Nathaniel Damas '16 Recruiting Profile

Hi. My name is Nathaniel Alexandre E. Damas, 5' 8", 135 lbs, a senior at Columbia High School, and I would like to play college at the highest level possible. When I was younger, I was looking to play pro right out of high school but I never really understood what it took to get there. I also went through a period around 13-14 years old where I lost the love for the game. I have now reached the point where my desire has come back ten-fold and I have rekindled my passion for the game. 

Now why would you want to choose me over all of the other candidates. Firstly, I am a good leader. I play defensive midfield for my club team NJ force United and I have to manage the entire midfield and defense. I have an increased soccer sense and my soccer IQ is very high. Countless hours watching soccer and asking people who are better then me for advice has brought me to the point of being a very good tactician. I use my knowledge to help my teammates.

I moved teams two summers ago from Den of Lions Eagles to NJ force United. It took me about a 2 weeks to become comfortable with all of the players on the team and this was because I always like to get myself involved with every player. I talk with everyone and I try to find out as much as I can about them and as quickly as I can so that I can fit in socially. When it comes to being on the field, one game is all I need to fit in and this goes back to my soccer IQ. Secondly my work ethic is very good. Even though I play in the hole of the midfield, I play more like a box-to -box midfielder so I do a lot of running in the midfield. In the attacking third, I have decent positional sense and I can dribble in tight spaces, and I have a very powerful shot. In the middle third of the field, I use my speed to attack open space as well as my passing ability to beat the back line and get assists. While defending I use standing and sliding tackles to break up play and I close down the ball very quickly. Even though I'm not tall, I spend time in the gym to work on my strength. 

Academically I spend my time on homework and attempt to do everything I can to get the best grades possible. I may be complacent if I feel that the class is easy, but I have worked on maintaining the work ethic and drive for school work in the last couple years. 

One of the things that I pride my self on is my ability to communicate my thoughts and ideas, whether it be on the soccer field or the class room. I think that all of these features are integral parts of being a successful player as well as a successful person .