Earl Edwards Jr.
Hardwork
I do what I do because I’ve learned that if you want something you have to work for it. This has become clear to me through playing sports. Playing soccer since a young age I’ve faced different hardships throughout my career. When I was 12 I was ready to quit soccer for good when my coach decided to try me out as a goalkeeper. I started off with tons of potential due to my size and athleticism, but I quickly became bored with the position and wanted to quit again. My coach refused to let me quit because he knew what I could become if I stuck with it. I continued to play, worked hard and then I was recognized by Olympic coaches 6 months later. I then began playing with the National team and became one of the top players in the country for my age. I enjoyed the spotlight and more and more offers were thrown my way from professional clubs and colleges. I decided to go to UCLA and then enter the MLS when the time was right. Coming out of high I figured I would play one season at UCLA and then go pro. At the start of our preseason I came in dead last for our fitness test. I played in one preseason game and didn’t see a single minute of playing time throughout the season and was forced to redshirt. I now realize that because of the reputation I had created for myself in high school, I assumed that playing at UCLA would be a given and that I didn’t have to put the same amount of work in that I did with the national team. I’ve been told throughout my career that I need to put in the extra work to stay on top of my game. I was always one of the best throughout high school so I didn’t think I had to do the work. After not playing this season it’s become clear that nothing is handed to you in life. With the disappointment of last season in the back of my mind, I’m ready to put in the work.
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