Francisco Moreno is one of just two goalkeepers remaining in Sueno MLS Dallas 2008 but that is only a small part of his compelling story. Moreno, a 19-year-old from Dallas who is currently a senior at Adamson H.S., was born in Mexico but came to the U.S. when he was two. His family moved back there two years ago but Moreno returned after a year to finish high school.
He now lives with a lifelong friend, with his family back in Mexico. In fact, he hasn't even seen them in two years. But even though he has been away from them so long, they remain the source of his drive.
"I'm here by myself trying to make something out of my life and to help them out in Mexico," Moreno said. "That's my motivation, is to help them out with what they need, to have a better life and to get a good career.
"It's been two years since I've seen them but hopefully one day, I will be able to go back and see them. Two years is a long time and I really miss them. That's one of the reasons I'm still here. I want to help my family and be able to see them again soon."
Besides wanting to finish high school, his reasons for returning to Dallas were simple.
"I was over there for a year but wasn't going to school or anything while I was there," he said. "I was just working for my dad. It was a great job but I didn't like not going to school. I wanted to come back and finish high school. I came back and my whole family stayed there."
He started playing soccer when he was eight, when he and one of his brothers used to go to a neighborhood park to practice. That is also when he first played in goal and Moreno was instantly hooked.
"Everybody would be trying to figure out where they were going to play and I saw the goalie standing by himself and I went over there," he recalled. "I stayed and started playing goalie. I kept on playing and practicing and that's how I became a goalie."
And there is much that Moreno loves about being between the posts.
"You can see the whole game from back there," he said. "You can control your defenders and your whole team. You're also responsible for a lot back there. One of my favorites is Guillermo Ochoa, who plays for Club America and the Mexican national team. One day, I hope to meet him and maybe play on the same team with him."
Moreno played basketball at Adamson his first two years of high school but it was as a sophomore that he first ventured onto the soccer field and the results were immediate. As a junior, he was named District 4A-12 goalkeeper of the year for the Leopards, an honor he hopes to repeat in his recently completed senior year.
Last Saturday, he and the other 17 players remaining in Sueno Dallas met for a two-hour training session at Pizza Hut Park. Moreno took a great deal from that workout.
"I learned a lot. I thought the practice was at a professional level and I learned a lot of things that I never thought I would need as a goalie. Even though I had never done those drills before, I think that I did pretty well," he said. "I learned a lot and plan to use what I learned in the future to make myself better. Everything went well. I feel positive going into the game on Saturday. I will do my best to do a good job and to keep them from scoring."
During that session, he also got to know the other remaining 'keeper, Raul Herrera of Richardson. "I didn't know him before last Saturday," Moreno admitted. "But we started talking last weekend and now, we're friends. He's a pretty cool guy."
While Moreno might be the only member of his immediate family in Dallas, that doesn't mean he's alone. He has a number of aunts, uncles and cousins in the area. "I usually call my mom every week or two and let her know how everything is going," Moreno said. "They (my other family here) also let her know how I'm doing."
During the opening weekend of Sueno, Moreno lost his only remaining grandfather and his thoughts immediately shifted to how his mother was faring.
"When it happened, I was thinking about how my mom was doing because I didn't have a chance to call her then," he said. "But my family that's here went to see her and told her what I great job I was doing in Sueno. My mom is very proud of me right now and she has told me that. Hopefully, one day, my dream will come true and I will get to go and see them."
Moreno takes great pride in how far he has come but knows it will take more hard work if he is to become one of the Sueno finalists this weekend.
"If I become one of the finalists, that would be a dream come true and something I have always wanted," he said. "Being one of the 18 left is good but to keep going would be even better. That would be very emotional for me because I could show my family that I had accomplished one of my goals."
He also wants to keep going so that his mother and family back in Mexico can continue to see him on TV.
"Hopefully, my mom will be able to see me on TV," Moreno said. "It's very special for them that I'm one of the 18 left. They tell other families that they have a famous cousin because they saw me on TV. Becoming a finalist is something every player would want. That would put me closer to having a chance of playing pro soccer."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
