Freshman defender Chase Gasper emerges as one of nation’s top prospects

One theme has followed Chase Gasper throughout his young soccer career: better late than never.

Over the past year, the UCLA freshman defender has emerged as one of the nation’s top players in his age group. On Aug. 29, he became one of 19 players from across the country named to the United States Under-20 Men’s National Team. Later that day, he was the only first-year starter for then-No. 4 UCLA in its season opener at Wake Forest and played all 90 minutes in the Bruins’ 3-1 win.

Yet for as much of a standout as Gasper is now, he didn’t always have the look of a player who would one day end up being named to the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team.

“Growing up, I was always a smaller kid,” Gasper said. “I was short, not that fast … a scrawny kid.”

But for what Gasper may have lacked in size or speed, he made up for with his energy and effort on the field.

“What I remember most about Chase during his years (was) just his tenacity. He plays with emotion,” said Scott Waller, Gasper’s coach at Gonzaga College High School.

Early on in his career, it appeared as if Gasper’s commitment to the sport and his efforts to succeed would only get him so far.

When the tryouts for the U.S. Under-14 Boys’ National Team came and went, Gasper didn’t make the cut.

“That one killed me,” Gasper said. “I was really determined to just work my tail off (and) try to make the team.”

Determined as he was, Gasper said he was still not on the radar of any Division I college coaches as of his sophomore year in high school, meaning that making the U.S. national team would be even more of a stretch.

His dream of playing Division I college soccer was still alive, but even he had trouble believing in it.

“My hopes weren’t too high at that point,” Gasper said.

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For young soccer players on the East Coast, California has the same kind of allure now as it did for gold prospectors in the 1850s. With its reputation for superior weather and soccer talent, the Golden State is a desired location for East Coast soccer players, including Gasper.

A Virginia native, Gasper remembers identifying with that dream at age 11, when he received a gift from his father, who had just returned from a business trip in Los Angeles.

“He bought me a UCLA soccer T-shirt,” Gasper said. “And then ever since I got that T-shirt, I was like, ‘Oh, I love this school, I want to go here.’ I was really dedicated to that.”

From his home on the opposite side of the country, Gasper would follow UCLA men’s soccer on the Internet. But on the field, Gasper had a hard time gaining recognition from the school he wanted to play for.

“Sophomore year is when the recruitment for college kind of begins, (and) you get emails from coaches. And I never really got any of that,” Gasper said.

In his sophomore year, Gasper said that the only college offers he had were from Division II or Division III schools from the Northeast. Then, toward the end of his sophomore year, things began to change.

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“I got bigger, stronger, faster,” Gasper said.

With all the skill and fundamental work in tow and the athleticism starting to kick in, Gasper began to resemble the standout soccer player that he is today.

“That’s when I really saw my game change, and I thought, maybe I could go somewhere with this,” he said.

By May 2013, Gasper had ascended to Division I recruit status as a University of Virginia commit. But with his athleticism still developing, his rise was far from over, and the opportunity of realizing his dream of playing at UCLA seemed more and more imminent.

By the summer, he was one of 64 players selected to the Nike National Soccer Combine. From there, he was selected to his first U-18 national team camp and began traveling overseas to compete in tournaments with the U-18 team in October.

“Ever since then, everything’s been going kind of uphill,” Gasper said.

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Little did Gasper know, UCLA coach Jorge Salcedo had an eye on Gasper’s rise, just as Gasper had kept an eye on UCLA soccer for years. When Salcedo saw Gasper play in a tournament in Florida, he was convinced that he wanted to add Gasper to his 2014 roster.

“Chase was always someone on our radar,” Salcedo said. “There was a specific trip to Florida that we saw him once again and knew that he would fit into our system.”

Gasper said UCLA assistant coach Nick Carlin-Voigt reached out to him soon after that for a campus visit.

It took until the week of National Signing Day in February 2014, but Gasper had finally reached his dream school. Now, after competing against professional players in Argentina earlier this month with the U.S. U-20 team and being one of UCLA’s leaders in playing time as only a freshman, Gasper appears to still be on the rise.

“His competitive greatness is something that I think I would single out as one of the attributes that will help determine his future and his ability to play at the next level,” Salcedo said.

Like a polished 400-meter runner with a late-yet-powerful kick, Gasper may have been trailing his competition early on, but at the most important time, has zoomed ahead of the pack.

“Chase has certain characteristics that … at this point (are) ahead of some of the guys (from UCLA) that have been picked as top draft picks in Major League Soccer,” Salcedo said. “You have to prove yourself day in and day out, And that’s one of Chase’s best attributes – he competes hard every day.”