By GARY VAN CLEAVE
Salina Post Contributor
SALINA - Salina soccer is headed to the next level, and Damon McDonald and Jacob Bircher love being at the forefront.
McDonald, an incoming Salina South junior, and Bircher, an upcoming Southeast of Saline junior, are upping their individual games this summer, competing on teams in Kansas City.
The two will compete as members of the Kansas City Surf's ECNL/RL teams.
McDonald, a team captain and starting center back, has already seen his work ethic pay off firsthand.
“People will always be better or faster than you," he said. "But it's important to put in hard work to excel. Working hard has opened the path for me to be on teams that are at higher levels, such as the Surf National team based out of San Diego.”
Bircher, in his third year with the team, can be found at right back, where he has found a home after playing midfielder and right winger for his first two seasons.
“There will always be someone better,” Bircher said. “You have to be at your best all the time, and work hard in order to keep up. With hard work and dedication, you can go a long way.”
Both athletes recently made the Surf Select Midwest Regional team and advanced to the national showcase where McDonald made the national team, and Bircher was named to the national reserve team.
Not bad for a couple of kids from central Kansas.
“To me, it means that my hard work and dedication to this sport is paying off, and that's driving me to keep working harder to achieve more in my career,” Bircher said.
“I've been given an opportunity that few have been given, and that shows me that hard work and dedication pays off,” McDonald noted. “I’m not done yet, and I still have to work hard and have an obsession like never before to continue going farther on this journey.”
Vince Doering of Manhattan High is a teammate of McDonald on the 2008 ECNL/RL squad.
“Damon is a very strong player. He’s a great leader and plays with an unmatched physicality,” Doering said. “Jacob is super fast and makes quick cuts that’s hard to defend. His stamina is great and he plays hard the entire game.”
Both are ecstatic not just to be a part of the national team, but the exposure it’s bringing to Salina soccer as well.
“We can make a large impact in the youth that play soccer,” McDonald said. “Those younger players know about us and that gives them a sort of hope to know that it is possible.”
According to Bircher only two players from Salina have ever gone pro on the soccer circuit. They include goalkeepers Adrianna Franch of the US women’s national team and Ethan Bandre, currently with the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.
“My hope is that there could possibly be two or three people from a small town in the middle of KS who make a big impact on youth soccer and for everyone else,” Bircher said. “To show that it is possible to do big things even if you’re from a small place.”
“With my high school’s team making it to state, a lot of those kids came to watch us leave town and made posters for us,” McDonald, whose Cougars finished third at state said. “I do believe I have at least an impact of some of the youth.”
Those posters hit a soft spot in McDonald’s heart.
“To me those posters meant that those kids wanted us to succeed,” McDonald said. “The fact that their dedication and time was put into a poster for us meant that they cared. That in itself was a confidence boost.”
Despite his recent success, Bircher’s three years haven’t always gone smoothly.
“My first year on the team was the first year that KC had put together the ECNL/RL team and it was rough to say the least,” Bircher said. “It was a brand new team playing in one of the highest leagues there is, and to be honest, it went pretty poorly.”
After a bit of a rough start new coach Matt Foster, started the winning culture in year two.
“Coach Matt brought in a few more new players and we started turning our situation around,” Bircher continued. “We started off the year really well with a tournament in Orlando, where we combined teams with Damon’s team and we didn’t lose a game. After that, we separated the 08s and 07s again for league play. And we started playing so much better, and we’ve gone on to win the Presidents Cup which gave us a ticket to go represent Kansas at regionals soon in South Dakota.”
Both are great friends who have respect for the other in sports.
“Jacob is a very good man, he is nice but knows how to keep others moving,” McDonald said. “As a soccer player he never gives up, he is always working and willing to leave everything on the field. He always fights through adversity. He reached out to the necessary people to secure a good training source to further his chances at advancing in his career.”
“I would describe Damon as a very good friend," Bircher said. "We’ve been playing together since we were very young and we’ve excelled together as players and grown as friends on and off the field. He’s pushed me to be a better player and a better person, and we’ve been through a lot together. He's a great friend and a great teammate.”
McDonald’s teammates at South have been a part of 10 shutouts the last two seasons, including six on last year’s 14-6-1 Cougar unit.
Bircher, meanwhile, placed 19th at state in cross country and has been a top-five varsity runner, taking second as a team at state.
At state track, Bircher finished seventh in the open 400 and third in the 4x4.
“As a runner Jacob has always been really successful,” South’s Bret Jones said. “His level of commitment is higher than the majority of runners out there. Making state as a freshman doesn’t come by accident. He’s got the goofy runner’s personality too.”
Jones had this to say about his Cougar teammate McDonald.
“He’s really fun to be on the field with and you can count on him to win the ball just about every time,” Jones said. “One of the hardest workers I’ve played with. Also very determined, winning is definitely an expectation to him.”