IF you look up the word resilient in the dictionary, the photo of Shanden Vergara should be right beside it. The young man has worked his tail off to get to where he is, from San Carlos all the way to Harrogate, Tennessee, where the Rail Splitters of Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) ply their trade.
According to Football for Humanity Founder Chris Thomas, Shanden is “doing some damage” over at LMU by scoring goals as a midfielder.
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Rookie of the Year was initially recruited by Snow College in Utah after a year with the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Booters.
LMU came calling after learning of Vergara’s exploits on the pitch as a striker for Snow.
Shanden overcame homesickness in his first few months by hanging out with a couple of Japanese classmates who do not speak English—but they were able to communicate better, thanks to Google translator.
At LMU, the non-hierarchical culture welcomed him to the team. There were no impressions of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, just teammates who like playing together, hanging out and chilling.
According to Vergara, more than half of the team is made up of foreign student athletes, an indication of American schools, colleges and universities looking for talent beyond its borders.
Shanden may have provided a long-term opportunity for LMU soccer to recruit more Filipinos as the school has made repeated inquiries with Shanden as to the whereabouts of other Filipino players like him.
Has the Philippines become the new hotspot for soccer talent for the LMU soccer program, we’ll see moving forward.
Shanden suffered an initial setback when most of his subjects at DLSU were not credited which meant he had to work doubly hard in the classroom.
To keep his scholarship, Shanden needs to maintain a GPA. Being a student athlete has many challenges which requires good time management and so far, Shanden has been able to hold his own.
Shanden said on the program that, if called upon to play for the country in the spring, he will make himself available. But if the call comes in fall, he may not be able to play due to the hectic schedule of both home-and-away games and the demands of academics.
Recently, the young midfielder suffered an injury which would take six to eight weeks to heal. He will use the downtime to focus on his studies and see the game from a different perspective, giving him an opportunity to learn from a coaching standpoint.
Once he recovers though, there’s rehab and therapy and getting his legs under him once again along with his wind and fitness plus re-establishing his rhythm on the pitch.
A blog by Football for Humanity (FFH) founder Chris Thomas said Shanden is a product of the FFH program.
“Approaching his senior high school year, DLSU Coach Hans Smit spotted Shanden as he was playing against the Green Archers, and immediately recruited the senior for De La Salle Zobel. Shanden stood out as a fast-paced attacking midfielder. In this last season, Shanden gained much attention due to his technique, game intelligence and strong playing style, helping to bring DLSU to the finals, beating defending champion University of the Philippines.
For the coming fall semester 2019 in the United States, Shanden will be flying to Snow College, Utah, after being scouted by Sports Recruiting USA (SRUSA), a US college soccer recruiting consultancy that has been placing student-athletes in colleges and universities across America since 2010. SRUSA’s founder, Chris Cousins, said that Shanden was selected “because of not only his obvious fantastic football abilities but because of his desire to succeed.”
Shanden became one of only 50 recruits from all over the world, a testament to the international standard of his skills.
Cousins said:” I’m a firm believer, nothing magical happens in your comfort zone, so stepping out, opening new doors, will only bring new things and opportunities in life.”
We fervently hope that Shanden reaches the upper echelons of football, the young man works extremely hard on his craft and we pray that he serves as a trailblazer and a catalyst for the globalization of young Filipino football players.