The standard complaint among some observers is that soccer cannot win out over other sports with America's top athletes.
Exhibit #1 for the dissenting party is Amobi Okugo.
A central midfielder from Sacramento, Amobi is one of the top college prospects of the 2009 graduating class who also is attracting increased interest from the professional ranks and coming off a strong performance for the U18 Men's National Team in Portugal.
But Amobi could have been playing basketball.
"He is very athletic," his father, Chris Okugo, told TopDrawerSoccer.com. "The struggle was between basketball and soccer. They invited him to the national team residency for soccer so he threw his basketball away. The high school basketball team wanted him to stay because he was their point guard. Now he doesn't even want to see the basketball. He realizes that soccer can take you anywhere you want to go."
Having spent a year and a half in Florida with the U17 MNT program, Amobi has returned home along with the other 1991 birth year players who weren't going to graduate from school by this May. Now back playing for a men's league team and the San Juan Lightning '91 club team, he is working to prepare for the next level, whatever that might be.
Amobi was born in America but his family is from Nigeria, with a deep love for soccer a common thread among many relatives. Amobi credits his father with having been
"My dad used to take me to the park when I was little and we would play," Amobi said. "He knows a lot about the game and he's always there for me. He knows what he's talking about so I always take it to heart."
What Chris Okugo talks about when asked how Amobi got started, is a special level of enthusiasm and a good attitude.
He had too much energy. He always wanted to play," Chris Okugo said. "He was unselfish. He always tried to make the team win, but he doesn't look for special glory. When he was young he could dribble everybody, but he would still pass the ball to help his teammates score."
Chris said he drew from some experience in his homeland when conducting those informal training sessions with young Amobi.
"We just passed the ball a little bit, but I would always throw the ball up and have him head it," Chris said. "I would have him juggle and tell him ‘If you drop it I won't buy you a hamburger for a week'. That's how we did it in Nigeria. We got off school and then we'd go juggle and try to not let it fall down."
Amobi began club play at Elk Grove SC, then moved to El Dorado United. He credits coach Art Temblador with having helped hone his skills.
"He emphasized technique a lot," Amobi said. "When I was younger I used my speed, agility and power, but he definitely improved my game and made me smarter."
Okugo was called into the Bradenton Residency setup by then coach John Hackworth, and credits the full-time soccer experience with making a big difference for him, particularly as relates to other sports.
"It transformed my love for soccer as the #1 thing I do," Amobi said. "Before it was soccer and basketball but once I got there I realized soccer was the sport. There were no more distractions. The coaching, my teammates and the competition were all a big help to me to become a better player."
Photo courtesy of John Dorton
Now back in Northern California, Amobi said he has arranged an environment whereby he can continue to improve as a player. One component of this is personal training.
"It was hard at first. As long as you work hard on your own, it's not that bad. At first I didn't know what I was going to do, but it's alright."
Amobi's club coach with San Juan Lightning is Ruben Mora. Mora said Amobi's self-motivation has helped him make the adjustment to coming back home.
"Amobi is a different breed of player. He's self-motivated and determined and always doing what is needed as a player to stay sharp and keep developing," Mora said. "Without anybody asking him, he's ready to train 2-3 times a day. He goes to the running track on his own. He does uphill sprints. He likes to work on striking the ball before or after practice. There's not much coaching to be done with him, just an adjustment here or an adjustment there. He's just a joy to work with and a very smart kid."
Amobi said he uses a local men's league team to help push him toward new heights.
"Some of the guys here really love soccer," he said. "There's no reward ahead but these guys will still fight over the game. They really just love soccer. It's a good atmosphere and the guys are bigger and quicker, so if you keep your feet on the ball for too long you'll pay the price. It helps with my decisions, even if the speed isn't always the best."
Mora notes that the men's team plays at a pretty high level.
"He's playing with ex-professional and ex-college players on this team," he said. "I's more of a physical game than at U17 so the challenge is physical and mental for him."
Amobi also has done well with the U18 Men's National Team where he's been playing as a holding midfielder.
"I've been playing d-mid for national teams for a couple of years now, so I'm well-adapted to it," he said. "You have to know your restrictions and how to play and anchor a team from the back of the midfield. I would like to work on my scoring so I can become more of a true, 2-way midfielder. We'll see how that works out."
We'll also see how his recruiting process works out. Noting that his parents want him to stay closer to home, he lists UCLA, Santa Clara, Stanford and Cal as his top college choices (in no particularly order). He expects to make some unofficial visits this summer and decide for his senior school year begins in August.
But there's this growing interest from the professional ranks to consider.
"Me and my parents have weighed the options," he said. "Some people have contacted my dad and we're just deciding now what is the best option."
Whatever the Okugos decide, Mora is convinced somebody will be getting a great player.
"His communication is good, and his first touch has become a step above," Mora said. "He's become smarter as a player and it's helped him go to the next level. He's the best holding center mid I've seen at this age."
