To a layperson, even a casual soccer fan, a goal is a thing of beauty, a cause for wonder, a mystery.
Some would even call it a fluke.
Only the truly knowledgeable can see a goal coming into formation, the small break in action causing a gap, the surge, the pass, the footwork, the poke. Only the truly great can do the scoring themselves.
Enter Damian German.
The FC Tucson forward has been like clockwork for the franchise, six goals in 11 PDL games, one goal away from tying the franchise record for league goals in the regular season.
“I feel like you just go on a hot streak,” he said as FC Tucson prepared for its home game against San Diego Zest FC at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Kino North Stadium. “Once you score the first one, the second comes, the third one? That’s just confidence. You go into a game knowing you’re going to be a game-changer. I know I’ll get the chance, and I’ve just got to bury it.”
People are also reading…
How does German do it?
FC Tucson coach Rick Schantz credits his dribbling ability.
Schantz compared German to a basketball wing with “great ball skills, who can break down people and get to the rim.” German isn’t the biggest player on the field, Schantz said, but he knows how to find a crease and exploit it.
“He creates those moments of havoc for the opponent,” Schantz said. “He’s got really quick feet, and he can get a shot off in very small windows. He’s an amazing forward in the sense that he’s not tall, he’s quick but not super fast, but he’s got the ‘it’ factor.”
The “it” factor that Schantz describes is impossible to define, but instantly recognizable.
Schantz saw it in German in one of the pivotal moments of the season, one that still stands out in his mind: Facing the Southern California Seahorses in the third league game of the season, FC Tucson trailed late, 1-0, watching the seconds tick off. On FC Tucson’s last offensive charge of the game, midfielder Daniel Koniarczyk lofted the ball into the box — “in an area meant for bigs,” Schantz said — but German was able to find space and flicked a volley past the diving goalkeeper . “Looking back on it,” Schantz said, “although we dropped points, it’s one of the reasons we’re still undefeated.”
For the imposing FC Tucson squad, German has been the scoring linchpin.
“I’m good with my feet, I’m pretty quick, but I know how to get behind defenders,” he said. “I know how to find space. Picking out your runs, you learn from seeing other players, but being able to dribble, being good with your feet, that has to come naturally.”
German scored twice for Grand Canyon University last season, his freshman campaign, and he’ll enter his second year riding a wave of momentum.
“I think you can feel it,” German said. “When you’re in there, playing well, feeling good about yourself, getting your touches, you just have the mentality you want to score and you’re going to score. But it is a surprise when you score.”
Even to his coach.
“I’ve seen so many games, moments, circumstances, and with that experience you have a tendency to forecast, and when you’re up in stands, you can see gaps, the defense opens up, a pass about to be made — you can see the patterns and the movement,” Schantz said. “But I’m still often surprised by how a forward scores a goal.”
With German it’s getting a bit easier to predict. One thing is for certain: German relishes the role.
“It’s the best feeling, man,” he said. “ Your team is just so confident in you, they just want to look for you. They know if they give it to you, you’ll put the ball away. I’m the type of person who loves adrenaline, and when I’m out there, I feel it. It’s an adrenaline rush for me. I like the gambling.”
