By, Tomomi Menjo '13

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Many people travel during the summer, enjoying their vacations. However, Keigo Kameya and his brother, Takahide Kameya, from the Bronco's men's soccer team traveled to Asia to play soccer and to better their games. Keigo (KK) shared with SantaClaraBroncos.com (SCB) what his experience was like over in Asia, and how this will influence his play for the upcoming season. The Broncos host Cal Poly in an exhibition match August 18, then officially open the year against Cal at home August 24th.

SCB: How was your summer? Did you get to play a lot of soccer?

KK: Over the summer, my brother and I were fortunate enough to play soccer in Korea for approximately a week. We played with a well-renowned team based in Bupsan, Korea called Hyundai Ulsan FC who have made it to the round of 16 of AFC (Asian Football Confederation). This tournament is a prestigious tournament for the top 32 club teams in 10 Asian leagues. We lived in the dorms with the players, ate meals and got to experience the whole pro life. Although the cafeteria food was not the best, this whole trip was unbelievable. All we did was play soccer everyday, not worrying about school, work or anything.

SCB: What was the best part of your experience?

KK: The best part about this experience was probably being able to learn a different style of play. Most Asian soccer players are small physically compared to North American soccer players so they focus more on the technical piece of the game. Every day for practice we would do small and long passing drills, small-sided games, etc for an hour.

SCB: How will this impact your soccer game?

KK: This will influence my soccer game because this is just going to make me want to get to the next level more and more. I felt comfortable playing with these guys physically.  I just need to work on small stuff to hopefully be able to play at the pro level. I would focus on my piece of the game not just during practice but on off days as well. I would work on controlling the ball, making runs in the box, shots on frame and quick bursts. I noticed that the Ulsan FC players were all quick and had excellent first touch; they always think three to four steps ahead of what they want to do with the ball when they actually get it.

SCB: What was the most difficult part of this experience?

KK: The most difficult part about this experience was adapting culturally. I did not understand a single word the coach or the players said so I had to watch the players do technical drills before I joined in.

SCB: What will you take away from this experience?

KK: From this experience I will take away that soccer is my life and this is what I want to do as a career. Knowing that I could keep up with some professional players makes me want to work harder than ever and work on the stuff so I can make this dream a reality.

SCB: What are you looking forward to in this up coming season?

KK: This season I am looking forward to something obvious, not only dominate the West Coast Conference but also win the NCAA title. Taking care of the stuff both on and off the pitch is crucial to getting there. HAVING MORE STUDENTS COME TO OUR HOME GAMES IS CRUCIAL AS WELL!!! PLEASE COME SUPPORT YOUR BRONCOS! WE LOVE YOU!

Go Broncos!