Former soccer star finds success in professional league

Nick Garcia misses the color of changing leaves in autumn, Malibu Grill and eating "Big Ten" pizza specials in Bloomington. He left behind his senior year at IU to play professional soccer, two years from earning a legal studies degree.\nIU crosses his mind, but his success in the pros leaves him with no regrets about departing early. Tonight, Garcia might make his first appearance with the men's national team in a match against Mexico in Los Angeles. Garcia, a defender on the Kansas City Wizards, helped the team capture the Major League Soccer Cup title Oct. 15 against the Chicago Fire. Garcia finished second in the Kellogg's Rookie of the Year voting after he started every match with the league's best defensive team.\n"It's extremely rare for a rookie to contribute so much," Kansas City coach Bob Gansler said. "It's so seldom that everyone is surprised someone can do it... With Nick, it's an indication of his talent, his mental toughness and his savvy. He's 21 chronologically, but he's extremely mature on and off the field. He doesn't get rattled."\nGarcia is a marking back for the Wizards, which had a league-best 16 regular-season shutouts. At IU, Garcia was the sweeper for two national championship teams and a 1997 squad that was undefeated before losing to UCLA in the Final Four. He was named a first-team All-American in 1999.\n"The intangibles were what set Nick apart," IU coach Jerry Yeagley said. "He was a fierce competitor, and he had a knack at being at the right place at the right time. He handled damage control defensively, whether heading the ball off the goal line or stopping a guy on a fast break or intercepting a pass no one else would have read. He always made you accountable."\nAfter IU's 1-0 win against Santa Clara in the 1999 NCAA final, Garcia announced he was skipping his senior year to turn pro. The Wizards drafted him with the second overall pick.\nGansler said the Wizards were attracted to Garcia's versatility. He was a sweeper at IU, a defensive midfielder on the under-20 national team, a wide midfielder and a center defender in a three-man setup.\n"There's no rhyme or reason to him," said Kansas City midfielder Chris Klein, who played for IU in 1994-97. "He's a winner. He's won everywhere he's gone. It's not any coincidence that once we got Nick Garcia we started to do well."\nBut Garcia didn't accomplish everything Yeagley expected him to. Garcia wasn't selected to the Olympic team, despite his impressive credentials. Olympics and Portland University coach Clive Charles said he wanted a zone defender for Sydney while Garcia plays a marking back for the Wizards. Charles emphasized team chemistry and loyalty. He selected only one collegiate player, Portland sophomore Conor Casey, for a squad that placed fourth at the Olympics, the best finish by an American team.\n"It was disappointing for me," Garcia said. "I was supposed to have a shot of being called out, but for whatever reason the coach decided to not try me out. It's a part of life. I just have to move on. I wanted the guys to do well in Australia. It's not the end of the world. I won't let it get me down."\nIn another loss, Garcia got 32 percent of the votes for MLS rookie of the year, 2 percent less than the Chicago Fire's Carlos Bocanegra, who left UCLA after his junior year in 1999. \nYeagley said Garcia might have lost the honor because the league wanted to avoid rewarding three Wizard teammates. Two of Garcia's teammates and Gansler received season honors.\n"If (Wizards' goalkeeper Tony) Meola hadn't won (player of the year), I think in my opinion he would have gotten it," Yeagley said. "But the fact that they had so many (awards) affected the voting for him some. But I still think he was deserving of it, and Bocanegra is an excellent player as well."\nAlthough Garcia started every game with the Wizards, he still had to adjust to the professional game, which has craftier, stronger and faster players than the college level. \n"He's very confident in what he can do," said Klein, who was also called up for tonight's match. "Nick's never had to sit back and learn. His biggest attribute was not his ability to defend or his speed but his ability to listen to the guys who've been there and taken from those experiences."\nGarcia could have turned pro out of high school, Yeagley said. Even at IU, Garcia never cut corners when he ran laps, did the 20th pushup and worked to improve every day at practice.\nGarcia said playing at IU was the closest to playing professional soccer without getting paid. Yeagley and coach Mike Freitag were mentors, and he met with the coaches after the Youth World Championships in 1999 to discuss leaving school early. Garcia decided to stay another year to win a second national championship. Garcia said he finally left because he felt he had accomplished everything a college player could.\nHe hasn't taken a class since he left IU and has enjoyed the time off from school, although he does want to finish his degree. Garcia works from 9:30 a.m. to noon daily and wants to start his own business some day because he couldn't imagine working for someone else.\nHe once owned a house with teammates in Bloomington, but he'll have to check into a hotel room the next time he visits. He hasn't seen the 2000 Hoosiers (13-3) play, but he's looked at the results. IU lost three of its first six games, but is on a 10-game winning streak. Garcia said the Hoosiers should be fine by the NCAA tournament.\n"I miss IU sometimes," he said. "When I come back, I feel like an old person. I enjoyed my college experience. Bloomington is one of the best places you can be in for soccer, academics, the social life. I definitely credit IU for giving me a good upbringing"