Lions' senior goes pro
Clay Greaney
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Sports
What do Steve Nash, Antonio Gates and LMU's Adam Sloustcher have in common? Sloustcher has been playing competitive soccer since he was ten. But like these two athletes, Sloustcher's first love was a sport other than the one he went pro in.
The Athletics Department made public last week that Sloustcher had signed a developmental contract with the San Jose Earthquakes after impressive appearances at the team's pre-draft combine and in a game on April 4 against the LA Galaxy. Sloustcher becomes the seventh Lion to sign with an MLS team.
Growing up in Pleasanton, Calif., Sloustcher played both soccer and basketball, but his primary sport was basketball. "Going into high school, I had to select which one I was going to play. I decided to go with soccer because I'm not really tall and physically I had a better chance at playing college soccer."
Sloustcher didn't have the typical experience of a high school phenom. He played only the first two years until he had the opportunity to play with the Olympic developmental team, which is where he met LMU's men's soccer coach Paul Krumpe.
This relationship proved to be a lasting one. After two frustrating years coming on and off the bench as a North Carolina Tar Heel, Sloustcher transferred to LMU, hoping to see more playing time as he continued to pursue his dream of playing professionally.
"I knew Coach Krumpe as a youth in the Olympic program when he coached me. When he told me I would come in and play right away, I knew I could trust him, because he knew what kind of player I was," said Sloustcher. "Coming to LMU was the best decision of my life."
When asked how often he has the opportunity to coach a player like Sloustcher, Krumpe spoke of his many contributions, "I've had a limited number of players that have moved on to the MLS, and Adam is one of a handful of guys that have been such great leaders on and off the field. Not a lot are capable of doing both. He was consistently a terrific role mode, always doing the right thing, always doing the extra work; a terrific overall leader."
The Athletics Department made public last week that Sloustcher had signed a developmental contract with the San Jose Earthquakes after impressive appearances at the team's pre-draft combine and in a game on April 4 against the LA Galaxy. Sloustcher becomes the seventh Lion to sign with an MLS team.
Growing up in Pleasanton, Calif., Sloustcher played both soccer and basketball, but his primary sport was basketball. "Going into high school, I had to select which one I was going to play. I decided to go with soccer because I'm not really tall and physically I had a better chance at playing college soccer."
Sloustcher didn't have the typical experience of a high school phenom. He played only the first two years until he had the opportunity to play with the Olympic developmental team, which is where he met LMU's men's soccer coach Paul Krumpe.
This relationship proved to be a lasting one. After two frustrating years coming on and off the bench as a North Carolina Tar Heel, Sloustcher transferred to LMU, hoping to see more playing time as he continued to pursue his dream of playing professionally.
"I knew Coach Krumpe as a youth in the Olympic program when he coached me. When he told me I would come in and play right away, I knew I could trust him, because he knew what kind of player I was," said Sloustcher. "Coming to LMU was the best decision of my life."
When asked how often he has the opportunity to coach a player like Sloustcher, Krumpe spoke of his many contributions, "I've had a limited number of players that have moved on to the MLS, and Adam is one of a handful of guys that have been such great leaders on and off the field. Not a lot are capable of doing both. He was consistently a terrific role mode, always doing the right thing, always doing the extra work; a terrific overall leader."
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