As a native of Dallas-area suburb Garland, 19-year-old defender Carlos Mariano Martinez might not have to travel far to participate in Sueno MLS.
But that doesn't mean he won't be carrying with him a lot of inspiration. His mother was diagnosed with cancer a few years back and was given 5-10 years to live and Martinez clearly wants to be the last man standing as the ultimate tribute to her.
"It (winning Sueno for her) would be an honor," Martinez said. "She is always at the park and helping me do what I have to do to get better and better. She tells me that she knows how hard it is for me and knows how badly I want to do this."
Every time he takes the field, Martinez always remembers how hard his mom works and also how much encouragement she has given him over the years.
"She tells me how glad she is that I think about soccer instead of being into gangs or drugs," he said. "Winning this would let me help her out. She's done everything for me and I want to pay her back by doing this."
As a freshman, Martinez made the varsity team at Lakeview Centennial H.S. in Garland. He later netted eight goals in four games with a junior varsity squad at another school, and is now a senior at Garland H.S. Besides playing in the back, he can also play up top and on the right of midfield.
Martinez has been playing soccer since age three and realizes how stiff the competition will be in Sueno.
"I know that there will be a lot of competition," he said. "There will be a lot of good players from select teams and this will be my first time doing this. I know I will be nervous but will do the best I can to make it in Sueno MLS."
In the 1970s and '80s, his father, Carlos Jr., played for Mexican side Pumas UNAM and only recently did father and son get to play together. It was an emotional experience for the younger Martinez.
"I didn't really get to see him play because he was there (in Mexico) and I wasn't born yet," Martinez said. "My grandparents said he started in their academy when he was young. I would have loved to have seen him play.
"He just quit playing two years ago and we got to play together on an indoor team. I had tears running down my face because that was the first time we ever played together. A lot of people on my team got to play with their parents and I was really glad that I got to experience that. It was an honor to play with him."
About five years ago, when he was 14, Martinez got the opportunity to follow in his dad's footsteps and give professional soccer a shot with the same club his father played for.
"I was going to go to Mexico and play for the Pumas reserves," he said. "But my mom said no because she thought I might get hurt and have nothing to fall back on. So, I stayed here and played on my rec-league team."
Besides soccer, Martinez has also played basketball, football and ice hockey but soccer is where his passion lies. And since he hails from the Dallas area, it's no surprise that he is a big FC Dallas fan and calls 2007 MLS All-Star Juan Toja his favorite player.
"I want to have hair like that," he said. "I went to Toja Wig Night last year and still have that wig. He can move up and down the field and never stops. I really like that part of his game."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
