The Times

Issue date: 12/10/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Maria Avalos Former professional soccer player Daniel Madrigal guided Stormers Soccer in his first year as Head Coach

If experience is the best teacher, then Stormers' soccer players are in a good position to learn soccer skills and strategy from a coach who has played professionally and internationally.

Daniel Madrigal completed his first season as the Stormers soccer coach in October and plans to return next year.

He talks of his experiences like a man who is in love with the game of soccer.

Madrigal played professionally for Milwaukee Wave United and Milwaukee Rampage outdoor soccer teams. The Rampage drafted him in the first round.

Madrigal had to watch the Rampage from the injury list halfway through a season as they went on to win the national championship.

"It hurts when you can't help the team get there," said Madrigal. "There's nothing worse than for a professional athlete to have to sit out because of an injury."

He is an enthusiast of futsal, a variation of soccer played with five players. The game stresses creativity, technique, ball control and passing.

Madrigal says that futsal helps develop skills for the regular game of soccer.

Madrigal played for the U.S. national futsal out of San Francisco at the 2007 Portugal World Cup of Futsal. Other participants included Angola, Brazil, Japan, Portugal and Spain.

"I absolutely like futsal for the simple reason it's a sport dominated by skillful and technical players," said Madrigal.

In 2005, Madrigal went to soccer-crazy Brazil and played for the Brazilian teams Palmetras and Portuguesa.

"Any soccer player worth anything wants to go to Brazil because that is the soccer playing capital of the world," said Madrigal.

As a youth he had soccer idols - Pele, Diego Maradona and Hugo Sanchez. "I grew up watching them on TV and purchased their videos and would go in the backyard to try to master their moves," said Madrigal.

At the age of 15 he played for the San Diego Pegasus that traveled to Hungary to play in the Hungarian International Youth Cup. Other teams attended the tournament from Austria, Hungary, Germany and Switzerland. Madrigal was the leading goal scorer for the tournament.

Madrigal has played internationally in Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, Mexico, Austria, Hungary, Canada and Denmark.

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