Tuesday, October 30, 2001
In a galaxy of stars Brian Ching dealt with a range of emotions and experiences during his first Major League Soccer season with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Ching adjusted to faster
soccer in first MLS yearBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comIt was kind of like watching the surf near his North Shore home. Some days those waves are great, other days they are flat.
The first Hawaii player drafted by an MLS team, Ching saw considerable playing time in preseason matches and early in the MLS season, but his progress wasn't what he expected or what the Galaxy coaching staff wanted.
"I had a slow start. Everything was going by pretty fast," said Ching. "I really didn't make adjustments until late in the year, around the end of July. A lot of it was just my confidence and my believing in my ability to play at this level."
One memorable match took place May 1 when the Kamehameha and Gonzaga graduate scored the winning goal with two minutes left as the Galaxy defeated 10-time Mexican First Division Champion Chivas de Guadalajara in an exhibition at Mexico City. Ching anticipated the goalkeeper's move and redirected Paul Caligiuri's cross into the net with a well-placed header.
That match ended with a near brawl when the referee showed the red card to Chivas defender Edoardo Isela. The play appeared to be a retaliation against Ching, who clashed with Eduardo Medina in the 40th minute of the game. The Chivas defender left with a broken nose.
Ching saw action in six MLS matches at the beginning of the season, but, as his minutes decreased, Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid decided Ching would make progress faster if he was actually playing. He was loaned to the Seattle Sounders, an A-League team, for several matches.
It was a way for Ching to get more experience, and the move paid off.
"The coaches saw a lot of improvement and said I was ready to get in some games," Ching said.
Then the unfortunate happened.
Ching suffered a facial fracture around his right eye on August 29 in a head-to-head collision with an opponent in an A-League match against the San Diego Flash. It wasn't as bad as when he took a knee to the head during his junior year at Gonzaga that required surgery and left him with four plates around his left eye socket, but he was sidelined just when he was ready to contribute to the Galaxy's championship run.
Schmid said at the time, "We are disappointed for Brian because he was making good strides in training and he was ready to get some good minutes on the field. I think over the last three or four weeks he was putting himself into a position to earn another opportunity. So, it's disappointing."
Ching rebounded. He ended up playing in eight regular-season matches, scoring one goal on four shots and adding one assist. He also saw action in two playoff matches. That was important to Ching.
"It showed the coach had confidence in me. Before July, he wasn't even thinking of putting me in until I got my confidence," Ching said.
"Although there were disappointments, I definitely think it (first year as a pro) was a learning experience. It took a little longer to adjust than I would have liked. I think I've made huge improvements and I think I'm ready to become more of a contributor."
Schmid has approached Ching with the idea of training for six-to-eight weeks with a European team. Nothing has been finalized, but Ching said, "I would jump at that opportunity in a heartbeat."
The offer is one indication Schmid would like Ching back in 2002.
"I'll be in camp and it will depend on how well I perform in preseason. I'm a lot more confident now," Ching said. "I've adjusted to a quicker, faster level of soccer and obviously a more physical level."
He feels the improved confidence allows him to make quicker decisions on the field, almost without thinking.
"When you do a lot of thinking you take longer to make a decision and that slows down your play and you don't play as well."