Freshman Sandor Pelle holds off a defender from the De Anza Force Soccer Club while attempting to shoot. Pelle’s father, Tibor, has mentally coached him for many years.
Freshman Sandor Pelle, a Sacramento Republic Football Club Academy player, has been playing soccer for nine years. His club team does not allow him to play soccer for SCDS.
Q: Are most club soccer players not allowed to participate in school sports?
A: No, it is just at my academy. They want to monitor all of our athletic activity and want to know what we are doing. They don’t want us to get injured, either.
Q: Will you ever play school soccer?
A: Probably not, but possibly. It depends on if we have a break in our season. It also depends on what club I am playing at in the future.
Q: What other clubs have you played for?
A: Sacramento United, Boca and a bunch of small youth teams when I was younger.
Q: Which is your favorite?
A: Sacramento Republic FC Academy is the hardest and most competitive. I’m not the best player on my team, so it makes me push myself. The Academy treats us like professionals – they expect more from us, and we get free stuff like shirts, jackets, socks, shorts and sweats.
Q: How has your season been going?
A: Considering we have only been playing together for three months, we are doing pretty well. Our record is 7-2.
Q: How often do you have games and tournaments?
A: We have three tournaments a year and one to two games a weekend.
Q: How often do you practice?
A: Monday through Thursday for two-and-a-half hours a day. Sometimes it’s a hassle to make the drive, but once I start playing, it’s worth it.
Q: How much of a role has your dad (Tibor Pelle, former UCLA soccer player and former SCDS high-school soccer coach) played in your career?
A: He has never officially coached me, (but) he has always helped me off the field with pre-game preparation and my mental game. He helped me with technique when I was first learning to play soccer. Now he mostly helps me with game analysis.
Q: Do you have any colleges you are thinking about?
A: No, not really. They start talking to teams the year above me, so next year, hopefully. However, we do have national team scouts at every game.
—By Briana Davies
