I created this blog, Richard Jata keeps it going!

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"!

Jata is determined to make it more than ever!

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.