Juaquin Zecena is a 17-year-old senior at Glendale High School and he plays for our varsity soccer team. He is currently team captain and he has been playing for the team since his sophomore year.
Juaquin was born in Ottumwa, Iowa and moved to Glendale when he was 13 years old. Juaquin loves hanging out with his friends and girlfriend, and he also likes playing soccer and basketball during his free time.
When did your passion for soccer begin?
My passion for soccer began when my dad first introduced it to me when I was only 7 years old. He had made me watch a Barcelona soccer game, and I found it very interesting and enjoyable. Ever since then I have always wanted to try soccer, and when I started playing I had just fallen in love with playing the sport.
So I´ve made soccer one of the goals [that] I’m trying to achieve in the future. And I play to have fun, but I am also determined and ready to show everyone what I can do.
What goes on during your team practices?
We first start to warm up and then we go through passing drills in the beginning of our practices. Once we finish doing our passing drills, we move to doing running drills. Doing these drills helps us to play better as a team and as an individual.
We sometimes have practice games, and we go against each other. The practice games help us to cooperate with each other more and really know how other players work on the field.
During some of our practices we do this thing called “film”, and it’s when we basically rewatch our last game and see what we need to work on more. After doing film, we practice on the field and work on the things we want to improve on to better ourselves and also to help our team score that goal.
Why did you become a team captain?
Personally, I think I became captain because of my hard work and my determination. I always try to push myself to become better. I try to focus on trying to make my players cooperate with [each other] so the team not only wins the games but [is] proud of it. Becoming team captain gave me a voice, and I use it to help my team win and help them become better.
Are you considering soccer as a career?
Yes, I do consider soccer as a career, because I enjoy playing soccer and I want to continue to keep playing the sport. I’ve been working hard to try reaching my goals, and soccer definitely is one of my top priorities.
I plan on going to college and hopefully get a scholarship, but I also want to get into a really good club. I also just want to make my family proud, and even if soccer doesn´t work out for me in the future, it will always be part of my life.
What is your favorite part of being on the GHS soccer team?
My favorite part of being on the team is [that] I get to play with my friends. I definitely feel like our team has a very strong bond, and I love how close we all are. I love how my teammates play fair, and they are very hard-working as well.
We always try to do a team bonding activity, and the best part about that is being able to get to know each other more and overall trust one another when it comes to playing on the field. We are all determined, and we all want to score that goal. And it feels good to be part of such an amazing team.
We are proud and honored to have Juaquin as a part of our GHS soccer team. He is continuing to make sure that he and his teammates keep working hard to score that goal for our school.
Juaquin would love for you guys to come and watch their games when it is safe to do so! And if you are interested in being a part of next year’s squad, please contact Coach Brandon Weisman at [email protected].
