Julian Valentin is earning his "Scarface" nickname the hard way, requiring seven more stitches on Sunday to repair the most famously bloody face in college soccer.
Valentin, a 6-0, 180-pound defender who arrived at the adidas MLS Player Combine at Lockhart Stadium a day late after playing in a U.S. under-23 national team camp, didn't take long to make his presence felt. He has needed stitches to fix his face five times already in his young career.
"I seem to collect scars like a hobby," said Valentin, 20, who is from Lancaster, Pa.
Valentin's most well-known incident came last month in the NCAA College Cup final against Ohio State. With Wake Forest leading 2-1 and just nine minutes left, Valentin went up for a header.
Unfortunately for Valentin, Ohio State's Roger Espinoza tried to poke the ball away with a dangerously high kick. Espinoza's boot caught Valentin in the face, cutting him in four places -- on his right eyebrow, across the bridge of his nose and in two areas below his right eye.
"When I got to the sideline, I started yelling at the trainer to wrap me up and get me back in the game," said Valentin, who would need 25 stitches to close the gashes. "But I quickly realized that there was too much blood."
A few minutes later, Valentin would be rewarded for the blood he left out on the field as the Demon Deacons held on for their first-ever NCAA title.
"As soon as the game was over," Valentin said, "I grabbed the trophy and started running around like a little kid."
Valentin said he got a phone call from Espinoza the next day, apologizing for the play. Ironically, the two players were teammates in Sunday's combine game, leading adidas Trofeo to a 1-1 tie against adiTunit.
"He is a classy guy," Valentin said. "Injuries happens in soccer sometimes. We've moved on. We just joke about it now. When I saw him here, I just asked him if he is working on his karate because that's what he looked like on that kick."
Valentin's latest injury happened as he again tried to head the ball. His opponent jumped late and collided with Valentin's forehead, re-opening the stitches that had held his right eyebrow in place.
Valentin's reaction?
"I won the ball on both plays," he said proudly in a quote that should warm the hearts of MLS coaches and general managers.
Valentin is proud of a lot of things. For starters, he graduated in just 3 1/2 years with a degree in English. He earned a 3.4 grade-point average and would love a career as a sportswriter when his playing days are over.
On the field, Valentin considers it an honor that he and his Wake teammates accomplished something that had never been done before at the school.
"When I got there, Wake was regarded as a top program that had never performed well in the postseason," he said, sounding very much like a future writer. "We had a label as a choking program, but we shattered that reputation."
Valentin had help from goalkeeper Brian Edwards, midfielder Pat Phelan and the rest of his teammates. Edwards and Phelan are also at this week's combine -- three players the most any school has represented at the combine -- and if they end up on different MLS teams Valentin would relish the challenge of facing his ex-mates.
"It would be a bit weird because of all we have been through," Valentin said. "Brian was my roommate the past two years, so we are really close. But I love scoring on him in practice."
Confident? Sure, but that's what happens when you play for the USA at under-17, under-18, under-20 and under-23 levels. Because of his youth national team experience, he has played in numerous countries, including Italy, Spain, France, England, Holland, Germany, South Korea, Finland, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala and Costa Rica.
In college, he started 78 games, scoring 12 goals and dishing five assists. But stats don't tell the entire story for Valentin.
"I think I'm pretty brave," said Valentin, who has Puerto Rican ancestry on his father's side of the family and German from his mom. "I go into situations that other guys might avoid. I like to think of myself as fearless."
Valentin said he is a "big fan" of MLS, a league he follows closely. But even so, he has no idea where he will get drafted on Friday.
If he were a general manager, would he draft Valentin in the first round?
"If I needed a center back who is hard-nosed and a leader and communicates well, then yes," Valentin said. "I'm just hoping to go to a team with a coach willing to work with me. Someone who has faith in me and will help me develop.
"If I get the opportunity to play as a rookie, fantastic. But I want to go to a team where I can learn from veterans and really develop to my potential."
Walter Villa is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
