9 months later makes dayview with JBU
Up next, to earn a spot in the starting XI for coach Chris Cole.
Nine months had to pass for José Alfredo de León to finally make his debut with the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Champions, John Brown University. The twelve minutes that “Panta” played were more than enough to show his soccer skills before the fans who came to Alumni Field to see the champs last game of regular at home.
José Alfredo De León came from Deportivo Siquinala who currently plays in the First Division of Guatemalan Professional Soccer League. De León was discovered by prominent professional soccer coach Kenny Colindres. Colindres who is highly recognized in Guatemala for his gift of identifying and developing elite soccer players.
With José Alfredo de León, Colindres was not wrong and the now Golden Eagle is extremely grateful to his youth coach. "Well, coach Colindres was my coach, he opened the doors of Deportivo Siquinala to me since the team was in the second division, and since he was there I was always one of them and he gave me confidence and thanks to him I am here. "José Alfredo de León said.
Colindres knew that there was something unique about "Panta" that made him special at his age, and his sense of football development did not fail him, thus making the necessary contacts abroad to find him an opportunity to play college soccer in Arkansas. “Alfredo made himself available and we followed up on him and worked, and since so far what he has achieved on his own merits, he continued training even when I was no longer in Siquinala. Alfredo speaks English well. He was able to earn a scholarship at JBU. I am very happy for him, for his family, he is working hard at JBU. My advise to Jose Alfredo is that he insists, that he persists, that he resists as long as he can, and that he does not give up of his dream of becoming a professional soccer player one day, which was his dream since I met him. " Kenny Colindres now coach of Deportivo Chiquimulilla concluded.
The long-awaited debut of Alfredo “Panta” De León was lived to its maximum expression, and it is something that he will forever be greatful, and in the next four years at John Brown University. “It was a very special moment, it was something that I had been waiting for a long time, this time I had to go in as a subtitution and from the bench, I played12 minutes, I did not know what position coach
Cole was going to play me. I played as right mid, and Thank God the team trusted me and passed the ball to me and it was 12 minutes that I really enjoyed. " Alfredo de León said.
The process to this new life has not been easy for José Alfredo De León, but thanks to teammates like Oscar Carballo and Jacob Zamarrón things have turned out well for him.
"The truth is that I admire him and I have always told him that I am proud of him, I understand that he works at night, and studies in the morning, and then in the afternoon he comes to trainning, and then he goes back to work at night, all that. I admire him, I try to help him, and I told him not to get frustrated, since he was doing a lot. As a player he is a good player and he can help us a lot.” Oscar Carballo
"José is a great guy, he's charismatic, and he gets along with everyone, and as a player he's also a great player." Jacob Zamarron
JBU is in the semifinals of the Sooner Athletic Conference and this Tuesday, April 6, at 4:00 P.M. The Golden Eagles welcome Central Christian; a team they defeated 4-0 in the regular season. Semifinlas of the Sooner Athletic Conference can be watch live on www.jbuathletics.com