Norridge resident Damian Las, 15, started in goal for the U.S. under-15 boys national soccer team at the Torneo Delle Nazioni tournament in Italy and Slovenia this spring and helped the Americans win the 14th edition of the tournament.
The U.S. defeated England 2-1 in the final on May 1 to get revenge for a loss to England in the group stage. Las made three saves in the final.
Las also plays for the Chicago Fire Academy, and the U.S. Soccer Development Academy named him the top goalkeeper in the central conference in the U-15/16 age group for the 2016-17 season.
Pioneer Press freelance reporter Jakub Rudnik spoke with Las over the phone Monday to discuss his past year playing for the national team and his academy team, as well as his future goals.
Q: Last year when we spoke you were preparing to head to Croatia with the U-15 team. Where have you played abroad with the national team at this point?
A: I’ve played in Croatia, England, I also played in Poland and Italy.
Q: How did the experience in Italy compare to the others?
A: It was good to see where I am at my level, and seeing where other kids are from different countries at their age and my position.
Q: It can be hard to evaluate yourself, but how do you think you compared to the other top goalkeepers your age?
A: I had a really good tournament, I thought I was better than the other goalkeepers. … We played England, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia.
Q: Top Drawer Soccer has you ranked as the No. 1 goalkeeper at your age in the U.S. (and the No. 3 player overall). Do you ever see any of those articles or rankings and read them?
A: I read those articles, but I don’t let it get to me. I just keep working hard. I don’t get cocky about it. I just stay true to myself, I don’t get super excited about it. I just use it as motivation to keep working harder.
Q: What’s your training and playing schedule like right now?
A: Today I had practice at six in the morning. Now I’m eating breakfast and then I come home, I recover, I relax. Then I have another training session at 3-4:30. Then I come back home, I recover, then I go outside and hang out with friends or spend time with family. … That’s a pretty typical day for me in the summer.
Q: Who are you training with currently?
A: Today I had private trainings because I’m in offseason right now. We start preseason August 15. I start preseason with the Fire, but I have a national team camp August 7-20, so that’s why I’m training earlier, so I’m prepared for the tournament (in Florida).
Q: From last year (when we last spoke) until now, what have you improved? What have you worked on in your game?
A: I think I improved a lot on my speed and jumping, because I used to be slower. Also, I think tactically I improved. I’ve gotten more experience, I’ve learned where to be at the right time. I’ve also improved my decision making, like when to pass the ball, quick, fast decisions to pass to the right players.
Q: When you’re at an academy tournament, playing against players you play with on the national team, what are those experiences like?
A: The competitiveness is high. When I’m with the national team it’s higher, but this year when we had the showcases, I played two years up. … It was harder for me because I was playing with kids two years older than me. So I had a higher expectation from my coaches and my teammates because they see me as a national team player.
Q: You’re only going into sophomore year, but what do you hope for your soccer future?
A: I just keep focusing on trying to become a professional. I know in school I have to focus and have good grades. Hopefully nothing goes wrong or I get injured, but I have college as my second option. But right now I’m focusing on going to play professionally either in the U.S. or in Europe.
Jakub Rudnik is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
