In the hustle and bustle of the San Jose Earthquake locker room following a 1-1 come-from-behind draw against the Columbus Crew, one member of the Quakes sat quietly at his locker with his feet up and studied his phone more than the chaos around him.
That was second-year midfielder Sam Garza, a native Texan that has had several bumps in his career, but still has a promising future in MLS.
Garza, 23, shined as a brilliant player in high school as a NSCAA All-American at Edward S. Marcus High School, where he notched 58 goals and collected 34 assists and helped the school collect back-to-back Texas Class 5A State titles. His coach from high school saw the potential Garza had.
“Sam is a very naturally gifted athlete and reads the game very well and is a great student of the game,” John Gall commented. “In my mind, Sam has tremendous potential to be a very successful professional footballer.”
Garza also had the chance to play American football, since it a past time in Texas (he even had a grandfather who played for the Chicago Cardinals).
“The first time I stepped on a soccer field, it felt so natural to me,” Garza said, “I kept with it and was pretty good at soccer, so I stuck with it.”
Sam must be thrilled that he did stick with it, as he accomplished numerous amounts of awards and accolades while playing the game in college.
“Obviously I had good years at Denver and good years at Santa Barbara, playing at such a high level, but that’s in the past and the awards do not matter in the MLS, you have to come out and prove yourself again,” Sam said of the transition to the professional game.
At the collegiate level, Sam collected awards from Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Newcomer of the Year (2008 at Denver before transferring), to Big West Co-Offensive Player of the Year (2009) and All-Big West First Team pick (2011). He also helped UCSB to the No. 15 seed in the NCAA Championship and got the team into the third round, before getting beat by Creighton.
“They were a really tough team and they made it to the Final Four that year. It was a good experience. Those big games certainly help you get prepared for the next level,” he said. “Santa Barbara was great, the fans were tremendous, and it’s a great program.”
In his time through his college career, Sam has shown glimpses of his brilliance, as he was also a regular on the States’ CONCACAF FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifying squad. Despite having a lengthy resume coming into the MLS, Sam has seen tough times, with multiple injuries that held him out of the U-20 World Cup.
“That was the worst time in my life, tearing my ACL,” Garza recalled. “It happened right before the World Cup and who knows what I could have accomplished in Egypt. It was really disappointing, but it has made me a stronger person. After coming home, I accepted life, felt like I needed to move on and UCSB was there.”
Due to his great work and ability to be a important member of a team, he came into the MLS Draft with the moniker ‘Generation Adidas.’
“I was fortunate to get offered that as many people are looking to get to that level. It puts a target on your back, as people expect the best out of you every time you touch the ball,” Sam noted his status going into the draft.
Drafted sixth overall by the Earthquakes in the 2012 SuperDraft, Sam is now in his second year but saw limited time last year, due to another injury, but has the tools in front of him to be a breakout star in the MLS.
“Last year a was a large learning experience for me,” Garza said. “I did learn a lot from how everything works.” Garza suffered with more injury setbacks in 2012 playing just over 100 minutes for the first team.
In 2013, Sam might be in the best possible position to further his career; as even though his minutes may be scarce (just 52 minutes in the first three matches), Garza has a profound teacher in the locker room.
That teacher is ten-year veteran and 2012 MLS MVP, Chris Wondolowski.
“Wondo is probably the most competitive guy I’ve ever played with, he’s got a great spirit and a great passion for the game. Once he steps on the field, its game time,” Sam said of his mentor.
With all the talent need and a great support system for Sam, 2013 maybe the year he becomes a big name in MLS.
