CATHERINE JAYIN JUN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Nelson
Akwari, sophomore captain, quietly leads his team this
season as a dominant defender.
By Brian Thompson
Daily Bruin Reporter
He has a commanding presence about him on the soccer field. He
stands tall, always looking confident and composed. If you were to
just look on out upon the pitch and try to guess who the leader of
the team is, your eyes wouldn’t miss him.
Meet Nelson Akwari, perhaps one of the best young American
soccer players you’ve never heard of. He spends his autumns
in our very own backyard, spearheading the defense and
co-captaining the UCLA men’s soccer team.
The sophomore spends much of the rest of the year leading our
country onto the field as the captain of the United States Under-20
National Team. In fact, he’s captained the U.S.A. on the
field for various youth national teams since he was 16.
He has the look of a captain. But he doesn’t sound like
one. Quiet and soft-spoken, Akwari does most of his talking with
his play, not with his mouth.
“I definitely lead by example,” the 19-year-old from
Houston said. “I don’t say much at all. I think if you
lead by example, a lot more is actually said in your
play.”
Given his success and the respect he has earned, few could doubt
that his leadership style is very effective. But when you choose to
lead by example, your play and your character have to back it up.
Akwari’s certainly has.
“The No. 1 thing he brings is consistency,” UCLA
head coach Todd Saldaña said. “He’s a leader in
terms of how he approaches the sport. He’s dedicated in
practice. He’s dedicated in games. He’s a very
team-oriented guy. He’s a leader when he needs to be.
He’s vocal when he needs to be, but mainly his actions speak
for him.”
“He’s an unbelievable leader,” teammate Alex
Yi, who is also a member of the U-20 National team added.
“He’s always well respected by his peers. He
doesn’t force it on to you, it’s just something that
comes naturally.”
Akwari has been on the fast track to success since becoming a
mainstay in the U.S. program. He’s traveled the world in his
short life, leading the U-17 team to a best-ever fourth place
finish at the World Championships in 1999 in New Zealand, as well
as leading the U-20 team in the World Championships this past
summer in Argentina.
In his future, he has his sights on playing for the 2004 Olympic
team and the 2006 World Cup team, not to mention a lucrative career
playing club soccer in Europe.
With such a successful track record and such lofty expectations,
it leads to the question: What is he doing here at UCLA?
College soccer wasn’t necessarily on Akwari’s mind
while he was wrapping up his high school career. There were
professional offers on the table, both here in the US and also
abroad. But he “felt (he) was too young” and spurned
those offers.
So a year ago, he chose UCLA, where fellow national team
teammates Yi, Adolpho Gregorio, Leonard Griffin and the
now-departed D.J. Countess all decided to enroll. He committed very
late in the year, and the first time he set foot on campus was at
his freshman orientation.
“Honestly, I didn’t even think he was going to come
to college,” Yi recalls.
But Akwari knew that the combination of playing for a top
collegiate program as well as receiving a top education was
important. It’s a theme often seen in his life, as he invites
the path in which he can learn and grow the most.
Surprisingly perhaps, as much of the learning and growing
occurred on the soccer field as it did in the classroom. Akwari
discovered that he couldn’t step in and dominate the
collegiate game.
“I struggled the first few games,” he said.
“There’s not a lot less finesse. It’s totally
different (than the international game). College soccer isn’t
about being pretty. As a defender, it’s about being
destructive and being able to break down your opponent. It’s
been good because I’m learning to use both and balance them
out, the finesse part and the physical part.”
His coach agrees that Akwari has grown into a more balanced
player as he’s learned to handle the physical part of the
game.
“Our objective for him in the long term is that he
conquers the physical part of the game,” Saldaña said.
“He brought to our program his experience, his understanding
and his finesse. But I think by the time he leaves here,
you’re going to see a very balanced player that can handle
any kind of opponent. That can open up different parts of the world
for him potentially. He’ll be able to be a dominant player at
any level beyond here.”
Akwari yearns for the chance to play at the next level. But
while he’s here in Westwood, he’s giving his all to
help the Bruins become title contenders once again. While the
offensive output has been suspect, the defense has been stellar.
Last year, his efforts led to the Bruins conceding only 1.01 goals
per game. This year, UCLA is doing nearly equally as well, allowing
only 1.07 goals per game.
Akwari’s time at UCLA may be limited, as he is very much
leaving the door open to leaving early for a professional career in
Europe. But he knows that the commitment and hard work he exerts
now is the only way he’ll ever get there.
“When he comes out, he comes out to work,” Gregorio
said. “He gives it all he has every time he plays.”
While much of Akwari’s life is geared around his
progression as a soccer player, his dedication doesn’t come
across as being overly serious about life in general. He’s at
ease with his teammates, many of whom he’s played with since
he was 16. And, he likes to remind everyone of where he’s
from, especially with his love of Southern hip-hop.
“I’m definitely a proud Texan,” he said.
“I let all the guys on the team know about it too. They
always give me stuff about it. I always make sure I put the CDs
into the locker room with some music that reminds them of where
I’m from.”
With his natural ability, work ethic, composure, and openness,
it shouldn’t be long until everyone is reminded of where
he’s from. Come 2004, we very well may be seeing him in
Athens with “USA” on his chest.
But until then, he’s proud to wear “UCLA” on
his chest as he leads the Bruins on the field.