Later this week, the UCLA men’s soccer team will leave the
warm Southern California weather to play in the College Cup in
snowy St. Louis, Mo.
UCLA will face Virginia on Friday for the semifinals in chilly
conditions, with a forecast of snow, showers and wind. The high is
predicted to be 30 degrees, compared to L.A.’s recent low of
47 degrees.
Though game times are always subject to change, coach Jorge
Salcedo notes he has played in the snow before. He seems unworried
about his team’s response to adverse weather conditions.
“We’ll deal with the elements and do the best we can
because we can’t change them,” Salcedo said.
“We’re not going to worry about it because it’ll
be the same for Virginia. It’s neither here nor there for
us.”
As far as how the snow may affect the style of play, Salcedo
says it is most important to be cautious while gaining control of
the ball.
“We’ll trap the ball out of the air whenever
possible,” he said. “We won’t allow the ball to
bounce in the back as much because it will be more likely to skip
away.”
One of the key factors in beating the elements this weekend
might be the recent position mixing, which includes freshman Kyle
Nakazawa moving up to forward, leaving fellow freshman Michael
Stephens to play midfield.
While Nakazawa’s stats have increased with two goals and
two assists since the switch four games ago, statistically
speaking, Stephens’ help is less obvious.
“Mikey Stephens has been very good for us in the
midfield,” Salcedo said. “He is a smart soccer player
who plugs a lot of gaps that we may have in the field sometimes; he
sees things that are needed from within the game. He does a lot of
little things that you don’t necessarily see in the score
sheet or statistics but are extremely important to our
team.”
For Stephens, getting accustomed to more playing time has been a
process while learning the position from older players.
“The transition has been good,” Stephens said.
“I have a good feeling of what (midfielder) Tony (Beltran) is
going to do, and he’s been helping me out by telling me good
spots to go to where there is a gap. It’s hard work, but
I’m willing to do it.”