This Soccer Prodigy Is Well-Traveled

As a young girl, Alexa Orand was so mischievous that she used duct tape to tie up her baby-sitter, who happened to be sleeping on a couch. That caused the baby-sitter to never return.

Soccer became the perfect vehicle for Orand to release her energy, creativity and emotion.

“I was a hyper kid, so my mom would take me to practice to get away,” she said.

At 17, Orand might be the No. 1 girls’ soccer player in the nation. She spent most of November traveling and playing in Thailand as the youngest member of the under-19 U.S. national team.

“The sky’s the limit,” said under-19 Coach Mark Krikorian of Orand’s soccer potential.

Orand, a junior at Orange El Modena, is part of a growing group of elite players who are not playing high school soccer because of the demanding year-round training of the U.S. soccer program. Instead, she plays point guard for the girls’ basketball team.

By next month, Orand hopes to finalize a college choice, with all of the nation’s top soccer programs in pursuit of the only player to have made the 2004 Parade magazine All-American team as a sophomore. UCLA, Stanford and Santa Clara are the schools in contention.

If only the students at El Modena realized they had a real sports prodigy walking around campus. Orand signed autographs in Thailand and is recognized as one of the most promising standouts in women’s soccer.

“She has an awful lot of outstanding athletic qualities,” Krikorian said. “One thing that separates her is she’s very good running at defenders. It’s a unique trait. She needs to thank her folks for wonderful genes. Somewhere down the line, somebody gave her some great ideas on how to play the game.”

Speed and the ability to create scoring opportunities are Orand’s greatest assets. But she knows each level she plays, the challenges become tougher.

“You could be a great college player, but once you play internationally, everybody is fast,” she said. “Ninety percent of the game is mental. Your creativity has to be there.”

The 5-foot-6 midfielder has traveled to Germany, France, England, Canada, Ireland and Mexico for soccer competitions. Sometimes her parents have to remind her to take a break. That’s where basketball fits in. Orand stayed away from soccer for most of December.

She has a younger sister, Mackenzie, who plays for an under-15 club team, and the two can often be found practicing together in the backyard.

Some are concerned that the commitment to national competitions is forcing top teenage players to abandon the high school ranks.

“Some of these players are playing and training so much it’s making them over-train,” Krikorian said. “In my generation, everyone played high school. Unfortunately, society has dictated that kids specialize today. It’s a changing landscape of soccer and maybe sports in society.”

Eron Campuzano, the girls’ soccer coach at El Modena, understands Orand’s priorities.

“It would be neat to see her out there for the school, but she plays basketball,” he said.

By the time Orand returned to El Modena after her under-19 national team play, she was in no condition to start a hectic high school soccer season.

“I took a test every day for two weeks,” she said. “I needed a break.”

But any break Orand takes isn’t for long. Playing soccer is a part of her life and will help shape her future.

“I love it,” she said.

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