With soccer at a standstill for the time being, Richard Jata has decided to go back to school and finish his degree. When the Chicago Fire drafted him 2 years ago, he left school a semester early to pursue a career in professional soccer. Jata is on schedule to finish his degree and he accepted a volunteer coaching position with the Campbell Camels. Former teammate Aaron Johnson is now an assistant coach and Jata is very happy to be back. He's excited for what life has to offer and isn't officially calling it quits.
It's too bad soccer in the U.S. is so far from where it needs to be. Players aren't being given the opportunity to develop properly and talented players like Richard are looked over because of the "politics" involved. I'm really ashamed with the effort put forth by the USL and NASL. The web coverage is half-ass. There's tremendous potential in several players and the inability to take them to the next level is pathetic. Some people don't understand that USA soccer is actually really important to millions of people in America. Why can't we make the proper progress we need to make the sport successful? Drastic changes need to be enforced and a lot of people need to get fired...
It's been an on and off season for the Carolina Dynamo, but it looks as if they will come up just short of making the playoffs. Currently they sit in 3rd place with only one game left remaining on the schedule. Things would be a lot more interesting if the Dynamo had pulled off victories in their final three away games, but instead they came out of it 1-1-1. Jata notched his first goal of the season in their last game against Central Jersey. The team's final match of the season is Saturday, July 24th against the Bermuda Hogges. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30pm and all fans who come out for the game will get a free team photo.
The 2010 World Cup has been an amazing event. A Ghanaian friend of mine from college flew to South Africa for the Uruguay vs. Ghana game. He said the atmosphere was ridiculous and borderline scary, but one of the most exhilarating moments he had ever experienced. Watching Landon Donovan score in the final minutes of the Algeria game was one of the most memorable moments of the tournament for me and it's something I will never forget.
Yesterday we saw Uruguay take on Germany in a battle for 3rd place. Germany had several starters out, but still managed to pull off a 3-2 win. They rallied from a 2-1 deficit with Sami Khedira scoring the game-winner in the 82nd minute. Both teams had impressive runs and showed a lot of heart. Diego Forlan(age 31) and Miroslav Klose(age 32) were dominant forces, but it looks as if their chances of lifting the World Cup trophy in the future are long gone. It's been really great seeing these two players battle it out on the pitch the last few weeks in their quest for the golden boot.
With the World Cup coming to an end, the final should be one of the most exciting games of the tournament. The Spaniards have touch, skill and they dominate possession of the ball. The Netherlands have tremendous pace and are a threat to score at all positions. I'm extremely excited for today's game and Spain's lack of scoring depth is pushing me towards naming the Netherlands as favorites. The only thing holding me back is Spain's ability to possess the ball and completely control the game. Holland is unbeaten in their last 25 games and several players have 1 v 1 capability. My gut is telling me Holland, but my soccer background is telling me Spain. Who will win and be crowned the 2010 World Cup Champions?
My prediction - Spain wins 1-0 and takes home the country's first World Cup trophy.
This is the matchup we've all been waiting for. Spain were the early favorites(besides Brazil) and are the highest ranked team left at this point. The Germans have been dominant on all sides of the ball and the most entertaining team to watch throughout the tournament. I have watched every single game of the 2010 World Cup and I still get extremely excited when Germany steps onto the pitch.
Both teams have star athletes, but the Germans have played slightly better as a "team" up to this point. However, the Spaniards are not far behind with their possession of the ball dominating every opposing squad. The Germans can pass, make great runs, and are a superb at finishing off their counter attacks. Spain controls the possession and their passing is second to none, but their finishing ability has not been there with Fernando Torres looking absent to say the least. Obviously, David Villa is Spains' biggest scoring threat. For the Germans, everyone is a scoring threat. Unfortunately, Thomas Muller(4 goals) will miss this match for accumulating too many yellow cards, but with Miroslav Klose, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski all tallying goals this tournament, I think Germany will do just fine. My two favorite players in this matchup are David Villa(Spain) and Miroslav Klose(Germany). Both of these players bring the desire and determination to score goals. Villa has been Spain's only weapon on the offensive side of the ball and Klose is a great finisher. Klose is one of the most prolific scorers in World Cup history and at 33 years old, he brings extreme leadership to a very young squad. I love Germany's midfield tandem in Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger. They make great runs off the ball and are reliant on the defensive side as well. It's no question that Spain's midfield duo is also one of the best, so the Germans will be put to the test in this highly anticipated semifinal matchup.
