Ahead of the Game: Ricky Rodriguez

By AMY LYNCH
Special to the Star

Since high school, Ricky Rodriguez has always been described as four years ahead of his experience on the soccer field.
“When I was in school, my only goal then was to play on the varsity team my freshman year,” said the former San Benito High School soccer player. “I did that and played varsity all four years.”
When The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College Soccer Coach Dan Balaguero recruited Rodriguez four years ago, he described him as a “freshman who plays more like a senior.”
Now, with four Red River Conference titles under his belt as a Scorpion, Rodriguez is looking to take his play to the next level.
In January, he and a teammate attended a Pro Soccer Combine in Florida where recruiters for professional teams scout talent. He also plans to try out for a professional team this summer.
“I am hoping to one day play professional soccer,” Rodriguez, a senior Spanish education major, said. “This summer I am trying out for the America Soccer Club in Mexico.”
Rodriguez started playing soccer when he was 6 in the Brownsville Boys League at Oliviera Park as an outlet for his energy.
“I was very active so I played baseball and soccer in the summers,” he said. “I really wasn’t very good at baseball but I liked soccer and I went from there.”
Even growing up, he didn’t think much about making soccer into a career or a way of life. In high school, he never thought about offers from colleges to play.
“I got calls from other colleges but I am really happy I chose to stay close to home and near my relatives,” Rodriguez said. “I get to stay close to home and play for a team that has done a lot in a short period of time.”
Rodriguez was one of the university’s first recruits when the program started in 2007. He said it was tough adjusting to collegiate play at first, with a faster pace and a position change, coming from playing forward in high school to middle field in college.
“You expect a different kind of football in college, but it was still rough adjusting,” he said. “But I really like the experience I got here, the team was great. The memories I have here of winning and taking this program to what it has become in that short amount of time, I will have those forever and I am glad I do.”
Even off UTB/TSC’s soccer field, besides his dedication to his studies, Rodriguez still finds time to squeeze in a little more soccer, playing in different leagues around the Rio Grande Valley.
“Really all I do now is study and play soccer,” he said. “Soccer is my life and I really enjoy it.”