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Intro(spection) Knowing the way to San Jose, not L.A.
Updated: Wednesday March 14, 2001 1:28 PM
With Major League Soccer opening Spring Training on Wednesday in South Florida, CNNSI.com debuts Conrad's Corner, a biweekly submission from San Jose Earthquakes defender Jimmy Conrad. Dearest Friends,
I write to you for the first time. And if you're lucky the last. Yet I forge ahead to match my fellow pioneers at CNNSI.com, including Mr. Grant Wahl and Mr. Garth Lagerwey. To walk in their company, as if touched by the hand of God. Personally, I think CNNSI.com just wanted a kid with a normal first name.
Moving along. Let me fill you in on all the details that make me me. My name is Jimmy Conrad. I am 6'2", weigh 175 pounds, currently 24 years old, the oldest of seven children, an Aquarius (just in case anybody's into that), play defender in Major League Soccer for the San Jose Earthquakes, like to eat food, listen to music, attend movies and read books. I guess I could fill you in on some more but anything else would be bragging. And I'm not really into that.
I'm from a tiny suburb in the Los Angeles area named Temple City. Just so you won't have to break out the maps, we're about 10 minutes from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. After graduating from Temple City High School, I got offered a scholarship to that revered university of higher learning, San Diego State, and took it. I believe I was one of the few kids they accepted that didn't already know how to do a keg stand. On top of that, I remember most of my fellow Aztecs being proud of the fact that we had the top-selling 7-Eleven store in the nation for alcohol. And to think I transferred.
After two years of playing under the braintrust of Chuck Clegg, whom I'll reserve telling stories about for another time, I wanted out. And so a man who now coaches the L.A. Galaxy, Sigi Schmid, gave me a chance at UCLA. It turned out to be the best decision he ever made. Hahaha. And in my senior year, playing with some of the best guys I'll ever play with, we ended up winning the national championship in 1997 and... I'm bragging. Alright, I'll stop. I suppose I'll just show you my ring later.
After going undrafted in MLS, I went to a preseason minicamp for the Galaxy, who at the time were being managed by Octavio Zambrano. And after three days, they invited me to go on their preseason trip to Florida. I was stoked. I was playing well, I liked all the guys, it was near my hometown, I could finish school -- my dreams were starting. But the day before the team left, Octavio said he would call me by 6 p.m. that night and confirm that I was making the trip the following morning. To complicate matters, my fellow UCLA teammate and Galaxy draftee Matt Reis came back to Westwood, where we all still lived due to that little thing called school, and told everybody we knew that I was going on the trip and blah, blah, blah.
Well, 6 p.m. rolled by and no call. 7 p.m. rolled by and no call. By 8 p.m., I'm a little worried and since I have nothing to lose but my dignity, I call the office and get a hold of Mr. Zambrano, who doesn't apologize, says "we'll see you in two weeks" and hangs up. I don't know what made me want to cry more -- not going or having to explain to everyone that thought I was going why I wasn't.
After the two weeks, I rejoined the team, dignity intact and tried to make the squad. Once again, Octavio didn't want to take a chance on me and told me I should go play for one of the Galaxy's A-League affiliates, either the Orange County Zodiac or the San Diego Flash, and he would call me up during the season. Let me tell you what didn't happen.
After a couple weeks with the Zodiac I couldn't reach an agreement and joined the Flash, with whom I signed for the year. We went on to finish 21-7, become Pacific Division champions and lose in the semifinals of the playoffs. Of course, it was the team's first year of existence.
Bragging... again. I hate it when I do that.
The A-League season was over and a great thing happened. Brian Quinn, head coach of the San Jose Clash in '97-'99, called me in for a friendly against Toluca from the Mexican league. The game was on November 18, 1998. He played me for the last 30 minutes in front of a packed pro-Toluca crowd at Spartan Stadium. And it made all of the hard work, all of the BS, everything that I had put into this game, worth it. I was as nervous as could be, my excitement wouldn't be matched, and I had a permanent smile for the next two months -- until Octavio started calling me again.
I didn't know what would happen from there, but Quinny said that he was pleased with me and that the team would take me in the old Supplemental Draft. I talked to him often for the next couple of months until the draft was held in February. As the draft approached, the team decided that they didn't want to put my name in the draft but wanted to wait and sign me as a discovery player. They were taking a chance because another team could have put my name in and drafted me, but I suppose I'm a safe bet, like a bride on her honeymoon. But I did know that I didn't want to feel the pain I felt the year before with broken promises. The draft came and went. I wasn't selected but the next day I got a call from the league, Mr. Todd Durbin saying that I had a contract offer from the San Jose Clash and from the L.A. Galaxy. Ha. I couldn't believe it. My choice was easy.
I signed on my birthday, February 12, 1999, as a discovery player with the San Jose Clash. I was discovered by people who believe in me. What a feeling.
Thanks for your time and happy reading.
Toodles.
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