Carlos Garcia (soccer)
Encyclopedia
Carlos Garcia is a Colombian professional soccer player who currently plays for the Baltimore Blast
in the MISL.
. He learned to play soccer at the Academia Tucamán in his hometown of Cali
, Valle del Cauca
. The club played at a very high level by local youth soccer standards. His long-time teammate and friend at Tucamán, Daniel Cruz
, left the academy at 17 to join AFC Ajax in Amsterdam and now plays in the Belgian Pro league.
when his high school soccer team attended Albert's Tidewater Soccer Camp in Virginia. Carlos's physical style of play was well-suited for NCAA soccer.
Garcia was a First-Team All-South Atlantic Region selection his last season playing for the William and Mary Tribe. He recorded nine goals and 11 assists his final year to lead the Tribe to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Carlos recorded 121 points throughout his William & Mary career and graduated in 2003.
.
On November 14, 2003, Garcia scored a goal on the first shift of his first professional indoor soccer game. For the following eight seasons Carlos has been an integral part of the highly successful Baltimore Blast
indoor soccer team, which competes in the MISL. A rough player with an eye for goal, in the 2006/07 season, Garcia ranked third among Blast players in points (42) and led the entire league penalty minutes (27). He played in his 100th game for the Blast against the New Jersey Ironmen on February 16, 2008. Carlos has been an integral part of the club's last four championship squads (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009).
neighborhood of Baltimore
. He also works at 1st Mariner Bank as a Business and Executive Banker. Carlos is known to friends and family simply as "Charlie".
Baltimore Blast (current)
Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Founded in 1992, the team plays in the Major Indoor Soccer League....
in the MISL.
Youth
Carlos was born and raised in ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. He learned to play soccer at the Academia Tucamán in his hometown of Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
, Valle del Cauca
Valle del Cauca Department
Valle del Cauca is a department of Colombia. It is in the western side of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean, and it is considered one of the most important departments in the Republic of Colombia. Its capital is Santiago de Cali...
. The club played at a very high level by local youth soccer standards. His long-time teammate and friend at Tucamán, Daniel Cruz
Daniel Cruz
Daniel Alberto Cruz Castro is a Belgian football midfielder with Colombian roots who currently plays for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.- Youth career :...
, left the academy at 17 to join AFC Ajax in Amsterdam and now plays in the Belgian Pro league.
College
Garcia came to the United States in 1999 via a soccer scholarship to The College of William and Mary. He was identified by William and Mary head coach Al AlbertAl Albert (soccer coach)
Al Albert is an American college soccer coach. Albert is best known for his longstanding tenure as the head coach of The College of William and Mary men's soccer program in Williamsburg, Virginia.-Early life:...
when his high school soccer team attended Albert's Tidewater Soccer Camp in Virginia. Carlos's physical style of play was well-suited for NCAA soccer.
Garcia was a First-Team All-South Atlantic Region selection his last season playing for the William and Mary Tribe. He recorded nine goals and 11 assists his final year to lead the Tribe to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Carlos recorded 121 points throughout his William & Mary career and graduated in 2003.
A-League
Carlos spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons with the professional outdoor team the Virginia Beach Mariners. He recorded five goals and nine assists in 25 games in 2004 and was named A-League Player of the Week on August 10. He ranked second in the A-League that season with nine assists to teammates.Baltimore Blast
Carlos Garcia is one of the most accomplished team players in American professional indoor soccerIndoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
.
On November 14, 2003, Garcia scored a goal on the first shift of his first professional indoor soccer game. For the following eight seasons Carlos has been an integral part of the highly successful Baltimore Blast
Baltimore Blast (current)
Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Founded in 1992, the team plays in the Major Indoor Soccer League....
indoor soccer team, which competes in the MISL. A rough player with an eye for goal, in the 2006/07 season, Garcia ranked third among Blast players in points (42) and led the entire league penalty minutes (27). He played in his 100th game for the Blast against the New Jersey Ironmen on February 16, 2008. Carlos has been an integral part of the club's last four championship squads (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009).
Personal
Garcia and his wife have a daughter and live in the Patterson ParkPatterson Park
Patterson Park is a public park in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. The park is bordered by East Baltimore Street on the north, Eastern Avenue on the south, South Patterson Park Avenue on the west, and South Linwood Avenue on the east...
neighborhood of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. He also works at 1st Mariner Bank as a Business and Executive Banker. Carlos is known to friends and family simply as "Charlie".