A 6-year old boy watching UANL Tigres with his dad was introduced to the sport which would later become central to his life. Ten years later, Coppell sophomore Arath Valdez is the starting goalkeeper for the boys soccer team. 

He also trains with the very team that sparked his love for soccer. 

UANL Tigres has a youth development program called Fuerzas Basicas de Tigres, where Valdez trains with the team and with the goalkeeper coach. As a part of Liga MX (the Mexican professional soccer league), training with Tigres offers elite coaching. After being scouted by international coordinator Guadalupe de la Rosa, Valdez was invited to train with the team and has gone four times, each during every major break – his most recent trip being spring break. 

“Conditioning is a huge thing [with Tigres],” Valdez said. “They make us run a lot and after running, we go straight to practice. Over there, I trained two times with the Academy team and with the goalkeepers.”

The role of a goalkeeper differs from other positions, requiring a different set of skills and entailing more responsibility in the case of a loss. However, Valdez is drawn to the position like a magnet.

“It’s a hard position to play,” Valdez said. “All the pressure is on you. The forward can make 10 mistakes, out of 10 shots, they miss all of them, but if I make one mistake, it could cost us the game. I like the pressure.”

Originally a defender, Valdez stepped into the goalkeeper position when his coach asked for a volunteer to fill the spot. Years later, he entered the Coppell varsity soccer team as a sophomore and beat both seniors, Kyler Henderson and Carlos Arconada, for the starting goalkeeper spot. 

“When [Coppell coach James Balcom] said I was going to start the first game, it was unbelievable,” Valdez said. “I didn’t know I was going to start that first scrimmage we played [against Frisco Wakeland on Dec. 12 at Buddy Echols Field] until like, five minutes before we played. All the goalkeepers, we all gathered in a circle and said, ‘Whoever starts, you better go out and give it your all,’ and when the coach finally gave us the news I was going to start, I was happy.” 

After starting with Coppell soccer on the JV2 team, Valdez needed to transition to the varsity team filled with more experienced players. 

“In general, goalkeepers should be natural leaders on the team and that is something that can be really intimidating when you are a sophomore on varsity, but I think Arath did a great job stepping into that role,” Coppell goalkeeper coach Craig Able said via email. “I think also in a game when a goalkeeper makes an amazing save it can really bring life to a team and help propel them to a positive result.”

Still, Valdez experienced some difficulties in the shift at the start. 

“All the seniors were experienced and they shoot hard,” Valdez said. “They shoot shots that are unexpected, especially [Coppell seniors midfielder Sebastian Blaas and defender Maxwell Winneker]. Getting adjusted to their type of shots and game style, that was probably one of the hardest times, during the beginning of the school year.”

However, Valdez has a good relationship with his teammates both on and off the field. According to Coppell senior defender MJ Fleeks, some of his best qualities are his ability to both communicate and listen.

“Our relationship is pretty tight,” Fleeks said. “For me to know where people are, I need to trust my goalkeeper to tell me where they are and my goalkeeper needs to trust me and make sure that I’m marked up or I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. Also, I help the keeper out by telling him on goal kicks or free kicks by telling him when to mark up.”

Valdez would love to play for a Division I college and, if possible, make it to the professional league. As for now, playing for Coppell and his Chelsea East club team, as well as practicing and scrimmaging with Tigres has kept him plenty busy.

“Arath is one of the most talented and skilled athletes I have had the privilege to work with,” Able said. “He is incredibly smart, athletic, and hard-working. He is someone who I have no doubt will continue to work to improve and grow as a man and a person. He is an integral part of Coppell soccer and has a very bright future ahead of him.”

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