Thursday, October 9, 1997
Senior forsees winning season to round out college career
SOCCER: Co-captain Nick Theslof loves the game, always puts the
team first
By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Staff
In this day and age, many youngsters in the United States choose
to play football, basketball or baseball due to the hype
surrounding those premier sports. Yet once in a while, one athlete
seems to forgo all of the glory involved with the aforementioned
sports and gets involved in something that he or she loves.
UCLA forward Nick Theslof is one of those athletes. Senior
Theslof is in his final year as a Bruin soccer player. As far back
as he can remember, he has had a love for soccer.
"Soccer has always been the most fun thing in the world for me,"
Theslof said. "(My love of soccer) is something really hard to
describe. It doesn’t even have a word. It really doesn’t. It’s just
the feeling that I get when I play soccer and I have had that since
I was little. It’s the reason why I play every day. It’s the reason
why I look forward to practice. There is no word for it. It is just
a feeling inside – and it’s my own feeling … It’s just something
inside of me that says I can’t wait to play soccer today."
Theslof does not strike immediate fear in the hearts of
opponents as they line up for a match. His stature is not
considered imposing. He is listed at 5 feet 8 inches tall in the
UCLA soccer media guide, but he appears closer to 5 feet 7 inches.
Nevertheless, he relentlessly punishes the other team, day in and
day out, with his ability to create opportunities.
Theslof only has one goal to show for his efforts in front of
the net this season. This could be due to calf problems early in
the season which slowed down his training. But it could also be due
to a less selfish approach that has allowed him to tie UCLA’s
assists record in five straight games, which Theslof himself set
last season.
"I have been trying to score goals as hard as I can, but they
just haven’t been coming yet," Theslof said. "They’ll come. I’m
positive they’ll come if I keep knocking at the door. But right now
I’m making dangerous passes … I don’t care who scores. I don’t
care if I score, or who else scores, or if I get an assist as long
as someone gets a goal."
This season Theslof has primarily been used as the forward in
charge of being the link between the midfield and the forward line.
His understanding of the game allows him to predict the flow of the
game. Theslof is always out on the field trying to make things
happen. He talks about how he concentrates on where the ball is
during a match, where other players are in relation to him and
vice-versa. He is capable of processing all of the things happening
during a game and play productively in front of the goal.
This knowledge of the game and what is going on around him has
led to his position as one of the Bruins’ co-captains. From the
time that he came to UCLA as a freshman midfielder to today as a
forward, Theslof has become a confident player dedicated to working
hard and contributing for the sake of the team rather than
accomplish individual feats.
"(Theslof) is one of our captains because he works very hard at
training," Sigi Schmid said. "He is very dedicated in his approach
to the game. He is somebody who … adds things to the conversation
when we talk about tactics and how we are going to play. He is
somebody who in terms of leadership will speak up and tell people
what he thinks needs to be done. More than telling them that, I
also think that a captain must lead by example and I think
(Theslof) leads by example."
Theslof has a sense of urgency behind his actions this season.
During his freshman season, UCLA reached the Final Four before
being knocked out by Indiana. Since then, the Bruins have suffered
a couple of early knockouts from the NCAA playoffs. This season is
Theslof’s last chance to accomplish a goal he had reached when he
first stepped onto a field wearing the blue and gold – to win a
national championship. According to Theslof, this could be the year
of the Bruin in men’s soccer.
"I think (our chances to win the national championship) are
great," Theslof said. "I think they’re better than they have ever
been. I went to the Final Four my freshman year and there is a big
difference between that year and this year. This team has something
really special about it. It is just a cohesive unit on and off the
field. And knowing that it is almost spooky to think just how good
we actually can get."
Theslof plans to play professional soccer after he graduates.
Schmid believes that given the right opportunity Theslof could
blossom. There are teams out there looking for a forward capable of
complimenting their star forward who possesses blazing speed (a la
the Los Angeles Galaxy with Eduardo Huertado). Former Bruins such
as goalie Kevin Hartman of the Galaxy and defenseman Tahj Jakins of
the Tampa Bay Mutiny have benefited from situations in which the
star players (Jorge Campos of the Galaxy and Marcelo Balboa of the
Mutiny) have had World Cup ’98 qualifying commitments and roster
spots have been made available for them to fill in. Given a similar
situation, Theslof could also make an impact.
"I think (Theslof) has the potential to go on to professional
soccer," Schmid said. "Without a doubt in my mind he would be an
absolutely outstanding indoor soccer player … He would probably
be one of the top Americans ever to play indoor soccer. Outdoor
soccer-wise I think is a little bit different and you have to end
up in the right situation. I think there are teams in the MLS that
(Theslof) can play for. I think he needs to get onto a team that
has some speed … He needs to play with a fast, powerful player
next to him because he has the ability to find that player."
At the end of the season, when all is said and done, Theslof
would not consider another early departure from the NCAA playoffs a
failure. It would easily rank as a disappointment, but Theslof can
look forward to his future – just don’t tell him that now. At the
moment, Theslof has a one-track mind which tells him to concentrate
on the goal at hand.
"Right now there is so many different things that players can do
after college that I like to think of it as almost a waste of time
to say exactly what you want to do," Theslof said. "I want to play
professional soccer after UCLA, but first and foremost the thing
that’s going to help me get there is winning a national
championship. Therefore the team is most important right now."
It is rare to see an athlete put the team ahead of himself. Then
again, it is also rather refreshing.