# A cautionary tale



## Vin (Oct 13, 2016)

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/pineda-730751-obleda-college.html


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## socalkdg (Oct 13, 2016)

Good read.  Sounds like he forgot to keep up the grades.  Glad he is getting a second chance.


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## JackZ (Oct 13, 2016)

With hard work he can hopefully follow his older brother and get into a university. No shame in going to JC first.


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## mirage (Oct 13, 2016)

There's something missing in this story.  So he is really, really good.  LAG is not the only pro team and why didn't he play for Mexican professional team?

The story is incomplete and odd....


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## younothat (Oct 13, 2016)

mirage said:


> There's something missing in this story.  So he is really, really good.  LAG is not the only pro team and why didn't he play for Mexican professional team?
> 
> The story is incomplete and odd....


Didn't want to move to Mexico or have the resources to chase the dream down south  ?   Not easy for some families to pick-up/relocate,  at that really young age maybe not been ready to go it alone.

Some of the things that stood out to me:

"Without a university to play for, he had to secure a pro contract. He played for the Los Angeles Galaxy U-18 Academy and trained with the Galaxy II. He competed against the best of the best, training nearly every day, in hopes of signing.

No contract was offered.

Pineda was devastated. The path he had worked for all his life was no longer clear, and he didn’t have a back-up plan"

The cautionary take away; always have a back-up plan and put your education first.


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## mirage (Oct 13, 2016)

younothat said:


> Didn't want to move to Mexico or have the resources to chase the dream down south  ?   Not easy for some families to pick-up/relocate,  at that really young age maybe not been ready to go it alone.......
> 
> The cautionary take away; always have a back-up plan and put your education first.


At U18, its not that young and the story does not indicate what you've speculated.  Family does not need to relocate and if playing pro is the objective, go wherever the opportunities are.  Since he played for NT at various ages, the doors should open for tryouts at various pro teams.

Backup plan is always needed but to your other point, not everyone is wants higher education. It all depends on the individual's circumstance.  American values say to put education first but it may not make sense for everyone.

The story is incomplete...


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## younothat (Oct 13, 2016)

mirage said:


> At U18, its not that young and the story does not indicate what you've speculated.  Family does not need to relocate and if playing pro is the objective, go wherever the opportunities are.  Since he played for NT at various ages, the doors should open for tryouts at various pro teams.
> 
> Backup plan is always needed but to your other point, not everyone is wants higher education. It all depends on the individual's circumstance.  American values say to put education first but it may not make sense for everyone.
> 
> The story is incomplete...


The cautions are complete in the article & you seem to be missing some of the points.

His whole life story is incomplete, he's 19 trying to make up for lost time.

One of the cautions the article eludes to is doing well enough in HS to have opportunities at higher education. 

"He had verbally committed to play for Cal State Fullerton, but didn’t qualify academically to gain admission. He had often missed class for months at a time while traveling for games and camps"


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## mirage (Oct 13, 2016)

We disagree.  Who's talking about his whole life.  That's nonsense.  Of course at 19, his story is just starting.  I'm talking about the article and article alone.  I find it interesting that you have a need to defend the story... 

No I did not miss that his grades were insufficient to qualify for CSUF.  Its told as cause and effect or almost as an excuse for failure.  I will note though that, the bar is not very high to get into Cal State system (especially for recruited athlete).


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## socalkdg (Oct 13, 2016)

If he had a grade below C in a required class, or ACT/SAT was too low, then he didn't qualify.  Easy to lose focus on school when pursuing another dream.


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## BeepBeep Boop (Oct 13, 2016)

mirage said:


> At U18, its not that young and the story does not indicate what you've speculated.  Family does not need to relocate and if playing pro is the objective, go wherever the opportunities are.  Since he played for NT at various ages, the doors should open for tryouts at various pro teams.
> 
> Backup plan is always needed but to your other point, not everyone is wants higher education. It all depends on the individual's circumstance.  American values say to put education first but it may not make sense for everyone.
> 
> The story is incomplete...


Exactly. You would think that a player as heralded and well-known as this guy, with USYNT callups on his resume should be able to get a tryout with at least a lower division American OR Mexican team. Is his mindset MLS or bust? Doesn't want to play overseas? Was his only pro opportunity at LA Galaxy? What about other MLS clubs? Work his contacts from inside US Soccer???


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## espola (Oct 13, 2016)

mirage said:


> We disagree.  Who's talking about his whole life.  That's nonsense.  Of course at 19, his story is just starting.  I'm talking about the article and article alone.  I find it interesting that you have a need to defend the story...
> 
> No I did not miss that his grades were insufficient to qualify for CSUF.  Its told as cause and effect or almost as an excuse for failure.  I will note though that, the bar is not very high to get into Cal State system (especially for recruited athlete).


My first thought was that he could repair his deficiencies with a year in CC, and then try again at Fullerton - assuming that the opportunity did not disappear with the recent coaching change there.


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## mahrez (Oct 13, 2016)

BeepBeep Boop said:


> Exactly. You would think that a player as heralded and well-known as this guy, with USYNT callups on his resume should be able to get a tryout with at least a lower division American OR Mexican team. Is his mindset MLS or bust? Doesn't want to play overseas? Was his only pro opportunity at LA Galaxy? What about other MLS clubs? Work his contacts from inside US Soccer???


The market for 5' 6" pro foward prospects without much experience or education is limited.

A very small % of outstanding youth players make good professionals.

Kid gambled on his education and did'nt balance that with his soccer ambitions well enough.  Has some regret but is now trying to catch up with a fresh start at the lowest level of college with the hope of continuing on to the next level at some point, good for him.


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## Vin (Oct 13, 2016)

socalkdg said:


> Good read.  Sounds like he forgot to keep up the grades.  Glad he is getting a second chance.


Are you referring to Jimmy or Amirgy ?


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