Giving back

Soccer has been part of my life since I was four years old. My very first team was called the Sabers, and my dad, Joe Mendoza, was the coach. At that age, I had no idea how important that name would become later in my life or how much soccer would shape who I am.

The game has also tested me. When I was sixteen, I developed a serious infection in my right foot and came close to losing it. At the time, there was a real possibility that soccer could have been taken away from me completely. Thankfully, I recovered, got back on the field, and kept playing.

That carried with me into college. For the first time, I was away from my family and friends, and I had to earn everything on my own. I was competing against some very talented players, and I earned a starting spot as a freshman. That was a big moment for me because it showed me that I could compete and that I had earned my place.

When I joined the United States Army, soccer stayed with me everywhere I went. No matter where I was stationed or assigned, one of the first things I would do was find the local soccer community. That is where I always found my people. Soccer gave me a sense of home, even when I was far away from one.

After leaving the military and coming back from Hawaii, my brother Isaiah and I decided to start our own men's team. In 2022, we brought back the Sabers name. It just felt right. It was the name of my first team, the team my dad coached when I was a kid, and now years later my dad is coaching Sabers again while I am still out there playing.

For me, soccer has always been about community. It has been there for me through some of the biggest moments in my life, through difficult times, through the military, and through different stages of growing up. Now I want to give back to the soccer community that has been there for me all these years.