In the opposite end of the globe, Senior Tin Le brought home the gold medal while representing the United States in the International Futsal Alliance World Championship in Spain for players under 17 years of age, where his team, according to the U.S Futsal website. Futsal is a small-scaled version of soccer on a basketball-like court, with five players on each team, according to the U.S. Futsal website.
Le started playing soccer when he was four years old and began playing Futsal four years after that, he said. Le’s father played soccer on the streets of Vietnam and instilled his knowledge into him, Le said.
“It is not for everyone,” Le said. “The field is smaller, so you have to be really good with your touch. It is more fast-paced, and it gets tiring.”
Le’s main focus is on soccer, a sport he practices with his team, named De Anza Power, outside of school at least four times a week, he said. Le practices Futsal specifically when there is an upcoming tournament or he is summoned to play by the national team, he added.
Le’s parents are a big reason for his success, Le’s coach Mario Gonzalez said. They encourage him to practice and make sure he does not miss any team training, he said.
Le is very dynamic and thrives in one-on-one situations,” Le’s teammate Neo Ruiz said. “He is great in tight spaces and is most successful with the ball at his feet.”
What sets Le apart from the rest of the players on his team is his ability to make quick decisions, allowing him to be fluid in offense, Gonzalez said. Because of Le’s height, he has a hard time playing defensively, but it allows him to play uniquely in the offensive front, he said.
“He mostly plays a position called a pivot or a target player,” Gonzalez said. “What Le does is post up in front of the goal and shoot or distribute the ball, depending on how he is being defended,” he said.
The U.S. team played their first match against Spain, and Le was awarded the most valuable player award for his performance in that game, Le said. Afterward, they played against Scotland and Australia, he added.
“After our first two wins, it felt like we couldn’t be beaten,” Ruiz said. “Our team was just too united and focused on bringing back gold for U.S.A.”
Because players were representing the U.S., they were expected to behave professionally and were given press training to practice how to talk to interviewers, Le said.
“The experience of playing makes you more inspired,” Le said. “Seeing people from other countries who like the same thing as you – they are competitive, and it makes you want to be even more competitive,” Le said.
Le enjoys rapping, and during the tournament, his teammates listened to his music before the games to get motivated, Gonzales added.
“I would say (Le) is the type of person you’d enjoy to be around – very humble and down to earth,” Ruiz said. “He is very relatable and reliable, the type of person you can count on.”