Freshman plays as development player for Earthquakes academy team

When freshman Samuel Junqua first began playing soccer at age 6, he didn’t think much of the sport. He only began playing in AYSO’s youth recreational league because his older brother was doing it, and it looked fun. Now, Junqua has taken his passion for the sport to the next level and is playing competitively on the San Jose Earthquakes Juniors team and is also a developmental player for the under 16 (U16) academy team.

A development player is someone who is not exactly on the team, but is wanted by the coaches and cannot join for a variety of reasons. Junqua cannot play on the academy team until the team gets permanent fields in San Jose, because they currently practice in Danville, which is too far of a commute for multiple practices a week. He is sometimes asked to watch games and attend as many practices as possible for the academy team, in addition to playing on the San Jose Earthquakes Juniors team.
Since Junqua’s love for soccer initially developed from that of his brother, he and older brother senior Jonathan Junqua still frequently practice together. Jonathan said they sometimes play at Congress Springs Park since it’s near their house and end up juggling, passing and shooting.
“I love soccer because there’s so much freedom in what you do,” Samuel Junqua said. “No plays or anything of the sort; just you, your skills, and your imagination.”
Samuel Junqua keeps busy with at least a couple two hour practices a week, and his weekend commitments vary.
“On the weekends I usually have at least one game and as many as five if I have a tournament,” Junqua said. “And to keep improving, we all have to work on things on our own so I do that also.”
To stay in shape outside of soccer practices, Junqua goes on runs with his friends on the cross-country team and practices with Jonathan.
“He’s got plenty of skill,” Jonathan Junqua said. “And he’s only going to progress even more as a player from here on out.”
Right now, Samuel Junqua’s team consists of about 20 boys between the ages of 13 and 15, while the academy team consists of boys who are slightly older, around 15-16 years of age and has a larger roster.
“My favorite thing about my current team is that we play really great soccer and it helps me prepare for the U16’s a lot,” Junqua said. “But sometimes it’s kind of annoying to play with younger players because I feel like I’m not improving as much.”
Junqua hopes to play professional soccer in the future and believes he has progressed a lot by being on this team.
“This team is different from other teams I’ve been on because it’s a much higher level and has helped me develop more than any other team has,” Junqua said.
Whether on or off the field, Samuel Junqua’s passion and love for soccer drive him to strive for success and keep moving up the ladder to hopefully reach the professional level some day.
“He’s always playing with the ball at home, banging it against the walls occasionally,” Jonathan Junqua said. “Homework breaks usually incorporate the ball in some sort of way. His practices are really late, and he sometimes gets back at 10 p.m. or later.”
Because Samuel Junqua’s team does not allow its team members to play high school sports, he will not be playing school soccer.
“Honestly I think it’ll be better for me, because staying with the Earthquakes will help me improve and get where I want to be,” Junqua said. “High school soccer is more for the experience and for fun.”