’ll go for walks, shake my head and think, ‘How did I get here? What happened?’ ”
It bothered George that he was a great goal-scorer at Santa Margarita High and UCLA and a non-factor in the professional game--he scored only three goals in 23 games with the Galaxy in a little more than one season. But it didn’t gnaw at him enough to keep him in the game.
“I didn’t want to be one of those guys who hangs onto this dream until they’re 30 and maybe finally gets a shot, makes some decent money and then it’s over,” he said. “A lot of guys don’t really have a good opportunity to get there, but they’re sticking with it and driving so hard. And they’re not getting any better because they’re not playing. They’re just kind of hanging on the edge. I felt like I was one of those guys.”
Sam George, Seth’s older brother, was also one of those guys. He played five years of indoor soccer before arriving in MLS at 26. He retired last year at 30, with his battered body going on 40.
He tore all the muscles in his lower abdomen and both groins--undergoing four surgeries to repair the damage.
“I figured I better get out while I can still walk,” Sam George said.
Seth decided he better leave so he could get some perspective, and finally start making a little money for his family.
“I could play soccer my whole life, but the money was horrible,” he said. “I was a very one-dimensional person. It was almost depressing, because soccer was all I had.”
While he languished on Sigi Schmid’s bench in Los Angeles behind Cobi Jones and Luis Hernandez, his best man became a fireman and another friend began a career in commercial real estate. His wife, Kerrie, was working for a computer manufacturer and making twice his annual salary of $25,000.
“While these people are going places,” he said, “I’m stagnating for this one little shot to score a goal.”
George did get a few shots in Los Angeles, but not nearly as many as he expected after opting out of a contract with 1860 Munich and signing with MLS early in the 1999 season. That year, he started one game and played 202 minutes.
“That first year, every practice I had at least two goals,” he said. “It felt like every time I got rolling, I was set back.”
In 2000, he started five games, played 459 minutes and scored twice. The more he sat, the more disillusioned he became. By the middle of the season, he was a mess and he asked for his release.
“I was really broken-hearted the way I was treated,” he said. “I lost all my motivation.”
Curt Bauer, who coached George at Santa Margarita, said it was obvious the passion was gone from George’s game.
“Seth’s a pretty emotional player,” Bauer said. “He wants to feel wanted and needed. He plays twice as hard for you when he knows you’re in his corner.”
Schmid, who recruited George out of high school and coached him for four years at UCLA, said he was always in George’s corner.
“I liked Seth and I wished him all kinds of success,” Schmid said. “If you’re going to make it, it’s either going to be about your preparation or your opportunity. Seth simply wasn’t prepared for the opportunity.”
Schmid said George had plenty of chances to prove himself during the 2000 preseason, but he never cashed in on them.
“Against D.C. United, he could have scored four goals in a game,” Schmid said. “But he lost confidence in himself after that and the team lost confidence in him. It was hard to play him much after that.
“Goal scorers are a different breed. A certain arrogance and self-confidence are really necessary. You lose a little bit of that, it’s hard to get it back.”
At UCLA, George obviously had it. He left as the Bruins’ all-time leader in game-winning goals (20), and was fifth in goals (49) and sixth in points (125). In 1997, George was the Final Four offensive MVP as he scored both goals in the Bruins’ 2-0 title-game victory over Virginia. In 1998, he led the Bruins in goals, assists and game-winning goals.
The Galaxy, then coached by Octavio Zambrano, selected George in the second round of the 1999 draft and released him after the 2000 season.
“For some the adjustment to the pros is difficult,” Schmid said. “For Seth to be successful, he has to be scoring goals. Why it didn’t come, it’s hard to put your finger on it.”
Sam George said he is just as baffled.
“Seth was so gifted,” Sam said. “But that goes to show there’s a fine line between excelling in high school and college and carrying it over to the pros.”
When the Galaxy released him, George decided to give his career one more shot, in Chicago, with Sam’s old team. But a few days into training camp, he called Kerrie with some interesting news.
“I said, ‘I don’t know if this is really what I want to do.’ ”
A few weeks later, Chicago Coach Bob Bradley did him a favor by announcing to the team that George was retiring. Bradley asked George if he wanted the coach to help him catch on with an A-League team. But George declined and came home to Mission Viejo. A few weeks later, he was back at UCLA, completing work on an undergraduate degree in history.
After two months of classes, he seems to be thriving.
“It’s been so weird,” he said. “It’s so competitive. I never went to school on a competitive level before. All the desire, effort and passion I put into soccer, I’m now putting into school. Before, I went to school to be eligible to play soccer. Now I go to school to learn. I’m not wasting my time.”
George said he isn’t sure what he’ll do when he graduates next winter. But he probably won’t be playing soccer.
“I haven’t ruled out ever playing soccer again,” he said. “But I don’t think I’ll ever play again professionally.”
Still in decent shape, George is playing for fun when the Orange County Blue Star of the Premier Development League calls and needs an extra player.
“I still love going out there,” he said. “But even that is hard. It’s easier just to stay away from it. It’s rather addicting. I want to just move on to something else for now.”
