When the list of 60 players asked to return to Dallas Sueno MLS 2008 was released on Wednesday, it featured many from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. But defender Orlando Arzola, a native of Plano, is the youngest player on that list at only 15.
A sophomore at Plano East H.S., Arzola remembers his first impressions of Sueno last weekend.
"I was kind of nervous before it started because everyone was older than me," he said. "I looked around and saw that everyone else was in their 20s or was 17 or 18. I thought that they would be bigger than me but I saw that they were almost the same height as me, so I just played my game."
Even though he wasn't slated to play until Saturday, Arzola made his way to Pizza Hut Park on Friday to take in the surroundings. After playing his first match on Saturday, he was asked to return on Sunday. He returned on Monday again as a spectator but admits that even after playing his last game, he wasn't completely sure he would be among the final 60 competitors.
"I was still kind of wondering because of my age," he said. "I thought I was too young to be on the list but earlier today, I went on the internet to check the list and saw my name on there. I'm excited. I'm happy. I don't really know what else to say."
Arzola has been playing since he was 5 but it wasn't one of his parents, who are of Mexican descent, who got him interested in the sport.
"In elementary school, I remember getting papers to play recreational soccer and would ask my mom to sign me up," he recalled. "No matter the sport, I would always want to sign up. That's how I started playing soccer."
He played up top for a number of years before switching to the back line once he started playing club soccer. Arzola definitely likes playing defense.
"It's fun because you've got to control everything," he said. "You have to control the field because you can see everything in the back. You have to tell other players when they need to do better and where they need to mark guys."
Even though he was born in the U.S., Arzola is a big fan of Mexican side Club America and current player Guillermo Ochoa and former Aguilas star Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who is now with the Chicago Fire. He also follows FC Dallas and defender Duilio Davino, another former America standout.
When asked what the toughest part of Sueno to date was, Arzola replied that playing on a team with unfamiliar players was the biggest adjustment.
"Yes, it was tough," he said. "You have to call your teammates by their number. You have to push them to do better. It was kind of hard to know how they play and get used to how to pass the ball to them, how they will receive it and what they will do with the ball. It (the competition) was about how I thought it was. I just thought the competition would be good and that everyone would be out there trying their best."
While Arzola is pleased about being one of the final 60, he knows that to make the next cut down to 18, he will have to step things up again.
"I am going to try my best, play hard, not get tired and just focus," he said. "That (being one of the final 18 players) would mean that I am getting closer to my dream of playing professional soccer. It would mean that I played well and did my best."
Arzola is pretty excited about returning to Sueno this weekend but his reaction paled in comparison to those of his parents.
"They were very proud of me," he said. "They said that I was young and made it to the top 60. They told me that I did great. They also told me to keep trying my hardest. They always support me, go to every tournament with me and are always there for me. My sister used to play when she was younger. They will drive me up there on Saturday and will watch me. I am just going to try my best and do everything I can to make them proud again."
Even though he is just 15, Arzola's dream of playing professional soccer remains his focus.
"I would be happy and excited (for my dream to come true)," he said. "I would be very thrilled to be able to play professional soccer."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
