It was only last month that 17-year-old Noel Luna learned about Sueno MLS Dallas 2008 while watching Republica Deportiva on Univision.
Now, some five weeks later, Luna is among the final four players remaining in Sueno Dallas. And on Sunday, he could be the winner, an announcement which will be made before FC Dallas faces Chivas USA at Pizza Hut Park.
"I'm just speechless," Luna said. "I think that I have a pretty good chance of winning now that I've made the top five. I was watching that show when I found out about Sueno. To think that I was watching that show when I heard about this and that I could be on the same show as the winner is pretty exciting."
He learned about making the final group through a close friend who had seen Luna's name online. However, at least initially, he wasn't convinced and thought his friend was playing a joke on him.
"I was talking on the phone and my friend called me from school to tell me that I had made it," Luna said. "I didn't even know. He was online and saw my name on the MLS website. I thought he was joking. My friends know that I'm the only one left from Fort Worth. I keep telling them that I'm going to go pro."
So, Luna passed the phone to his mother so that he could get the news directly from her.
"I told my friend not to be playing with me," Luna said. "So, I told him to talk to my mom because I knew that he wouldn't lie to her. He talked to her and told her that I had made it. I looked on the internet and my name was there. They (my family) were very happy and were all jumping up and down. If I go pro, it will change my life and everyone's life in my family."
A forward at Trimble Tech H.S. in Fort Worth, Texas, Luna just completed a solid junior campaign for the Bulldogs where he scored 40 goals and had 14 assists.
Being one of four players remaining in Sueno is great but Luna is most excited about being part of the first group of players in the new FC Dallas Juniors, a newly created elite level developmental team that will prepare players directly for the professional side.
"It feels great to be part of this," Luna said. "I'm happy that I have made it this far. When I found out that we were going to be in the academy for FC Dallas, it's pretty exciting. How much better can it get? It means a lot, it means everything. You can't get a better opportunity than this. To be among the top four is great and to have a chance to win is even better. Even if I don't win, I'm still going to be in the academy, which could help me get to the pros later on."
Since that first weekend of Sueno in mid-February when he first took to the field, Luna has noticed that the competition has gotten much tougher as the field has narrowed.
"It's been getting harder as there were fewer players," Luna said. "It has gotten more competitive. The first round where there were 2,000 people, some players were good and some were not. After that, when we went down to the 60 finalists, it started getting harder. It has kept on getting tougher since then."
One constant during his entire Sueno experience has been a built-in cheering section.
"My family will be coming with me on Sunday," Luna said. "My dad, mom, brothers, sisters and family friends will come. They have been to all the practices and games for Sueno cheering me on. I want to bring them all."
But Luna wanted to give one member of his family special recognition.
"My dad has always been the best," he said. "He tells me to leave it all on the field. He told me that if I want it, here's my chance. He told me that there might not be as many chances later on and that I have to take advantage of this."
Over the past six weeks, Luna has gotten to know the other three finalists but admits that he knows one other player left in the field better than the others.
"I know them pretty well," he said. "I know Gabriel (Funes) better than the others because we have been playing high school soccer for a few years. I had 41 goals and he had 39 this year. We have become close friends in the past month."
Another unique thing about Luna still being in contention to win Sueno is that while most, if not all, of the other finalists play at the club level in addition to their high school teams, he only currently plays for Trimble Tech.
"Right now, I don't play club," Luna said. "I played select a year ago but right now, I only play high school soccer. I was going to try out this spring but I didn't. I know that everyone else all plays for their club teams."
Should Luna emerge as the winner on Sunday afternoon, it would be the ultimate testament to how much he loves soccer.
"I love everything about the game," he said. "It's the greatest sport in the world and very popular," he said. "I have been playing it ever since I was little and it's my first love. Just playing it is great."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
