The first time midfielder David Clemens stepped on a field in Arizona, he impressed his coaches and teammates.
The first time he played a match for FC Tucson, he impressed the fans and media.
The first time he walked onto a foreign pitch as a member of FC Tucson, he helped leave a historic impression.
Not a bad start for a 23-year-old from Virginia Tech who has three goals and an assist in six matches heading into tonight's game against OC Blues Strikers FC at Kino Sports Complex North Field No. 5. The match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m.
"I had never been to Arizona before stepping on the field," Clemens said. "The only time I had been out West was when I went to San Diego during my high school days."
It didn't take him long to show his skills at his first FC Tucson practice May 16.
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"He just scored about eight goals in training. I mean really good goals," assistant coach Jeff Rogers said that first day. "This guy just showed up, and I'm like 'Who are you?' And yet he goes out there and just looks the part. It's awesome."
Fans got a chance to see his talent two days later in a 3-1 home win over the Southern California Seahorses. Clemens scored a goal, rattled the crossbar with another shot and generally created havoc for most of the 90 minutes.
In the last 10 months, he's been pretty good at pestering defenses. In 20 starts as a Virginia Tech junior last fall, he netted 10 of the team's 21 goals and added two assists to finish with 22 points.
"I actually played center mid" last fall, Clemens said. "I haven't played forward since my freshman year. … I played very high in the midfield so it wasn't like I was playing the deep midfielder role. I was able to get some opportunities and get some goals.
"I'll play anywhere. I actually enjoy playing forward for (FC Tucson). I play midfield at school, but (Virginia Tech) has a different shape and different personnel so it suits me better for that team. This team it seems to suit me better up top. Anything I can contribute to the team I love to do."
His second big contribution was to help FC Tucson become the first team ever from Arizona to win a second-round match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Clemens was a starter May 21 when FC Tucson knocked off the host San Antonio Scorpions, a professional club in the second division North American Soccer League, 4-3 on penalties.
Although he didn't find the net in that match, he was glad to be a part of it.
"As a whole, it was a great win for this program, the community, our fan base. The Cactus Pricks and all the fans we get out here are just unbelievable," Clemens said. "It was a team win completely, 100 percent."
"The team just pulled together. We had just so much heart to keep fighting, especially down a goal and then to come back and (to give up) a controversial penalty at the end. That really hurts a team's mentality, and some teams can fold after that, but we kept fighting till the end."
Coach Rick Schantz realized quickly that Clemens was one of the finds of the season.
"I expected him to be a No. 9 for us - just a goal scorer," Schantz said. "He has exceeded my expectations. He's extremely smart, very, very good skilled. I think he's MLS talent. He's got to get a little bit more muscle on his upper body, but he is a big-time product. Coupled with the speed of Saeed (Robinson), it makes us even more formidable up front."
Today
• Who: OC Blues Strikers FC at FC Tucson
• Where: Kino Sports Complex North Field No. 5
• When: 7:30 p.m.
