Exciting New Soccer Adventures
October 13, 2019. By Athena Rapinan
This season, I joined the Barcelona Bay Area (BBA) soccer club. My 04G National Premier League (NPL) team competes at the NPL Champions League. The Champions League is a whole new level of competition which is more intense and exciting. Getting out of my comfort zone and joining a tougher team has already made me a bigger threat on the field.
With BBA, I am a starter in the offensive line up. I play center forward or wing, which is different than what I am used to as an attacking midfielder (a position I played well with South San Jose Alphas White 02G and Blue 03G teams for three years). This is a good change for me since I will become a more versatile and well-rounded player.
Before joining BBA, I tried out with MVLA ECNL 04G and Earthquakes DA 04G. These teams were the champions of their respective leagues in the nation last season. In short, I didn’t make neither of these teams. Fortunately, the Earthquakes DA head coach recommended I join its sister or feeder club BBA. He thought I would fit in perfectly with the team. I’m glad I joined as I am now the starting striker, getting a lot of playing time, and successfully contributing to team’s offense. My hard work is also being noticed by the coaches as I have been invited to play up in two Earthquakes Development Academy (DA) games. I am officially a part time Development Player for the San Jose Earthquakes DA 04G team. Check out my team profile here: http://sjeq.ussoccerda.com/sam/teams/index.php?team=12070580I am happy with the team I am on now. The coaching is great, training is more intense, and my teammates are a lot more competitive. Being the new girl is never fun and nerve-racking. Trying out for a new team is even worse and always intimidating. Looking back now, I was nervous for no reason. My lesson learned is to remember to be myself, work hard, and don’t worry about making mistakes. It will all pay off at the end.