My Prediction - Germany wins 1-0 and advance to their 8th World Cup Final.
The 2010 World Cup has been very exciting to say the least. From disallowed goals and offside blunders, questionable no-calls and numerous cards, extremely fast players and exhilarating moves, the World Cup has been everything I expected it to be and more! Today's matchup brings together two teams with very different stories. Uruguay won the first ever World Cup, but have been relatively absent as of late. They were given 100-1 odds at the beginning of the tournament, but have certainly proved that they belong here with exciting gameplay from Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez. The Netherlands are heavily favored in this matchup despite never winning a World Cup. Their fast gameplay and precision passing have really helped them progress through the tournament. Dirk Kuyt and Wesley Sneijder have been great for the Netherlands and Arjen Robben brings a lot of speed out on the wing. No one expected to see this matchup, but it's here. My two favorite players in this matchup are Diego Forlan(Uruguay) and Wesley Sneijder(Netherlands). These two players are brilliant on the ball and they have incredible vision. They also bring creativity, determination and extreme confidence. Forlan has been a huge scoring threat and a great distributor of the ball. Sneijder has kept the Netherlands in the tournament leading his team with 4 goals. My sleeper player is Dirk Kuyt because he brings 110% every time he steps onto the field. He's not the most talented player on the team, but his effort and unquestionable hustle to every 50-50 ball is second to none. When the World Cup is over, I will choose a 1st and 2nd starting XI. As of right now, Forlan and Sneijder have both proved that they deserve a spot on my 1st team. Who will join them?
My prediction - Netherlands win 3-1 and advance to their 3rd World Cup Final.
Right now the Carolina Dynamo sit in 5th place of the Mid Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. With 10 games played, their record stands at 4-4-2. They've scored 22 goals(2nd most in the division) but have also given up 19 goals, which is the 3rd most in their division. Only the top two teams qualify for the playoffs so the Dynamo definitely need to step their game up if they plan on having a successful run at the PDL Championship.
Richard Jata has been playing a variety of positions, but has yet to net his first goal of the season. He's getting limited minutes and is still trying to find his role in the system. Someone who seems to be fitting in quite well is Tanner Wolfe. Richard's best friend and former A-Sun Conference rival led the Dynamo to a 2-1 win Saturday night against the West Virginia Chaos. He played phenomenally, scoring a goal in both the first and second half.
The team does not play again until July 8th, when they will take on West Virginia again in a rematch at Schoenbaum Stadium. There are only 6 games left on the schedule so they must finish strong if they have any intentions of making it to the playoffs.
After a brief layoff from the sport, Richard Jata has returned! Having previously played for the Carolina Dynamo, Jata was welcomed back with open arms. The Dynamo started out their 2010 season with a 1-1 tie and a 4-0 defeat, but since Jata's arrival the team is on a roll, winning 3 of their last 4 matches. Richard notched his first assist on a Scott Rojo goal in the teams 4-1 victory over the Hampton Roads Piranhas. He started the first 3 games as a sub, but finally got his first start of the season last Sunday against the Ironbound Express. He played 62 minutes, leaving with a minor injury to his foot. Richard said that his foot is fine and he's looking forward to contributing to the teams success in the near future!
The Dynamo's next game is at home, on June 12th, against Hampton Roads Piranhas.
