It was best for him.
He thought so and the coaches thought so too. Nevertheless,
sitting on the bench watching his fellow teammates receive playing
time was never easy.
For incoming athletes, there’s a common aspiration to make
an immediate impact in a program.
Ryan Valdez, a junior, was no different. But unfortunately,
being part of a championship caliber soccer team forced him to
redshirt his freshman year. The presence of experienced and much
more talented players narrowed his chances of making much of an
impact in his sophomore year as well, but he didn’t let that
deter him.
“If I did or didn’t have a tough practice, I
wasn’t going to play, but I didn’t give up,”
Valdez said. “I stayed on top of myself and worked
hard.”
Valdez’s story is one that consists of determination. He
treats every workout and practice as a blessing, and he always put
his best foot forward.
Despite the lack of playing time, Valdez was never disheartened.
While many athletes get lost on the last seat on the bench, Valdez
was able to convince himself and the team that he had it in him to
make a positive impact on the program.
“Ryan has certain attributes, but I wasn’t quite
sure whether that would get him on the field,” coach Jorge
Salcedo said. “Lots of guys work hard, lots of guys are
strong, but Ryan does those little intangibles.”
Excelling in the unknowns such as tackling, winning balls, and
passing has increased Valdez’s minutes.
Hours on end of soaking up every morsel of sweat from defending
the best players in the country during practice in his first two
years were also advantageous for Valdez. Forward Tim Pierce,
All-American Matt Taylor, and defender Nelson Akwari were just some
of the notable faces that helped Valdez in his progression.
Observing them allowed Valdez to pick up the little nuances and
tendencies to aid in him in the future.
As a result, he was given two of the last three Most Improved
Player award, an honor voted on by the team.
“He leads, he’s very responsible and he’s
improved a ton,” Aaron Lopez said. “He’s a hard
worker, he keeps us up, and he has a good work ethic.”
It wasn’t until last year that Valdez was given a chance,
and he made the most of it. His playing time was minimal, but after
connecting on his first assist against Washington in the middle of
last season, Valdez made a lasting impression on the coaching
staff. After that point he started for the rest of the season.
“The hard work paid off,” said Valdez, who played in
12 of 19 games last season. “Once I got that start there was
no way I was going to let go of it.”
While Valdez owes much of his success to his former teammates,
Salcedo was behind the scenes in allowing Valdez’s persona to
flourish and become what it is today. .While Valdez was a freshman,
he formed a long-lasting relationship with Salcedo, who at the time
was a first-year assistant coach, giving each the experience of
maturing together.
“It feels great to have him behind me all the time,”
Valdez said. “He helped give me encouragement and he pushed
me hard. He has that confidence in me that I can do it.”
Now, as one of the team captains on the team, Valdez is passing
on the words of encouragement and trust to the younger players. He
is trying to help them realize the goal they are all after and
accelerate the learning process to get there.
“Younger guys come in, and we try to give them advice and
let them know exactly what it is going to take to reach goals, be
great players, and win,” Valdez said.
The dog days of coming off the bench are long gone. He’s
truly earned his spot now.