He's got game (and game's got him)
Soccer mania pays off with Division 1 berth
Over the past several years, Mike Soboff has developed a distinctive routine: watch a soccer move, download the clip, view it over and over, and then practice the maneuver. Obsessively.
Leaning toward his Brazilian roots, his soccer idols are Ronaldo, Kaká and Ronaldinho. Whether he's playing the game or watching his idols on Soccerpost.com, YouTube, or one of the premium-cable soccer channels, the Newton South High graduate's attention is constantly glued to the pitch.
If he's not off playing with Newton-based Valeo FC, or coaching one of its youth teams, Soboff is practicing the new moves he's seen and tweaking old ones - at the park, in his backyard, even on the floor of his bedroom.
"Basically, I love everything that has to do with it, whether it's playing it, coaching it, or watching it," said Soboff, a Dual County League All-Star striker last fall at Newton South.
"I guess I am motivated by soccer and everything to do with it."
But more specifically, it's his skill at embodying the famed Brazilian motto he's adopted - "Play beautiful" - that has turned heads on the local soccer scene. With an arsenal of lunges, scissor kicks, and step-overs ("I've got a million moves," he laughs), Soboff confused many a South opponent last fall, scoring 23 goals in just nine games.
"He's very driven, very smart tactically," said Emelio Williams, a former South assistant coach who works out with Soboff four to five times a week. "He does the same that most others do, but he does it at a greater speed and with more weight. He trains harder; he works harder."
At times last fall, he seemed to be playing games with hurried-looking defenders. But now, it's a game of hurry-up-and-wait for the 18-year-old.
Soboff recently committed to attend the University of South Florida, accepting a full scholarship offer from the top-25 Division 1 program.
But the story might be different had he not suffered a series of injuries.
Last summer, Soboff spent eight weeks - from July to early September - as a member of the junior development team of Paris-St. Germain, a top-flight club in France's Ligue 1.
Upon his return, he broke his wrist during a game of futsal, a popular indoor version of soccer played on hard courts with miniature nets and balls. Soboff joined the Newton South squad late, and sat out six games with the injury before finishing the final nine.
At the same time, he was taking extra classes so that he could graduate a semester early, in December. Soboff grew up in Framingham, but transferred to Newton South in the fall of 2006 to move in with and take care of his grandmother, a Newton resident with Alzheimer's disease.
After switching to a smaller cast on his wrist, Soboff went on his ridiculous scoring streak. But in November, Soboff sustained a serious groin injury, again play futsal, that required months to rehabilitate.
Soboff was scheduled to return to Paris-St. Germain - the same club where Ronaldinho evolved into one of the world's elite players - in April. But with the groin injury, no European work permit, and no spot on a national team, he was told he wouldn't be playing "any more, for the time being."
No more futsal? He regrets the injury, but not the experience.
"It helps you so much with playing in space, and developing your skill," Soboff said.
Being on the sidelines, though, means Soboff has been able to devote more time to his soccer study habits. At the insistence of Williams, who formerly played for the Connecticut Wolves of the United Soccer League, Soboff helps coach some of the youth teams in the Newton area.
And now Soboff is heading to South Florida to suit up for the Bulls, who were shut out by the University of Connecticut in the third round of last fall's NCAA tournament. Both UConn and 2006 national champ University of Maryland had also been courting him. He initially committed to UConn, but then switched his commitment to the Bulls.
Now, when Soboff sits down at his computer, he can view clips of himself in action, courtesy of the work of a few of his friends.
Several highlight reels featuring Soboff have popped up on YouTube. One clip is six minutes of footage of him on the pitch, whipping through three defenders at a time with ease. Another shows him in a Ronaldo jersey, as a member of Paris-St. Germain, juggling the ball with his feet for 25 seconds before cradling it on the back of his head.
He's playing beautifully, of course.
Brendan Hall can be reached at bhall59@hotmail.com. 