After 4 solid years at Campbell University, the Vince Petrasso coming out party has officially begun! The Harrisburg City Islanders passed on the 2008 Conference Player of the Year in Richard Jata, but decided to sign the 2009 Conference Player of the Year instead. Campbell University sports writer, Stan Cole, recently posted an article listing all of Petrasso's stats and achievements.
Richard could not be any happier for his former teammate, roommate and close friend. In an interesting note, Jata was actually with Petrasso when he received the call from the Harrisburg coach to come join the team. He said it brought the both of them tremendous joy!
I have watched Vince progress over the years and it's truly a pleasure to see him make a professional team. At the moment, Vince is fighting for a starting spot with the Harrisburg City Islanders. The USL-2 season is currently underway and you can check out the Harrisburg roster and Vince's bio at cityislanders.com
All I ever wanted to do was document my brother's journey towards a career in professional soccer, but I guess some people see it another way....
After Richard attended his second combine with the Tampa Bay Rowdies a couple months ago, I wrote an article(check back a few posts to see it). Well apparently, some of the Rowdies' execs viewed my blog and weren't pleased with what was written. No big deal for me, right? WRONG! It turns out, the Rowdies WERE interested in signing my brother, but because they didn't appreciate the things I mentioned on this blog, they decided not to offer him a contract. Richard was told(flat out) by his former agent, that what I wrote deliberately ruined his chances of signing his first professional contract. It's silly to think what a few words can do to affect someones future! To me it seems childish. I'm mean, this blog was originally created to get Campbell University press. It shifted to Richard when he left for the pros. It might have given Richard press before and during the combine, but he didn't need it after he got drafted and made his speech. At that point, he had made his own press.....I just documented it!
This blog has been reading material for friends, family, former teammates and parents, but after Richard became known throughout the states, more people tuned in. He became somewhat popular amongst soccer fans and people wanted to follow his story. So I wrote! Richard never asked me to do any of this, but I did it because I love him, I love to write and I look up to him(even though I'm taller and older). When Richard told me that I ruined his chance of signing a contract with the Rowdies, I was crushed! My intentions were harmless and they should be meaningless to coaches and GM's, but then again, I guess I got some pretty important people reading my blog, huh?
With these comments, I wonder if I(in any way) hurt my brothers' chances of signing with the Chicago Fire. Richard obviously proved himself by beating out all the other draftees and trialists before getting released. The Fire fans loved my insiders view on the preseason and the updates on their team. Just look back at the comments on my posts from last preseason. Some of the things I wrote about could have be shared with the public, but there are clubs out there that don't want to make the effort. So I ask myself, was Denis Hamlett reading my blog?(Haha, I doubt it) Did he not like the information I was sharing with the rest of the world? These are the things I have to live with now. All I ever wanted to do was help my brother, but in all actuality, I might have ruined two perfectly good opportunities for him to get that contract.
Months will go by, without any word from coaches or teams, but the players are talking. Richard has grown up playing soccer with several players in the MLS and USL. They all want to know why he STILL hasn't signed with a team!
Is THIS BLOG preventing my brother from signing his first professional contract?
Richard Jata went to the Puerto Rico & Harrisburg City Islanders tryout in Orlando, FL with an open mind. Sure it wasn't the Chicago Fire, but all he really wants to do now is play ball. The coaches seemed to like what Jata did on the field, notching the only assist on a well-placed through ball in the final game of Day 2. Unfortunately, neither were looking for a center-mid so no immediate offers were made. With little time left until the MLS and USL seasons begin, it looks as if Jata will have to put his dreams on hold yet again.
However, this has given Jata more motivation than ever. Earlier today he talked to Joe Brown(Head Coach for the Carolina Dynamo) and told him that he wanted to come back to the team for the upcoming season. The Carolina Dynamo are one of the most prestigious PDL programs in the country so Jata has absolutely no regrets going to play for them.
Richard told me that he is determined to wear the Captain's band and lead the Dynamo to yet another successful season. His primary focus and main goal is to win the Lamaar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. With the possibility of competing against MLS and USL teams who passed on him, there will be no holding back. Not one bit!
