UNC Soccer Danny Garcia, Remember the Name

Supporters of UNC basketball are likely used to a term for big time recruits: Impact player. The impact player is a kid who can come straight into the team and immediately make his mark. Micheal Jordan was one such player, so was Antawn Jamison. The term generally doesn’t apply much in soccer, and even less for Carolina Soccer, but in Danny Garcia the Tar Heels have found a brilliant impact player.

Photo Credit: US Presswire

Last year, the number ten position of attacking midfielder was filled by Enzo Martinez. Martinez was brilliant, a potent passer, dribbler, and shooter who contributed nine goals and ten assists in his last season with the Heels. He was a first round draft pick last year in the MLS draft, leaving his spot open for young Garcia.

Garcia is a natural attacking midfielder, with great dribbling and passing skills and a brilliant turn of pace. He is a central creative midfielder by trade, but has the skill to play along the wing or even as the center forward in a pinch. Despite having a reputation as a great scorer, he’s shown thus far that his greatest value comes in making his teammates better. His creativity and ability to draw defenders allow him to make chances for other players, which is exactly what the Tar Heels need from his position. For fans of the English Premier League, his dribbling and passing remind me of another diminutive (as Garcia is only five foot five) playmaker: Spanish superstar Juan Mata.

Garcia has what so few freshmen and few college players in general have: poise. He’s not afraid of tough competition, and not only makes good decisions on the ball, but can also play alongside and against veteran players without skipping a beat. To watch this freshman dribble straight at a defense in the first games of his (hopefully long) college career is awe inspiring, and his technical skills for one so young suggest that he could have an absolutely stellar future.  He’s composed, and he knows the right moves to break down a defense. Many young players lack this quality, but his composure is what enables him to use his skills to their greatest effect.

Continuing with our basketball metaphor, the switch from Martinez to Garcia for the soccer team is akin to the transition from Ty Lawson to Kendall Marshall for the basketball team. Martinez was a great scorer and dynamic player, just like Lawson was. When Lawson left, the Tar Heels were adrift until Kendall Marshall wowed the basketball world with his close handle, composed style of play, and ability to make everyone else better. Now that Martinez is gone, the soccer team has a composed freshman with great close dribbling skills and the ability to set up teammates for a score. Just like Marshall, Garcia’s main contributions early in his UNC career have been assists, despite the fact that he’s also a great scorer.

Garcia was always a great prospect. He’s the product of the FC Dallas youth academy, and he’s already made the jump into FC Dallas’s reserve team. More impressive is the fact that he’s a veteran of the US Men’s National Team Under- 18 side and is an invitee to several of the Under- 20 team’s camps and games. This season the freshman has played every game for the Tar Heels, and has already recorded 4 assists. He’s yet to score a goal, but his scoring record at the youth level for FC Dallas suggests that he could be ready to start raining shots on goal to great effect.

So all you Heels fans out there, the next time you want to look really smart at a party, mention how the soccer team has picked up a great prospect for the future- a true “Point Guard” of soccer and a young national- teamer ready to explode at the collegiate level and have a great professional career. When you watch a game, see if you can notice how many dangerous attacks start with Garcia. The boy’s a natural, and it’s players like him that are turning the Men’s Heels from a “rebuild” team to a “reload” team.