One of the best opportunities that a college soccer player has for continued development is spending time in the Premier Development League, the PDL, during the NCAA offseason. For those who do spend time in the PDL, the results are often positive. They return to their school programs as better players and closer to match fitness than if they had not competed in the PDL. One college player who found a positive outcome out of time spent in the PDL is Sacramento State Sophomore forward, Cylus Sandoval, who played with FC Tucson over the summer.
While it was certainly a new opportunity for Sandoval, the story of a young player from Sacramento State going to FC Tucson between seasons is not a new one. In fact, Sandoval was simply the most recent in a line of beneficiaries of a connection between Sacramento State Head Coach Michael Linenberger and FC Tucson General Manager Jon Pearlman. In the past, that connection helped former Hornets, such as current Sacramento Republic FC midfielder Max Alvarez, to experience the intense competition of the PDL and the potential for growth that stems from it.
Although Sandoval’s time with FC Tucson was undoubtedly something with great potential benefits, it did not necessarily start off easily. Only having just finished his freshman season, Sandovan suddenly found himself surrounded by, for the most part, older players with previous PDL experience. Initially, he had difficulty with the lack of playing time he was getting, but decided to make the best of the tough situation, something that impressed FC Tucson Head Coach Rick Schantz. Schantz told Indomitable City Soccer that he was impressed with how Cylus matured, training harder and becoming a good locker room presence.
Although training hard and being a good locker room guy are still undoubtedly contributions to the team, Sandoval’s biggest on-field contribution to the success of FC Tucson was his performance as a late substitute against Albuquerque Sol FC in the Mountain Division Playoff match. In his 27 minutes on the field he notched a goal and an assist, spearheading a 2-1 comeback victory for Tucson. “It felt good,” Sandoval told ICS when reflecting on his performance that day. “It was two quick goals within, I think, five minutes and turned the game completely on it’s head.”
Tucson Head Coach Schantz remembers the goal as well, calling it “one of the more popular and important goals of the season.”
When asked if there was any interest in having a second season together, both Sandoval and Schantz responded positively. Sandoval simply said “of course,” while Schantz said “definitely, we loved Cylus.” Whether or not that second season together materializes or not cannot be known yet, but what can be said for sure is that Sandoval has already shown signs of improvement from his time in Tucson.
Regarding Sandoval’s improvement, Sacramento State head coach Michael Linenberger said “We’ve already seen a change in him in the short time we’ve been together here – for three weeks.” He also mentioned that the main facet of the game in which Sandoval improved was his work on the defensive side of the ball. “. He had to work harder to find a place on the field,” said Linenberger, “he had to learn to play both sides of the ball.”
Sandoval has also taken his scoring form with him to Sacramento State, getting his first goal of the season in the team’s most recent match against Tulsa, a 2-1 loss. ” I think its just going to build my confidence even more,” he said when reflecting on the goal. “Hopefully I’ll net a lot more this season.”
Although a much improved 2015 is within Sandoval’s grasp, both Coach Linenberger and Coach Schantz see the potential for something more in store for the young forward. Schantz mentioned that the maturity of Sandoval’s reaction to the diversity that faced him in his first PDL season would be beneficial on the difficult road to the next level. Linenberger was more definite in his thoughts on Sandoval’s potential future in the game, saying “I think that guy’s ceiling is very very high. If the defensive side and the mentality clicks on for him, he could be a pro, no question.” Perhaps with another season or two with FC Tuscon, Sandoval could get closer to realizing that potential. After all, it worked well for him so far.
Cylus Sandoval and the rest of the Sacramento State Hornets face San Jose State today, Friday September 4th. They will be looking to grab their first win of the season before coming home for their home opener against CSU Bakersfield on September 6th.