With much speculation going around that this blog is written by Richard Jata, I just wanted to bring some clarity to the situation. I(Ben Jata) started this blog when Richard was a Senior at Campbell University. I felt that CU wasn't getting any exposure and I wanted the rest of the country to know more about them. Gocamels.com is CU's athletic website and that is why I named this site gocamels.blogspot.com. After Campbell's season ended, I decided to put the focus mainly on Richard and follow his journey towards a career in professional soccer. His former coaches and teammates, along with friends and family, have really enjoyed the updates I have brought them through this site. I followed him to the combine to give all the readers a firsthand look of what I saw up close. Then he made the trip to the Superdraft, got selected and delivered his memorable speech.
The Chicago Fire drafted Richard with the 58th pick and I made it a point to follow him closely through the 2009 MLS preseason as he fought for a position on the team. This gave the Chicago Fire fans a chance to follow his story along with the rest of the team. People from Chicago really enjoyed the updates because there wasn't a lot of information available at the time. Things started out great, but the ending wouldn't be the same. Denis Hamlett told Richard this as his time with the Fire came to an end; "I think I should give you the benefit of the doubt(because you were sick and injured), but I decided to stick with players I had last year." He said this because Richard had missed a lot of time in the preseason due to an injury and an illness he caught while in Mexico. Still, Richard was the last player in preseason camp to get released(#25 on the roster at the time). Ever since then I have watched my brother fight so hard to play the game that he loves, only to see him disappointed time and time again.
My brother has been training VERY hard the past few months. He has a lot of people in his corner rooting for him, hoping he succeeds, but we can only do so much. If you are a professional coach interested in my brother, talk to Joe Brown(Carolina Dynamo), talk to Doug Hess (Drexel Head Coach), talk to Tom Durkin at IMG Academy. They will all tell you the same thing; Richard Jata is a very talented soccer player with all the potential in the world. He has the raw natural ability needed to be successful at the professional level and his love for the game is extraordinary.
In closing, don't judge my brother by what you read on this blog! I am responsible for everything that is written. If you want to blame someone for being too confident, BLAME ME! The only reason I MAY appear this way is because I have witnessed his success and skill develop beyond belief and I know how great he can be. Richard lives for two things; God and Soccer! He believes it's God's plan for his life, a way for him to witness to others, and I agree. My brother prays before every game and he gives praise to God after every goal he scores. Because of my brother's faith in God and his belief in himself, I know(sooner or later) God will speak to a very lucky coach and say, "Sign this kid, with your help, he will accomplish great things"!
Richard Jata left the Tampa Bay Rowdies Combine with high hopes, but an uneasy feeling in his heart. After being informed that the team was interested, all Jata could do was sit back and wait for that contract offer to be presented. But for some reason, the Rowdies decided to go in another direction. When Jata asked why, he was told that they liked him, but they just didn't know where he would fit into their plans. It seems like some teams nowadays want to go for the safe call, when that "diamond in the rough" is still waiting for his chance to shine. Determining an individuals' ability and maximum potential in just 3 days (with random teammates) is a lot to ask for. Jata's best moment at the combine came when he delivered a beautiful left-footed inswinging corner kick to the back post, where a fellow teammate was waiting to knock it in.
