Jordan Vale’s soccer career was forever changed by a single question.
“What can he do to get on the team?” George Vale asked, directing the query to his son’s youth soccer coach standing in front of him.
The answer was simple: 7-year-old Jordan needed to become left-footed. Days, months and years of training followed and slowly, the younger Vale’s left foot developed, gaining a proficiency that – to this day – rivals his natural right-footed skills.
Fourteen years later, the senior midfielder is still making adjustments.
6,521 miles
Vale’s journey to Westwood began across the Pacific Ocean in his hometown of Auckland, New Zealand. After multiple failed attempts to go pro in England as a teenager, he realized he needed a backup plan. The 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico proved to be the perfect audition at which Vale showed universities across the United States what he was capable of contributing.
Starting all four matches for New Zealand, Vale scored one of the Young All Whites’ two tournament goals, and used his new highlight reel to garner the attention of coaches across the U.S.
One of those was Ian McIntyre, the recently-hired coach of the Syracuse men’s soccer team. His pitch was convincing enough that, in the fall of 2012, Vale packed his things and traveled to join the Orange in upstate New York.
“I like a team that’s building,” Vale said. “I like to go into a team (where) we’re recruiting players and we’re building from the start. That’s one of the reasons why I went to Syracuse – they wanted to do well, (McIntyre) wanted to bring a group of lads together and bring this team up.”
The stat sheets show that Vale’s freshman season was an overwhelming success. In 21 games – all starts – the Kiwi notched a team-leading nine goals and 21 total points on his way to an All-Freshman Third Team selection.
But – as any good coach will tell you – the stats don’t tell the whole story. While the Orange set school records in wins and in the NCAA Tournament, Vale felt that his personal development was lacking.
“I was feeling really great, the camaraderie was fantastic and I was loving it there, but in terms of football, I didn’t enjoy our coach’s playing style,” Vale said. “He got the team going, he got us fit, well-organized, but the way Syracuse played my year I didn’t feel comfortable.”
Wearing long-sleeved kits in their late November match, the Orange bowed out of the 2012 NCAA Tournament in what would become Vale’s final appearance for Syracuse. Less than a month later, he boarded a flight home. Undecided on his future, that is where he remained until a new opportunity came calling – this time from Westwood.
UCLA bound
Vale arrived for spring quarter ready to tackle yet another change of scenery – a warmer, sunnier change. The timing allowed the new Bruin to get comfortable at his new school without the pressure of soccer season, and Vale immediately began preparing for the fall.
“I came in the 2013 season and I wanted to make an immediate impact, start every game – just as any player wants to – but I was a role player,” Vale said. “I would play a lot of minutes … but my individual game wasn’t improving. I was inconsistent, I think, and I couldn’t pinpoint that on something.”
Through those inconsistencies, the Bruins found ways to use Vale because of his unique ability to play across the pitch.
“Jordan’s always been a very versatile player for us, he’s been able to play in five different spots – from defensive midfield to attacking midfield to either wide position,” said associate head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt. “He’s done a good job of being able to … step in and get the job done.”
Vale quickly became a believer in UCLA’s possession-style play, which he described as more flowing than Syracuse’s. The Bruins’ system was a positive step for his personal development, he said, but Vale’s first two seasons with the Bruins were far from dominant.
In two years, he contributed three goals and 12 points in 42 appearances, with the majority of his production coming as a sophomore in 2013. Frustration began to build. It seemed that no matter how much effort he put into his fitness, his game just wouldn’t click.
Veteran presence
Something changed this year for Vale. As one of five seniors on a roster of 35 players, he fully took on the leadership role every veteran player is expected to take.
“I’ve been in a lot of different teams, but I’ve never been the senior on the teams I’ve recently been in,” Vale said. “I’ve always tried to lead by an example on the pitch, to hold myself together through the whole game, and I try to show that in my play.”
He’s not a captain, but the midfielder said that he hopes to bring his own style of hard work and a good mentality. In four games this season, Vale has an assist and five shots on goal. His early performance has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff.
“Jordan’s gotten a little bit better for us each year,” said coach Jorge Salcedo. “This year he started the best that he has in his three seasons here with us and, so far, he’s been one of our most consistent players.”
Carlin-Voigt reiterated the same sentiment.
“We’ve always been trying to tap into his full potential, and this year he’s been the most consistent in his mentality, his technique and his decision-making on the field,” Carlin-Voigt said. “He’s been a guy we’ve been able to count on.”
The narrative has changed dramatically. Frustration has vanished and Vale said that he feels like he’s finally overcome his inconsistency. In the past two weeks, he played two full 90-minute games – something he said he’s never done in his years at UCLA. That, he said, is more important than simply accumulating stats.
The reason for the sudden reversal isn’t immediately clear, but Vale will take the results.
“As an athlete, I don’t really want the fact that I’m a leader to be the main reason that I’ve found my consistency,” Vale said. “You want to be able to adapt without having extra motivations, but it does help.”
From his time with Syracuse, Vale always valued being part of a building team. Now, as a Bruin veteran, his role has expanded to allow him to facilitate just that.
Next steps
Vale’s world growing up was surrounded by soccer. With just months remaining in his college career, he doesn’t expect that to change. His hopes remain set on the 2016 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, but there’s still some uncertainty. Maybe he’ll rely on his New Zealand coaches for a backup plan, maybe he’ll look into graduate school, maybe he’ll just get a job.
For now, though, he remains locked into the UCLA season, relying on his most dependable source of advice to guide him in the next steps of his life: his dad.
“My dad’s been influential throughout my whole life. He’s been a longtime coach, mentor, especially in soccer but also in life,” Vale said. “Sometimes if I have a bad game I won’t ring him because his honest criticism – if you can call it that – isn’t what I want to hear straightaway, but I definitely always call him to hear what he has to say.”
From New Zealand to Syracuse to UCLA, Vale’s career so far has taught him how to adapt to whatever direction life takes him next – all with the help of one question.