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Amid the grueling stomach crunches, leg lifts, dribbling drills and scrimmages, the glow of their local shine was caught by scouts for the Seattle Sounders FC, which will join the MLS in 2009.
Of the more than 250 players that showed up to test their strength, endurance and skills, Garcia and Valencia are among only four that have a part in the next act that unfolds later in Seattle.
The other two players that advanced Saturday were Samuel Lam from the Canadian province of Alberta and Binicio Oliveira, who is originally from South America and attends junior college in Bellevue, Wash.
They will meet up with six other players in Seattle at a later date, and only one will get a spot on the MLS team. The extravaganza will be caught on a reality-based TV show called Sounders Search, a Disney production. It will begin airing Feb. 1, right after the Super Bowl.
"I'm really excited," said 22-year-old Valencia. "I was surprised to tell you the truth. I'm coming off an injury and didn't think I'd pull through, but I just stuck it out."
He dislocated a joint in his foot during a game last week.
Considered one of the standouts in the Yakima Valley, 22-year-old Garcia said he was equally surprised to make the final cut Saturday.
"It's exciting," he said. "It's a dream that everybody wants to have. I'm glad to be one of the top guys up there. I'm really excited."
For the past few weeks, Sounders coaches have invited players to tryouts in Seattle, Spokane and Yakima in search of some hidden talent. The offers have drawn players from across the world. And Saturday was no different.
Players filled the field that was broken into several clinics that tested their abilities.
About midway through the tryouts, hundreds of players gathered around a coach to find out whether their talent would keep them in the running for a shot at the major leagues. Only 30 were chosen.
After a scrimmage, that number was reduced to 22, in which six players from the local Yakima Reds team made it. But in the end, only four players were chosen.
But having two players from the rural confines of the Yakima Valley making it to the final stage of the competition came as no surprise, said Sounders Youth Development Director Darren Sawatzky, who considers the area a hotbed for soccer talent.
"I see a whole lot of soccer players chasing a dream," he said as players scrimmaged nearby. "It's not just who is the best player out here. It's how they compare with the top players in the major league."
Both Garcia and Valencia grew up playing together and against one another. Garcia played for Sunnyside High School while Valencia was from Selah. Both played together on youth premier teams in the Valley, on the Yakima Reds, and most recently on a indoor team, Wenatchee Fire.
"I was happy to have us both," Valencia said. "I've played with and against him all through high school."
Although only one will be chosen, Sawatzky said he sees a promising future for both Garcia and Valencia.
"Junior Garcia is a goal-scorer and you can't teach that," he said. "Al is more of a steady Eddy guy. You can count on him. They get a chance -- they get a chance at the big time."
Both men now say they are ready to work harder running and lifting weights in hopes of making it to the big league.
"It's always been a dream of mine, so hopefully it will come true," Garcia said. "You never know."
Phil Ferolito can be reached at 577-7749 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.
To see more of the Yakima Herald-Republic or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.yakima-herald.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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