Time and time again, Jata has proven himself, but for some reason he has yet to find that coach who will take him to the next level. He has the marketability (Rookie Life: Diary of a Draft Pick - 2009), he has the support from many followers(almost 10,000 hits on this site) and he's a great kid who just wants to play the game. The 16 videos I uploaded on YouTube have amassed over 14,000 views and the 2009 MLS Draft Summary has over 10,000 views. He's an entertainer (Doing flips after he scores, Best Draft Speech Ever) and he showed us that he can accomplish great things with the time he spent at Campbell. Think about it; Campbell went 20-1-1 when Jata scored, they defeated UNC 3 years in a row(a team consistently ranked in the top 10 every year-Jata scored the game-winning goal twice), and in his final year, when Campbell started the year 2-5(Jata was injured), they finished the year on a 12-game win streak and a 10-0 record in conference play. This streak gave Campbell one of the highest rankings in school history(#22 in the country). They ended up losing the final game of the year against Jacksonville in the A-Sun Conference Final. Jata notched 2 goals in that game, and it is the only game in Jata's history at Campbell that they lost when he scored. Jata was named Player of the Year his senior year in high school (Ridgewood-Pasco County) AND his senior year in college(Campbell-Atlantic Sun Conference). These are the reasons why Furman offered him practically a "Full Ride". Doug Allison knew Richard had the potential to be great. Why else would he tell Jata that he would be better than Clint Dempsey? Did he say it just to say it, I doubt it! Jata proved it! He led Furman in scoring and in total points as a freshman. After Jata was mistreated by the assistant coach, he left Furman and that is when Wake Forest offered him a 50% scholarship. The only reason they didn't offer him a full ride was because they had already given most of their scholarship money away and that's all they could offer him at the time. Campbell offered him a full ride and Doug Hess really took Richard under his wing. Just look at the result....Great Coach + Great Player + Great Teammates = Great Success!
Jata has played for many great coaches throughout his short career; Peter Mannino(played with Pele on the New York Cosmos)-Clearwater Chargers, Tom Durkin-IMG Academy(where he was the youngest player(16) to play for the IMG PDL team), Doug Allison-Furman Head Coach, Joe Brown-Carolina Dynamo Head Coach(played with Sam Cronin), and Doug Hess-Head Coach @ Drexel(Former Head Coach @ Campbell). He also trained with the U.S. National U-17 team under John Hackworth. Ask any of these coaches about the talent and skill level Jata possesses and I highly doubt you will hear anything but praise.
Watch this Rookie Life episode and let me know what you think. My brother is very confident in his ability as a player, but at the same time, he is an extremely humble person.
With the 3-day combine(in Tampa) over and done with, Rowdies executives now have to make their decision on who to sign. Based on what I've heard, I don't expect too many local players to be offered contracts. I'm assuming maybe five, at the most!
Jata felt confident about his tryout, but he still realizes that there is room for improvement. These combine sessions are really hard when it comes to judging a player. A great pass can be overlooked if the player on the receiving end looses it quickly. A great shot can look mediocre, if the goalie makes a great save. Obviously, team cohesion is not all there, but I believe this combine was a success overall.
Brian Shriver, Tanner Wolfe, Ryan Maxwell, Jordan Seabrook, Steven Morris and Richard Jata were just some of the established local players looking to make the cut, featured in this USL news article a little while back.
A few days ago, after the 2nd combine had finished, Jata was featured in another article written by Nicholas Murray of the Tampa Tribune, titled Players Impress Rowdies Management at Combine. Among the others mentioned in the article were Joe Donoho, Kirk LaBusch and Jay Ayers.
(pictured above) Free kick by Jata at Tampa Bay Rowdies tryout
With the 2010 MLS season right around the corner, the Philadelphia Union are set to make some moves. After picking up 15 players in the MLS expansion draft, they still have room on their roster for some bright young talent. Jata has been invited to a second tryout for a soon-to-be Tampa Bay Rowdies team. Will his quest lead him to the USL, or will he finally be able to find a MLS team looking for something more than just a soccer player? Maybe an entertainer? One who can put fans in the seats?
With soccer at a standstill for the time being, Richard Jata has decided to go back to school and finish his degree. When the Chicago Fire drafted him 2 years ago, he left school a semester early to pursue a career in professional soccer. Jata is on schedule to finish his degree and he accepted a volunteer coaching position with the Campbell Camels. Former teammate Aaron Johnson is now an assistant coach and Jata is very happy to be back. He's excited for what life has to offer and isn't officially calling it quits.
