It's not that Rachel Mercik can't pass the ball.

Passing, in fact, is one strong attribute among many. It's just that she has learned the refined art of beating a player in a 1v1 situation. And if you've got it, why not use it?

Mercik, an attacking midfielder for Capital Athletic Soccer Academy Boca in the Sacramento area, has been blessed to have coaches who don't follow the American mantra of pass first and ask questions later.

"All my coaches have told me to take players on," she said. "I'm seeing more of it (in youth soccer) now. Natasha Kai likes to take players on. Lori Chalupny and Heather O'Reilly do. I still think the U.S. relies too much on their athleticism to win those hard games. I love the way Marta plays. If Brazil is on I tell my dad to record it because I love those players and the way they play."

Mercik plays the same way. She cut her teeth under highly regarded Northern California trainer Albertin Montoya, who recently was named head coach of the Bay Area franchise in the new Women's Professional Soccer league. Mercik recalls that she had been playing competitive softball along with rec soccer up to that point (age 9), but training with Montoya tilted the balance.

"He's the one who got me in love with the game," she said. I only worked with for a year because we moved to Sacramento, but my mom still works in the Bay Area and when I get a chance I still go down and work with him. I guest play with (MVLA) Mercury and this summer I worked with him every weekend. I was practicing with (Stanford stars) Teresa Noyola and Lindsey Taylor.

"Albertin wasn't into the winning when we were younger," she continued. "He got us to embrace doing all the footwork players at our age now wouldn't necessarily want to do. The team would have a contest to see who could get to 1,000 times in juggling. You'd have 8 or 9-year old doing that."

Mercik is a top recruit in the 2010 graduating class and deliberating between Santa Clara, Stanford, California and Portland in no particular order. She is not in a rush to make a decision but is not dallying either.

"I can't decide. I go to one college and think ‘Oh my gosh, I'm in love with this college.' Then I go to the next college and I'm like ‘Oh my gosh, I'm in love with this college too,'" she said. "I didn't give myself a deadline, but I'd like to be stress free by my senior year. It's just that when I make the decision I want to make sure it's perfect."

Mercik has been with the U16, U17 and U18 Girls National Teams, including a trip last winter to Argentina. She shares national pool status with fellow Northern Californians Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick, Olivia Klei, Lindsay Dickerson, Megan Jurado and Ahsha Smith.

She currently plays up a year on the U18 Boca team for Emmy Barr. Berhane Andeberhan, the club technical director (and Mercik's coach last year), said a foundation of skill has keyed Mercik's success.   

"She's very confident with ball and in taking people on," he said. Delightfully she just loves to play. She plays with a smile. She doesn't want practice or games to end. She's a very happy player," he sad. "You don't come to a point where you are nationally selected without developing skill and you don't do that without working hard. From her point of view, as long as she's on the field she doesn't care where she plays. I'd say she can play any attacking position, but probably attacking midfielder is her best, and probably the most ideal spot for her at the next level.

"In games she is always ready to take people on, always ready to beat individuals," he continued. "A lot of players are reluctant to try it , but she won't hesitate to take players on. We preach that at the club. We try to leave kids alone, to give them a structure and let them play."

Mercik, daughter of Richard and Jana, credits her ODP and National Team experience with having helped her learn to play at a faster pace, something she tries to emulate in her club environment. Her goals for soccer are fairly straightforward.

"I'd like to win an NCAA championship. I'd also love to play on the Women's National Team, pretty much what everyone wants to do," she said "I think it's during my college career where I'll have the chance to succeed most. I would love to play as a professional after college. That would be a great experience."