David Carlson '20 Recruiting Profile

I am a three-sport student athlete who has dreamt of playing college soccer in the United States ever since I started playing on a men's team when i was 11 years old. Although I live in Japan, I was born in Virginia and consider Michigan my second home. We visit my Dad's family in Michigan every year and I am excited about the chance to continue my education and sports career in the States. Living on a military base overseas has its obstacles when it comes to athletics. To challenge myself and to keep improving my soccer skills, I continue to play with the men’s base team. Then in middle school, I joined a year-round Japanese soccer club, all the while still playing basketball and running track and cross country. 

It was the final game with my Japanese team that would change my outlook on sports and make me realize how fortunate I was to be an athlete and not to take things for granted. As I did a slide tackle to save the ball from going into the net, my leg snapped. A broken ankle and a spiral fracture of my leg would leave me on crutches for months and keep me from running cross country my freshman year. But I went to every single practice and meet, doing anything I could to help my teammates. Not a 100 percent, I still played basketball and made the varsity soccer team my freshman year, starting many games. It took more than a full year to recover physically and mentally from my injury.

Now a captain on the pitch, I lead by example by working hard in every drill and game and pushing my teammates to do the same. I know I am fortunate to have the ability to play sports and I am excited about the possibilities of taking my skill set to the next level. But I don’t take anything for granted and know there is much more work to be done in the weight room, on the pitch and in the classroom.