If experience is the best teacher, then Stormers’ soccer players are in a good position to learn soccer skills and strategy from a coach who has played professionally and internationally.Daniel Madrigal completed his first season as the Stormers soccer coach in October and plans to return next year.

He talks of his experiences like a man who is in love with the game of soccer.

Madrigal played professionally for Milwaukee Wave United and Milwaukee Rampage outdoor soccer teams. The Rampage drafted him in the first round.

Madrigal had to watch the Rampage from the injury list halfway through a season as they went on to win the national championship.

“It hurts when you can’t help the team get there,” said Madrigal. “There’s nothing worse than for a professional athlete to have to sit out because of an injury.”

He is an enthusiast of futsal, a variation of soccer played with five players. The game stresses creativity, technique, ball control and passing.

Madrigal says that futsal helps develop skills for the regular game of soccer.

Madrigal played for the U.S. national futsal out of San Francisco at the 2007 Portugal World Cup of Futsal. Other participants included Angola, Brazil, Japan, Portugal and Spain.

“I absolutely like futsal for the simple reason it’s a sport dominated by skillful and technical players,” said Madrigal.

In 2005, Madrigal went to soccer-crazy Brazil and played for the Brazilian teams Palmetras and Portuguesa.

“Any soccer player worth anything wants to go to Brazil because that is the soccer playing capital of the world,” said Madrigal.

As a youth he had soccer idols – Pele, Diego Maradona and Hugo Sanchez. “I grew up watching them on TV and purchased their videos and would go in the backyard to try to master their moves,” said Madrigal.

At the age of 15 he played for the San Diego Pegasus that traveled to Hungary to play in the Hungarian International Youth Cup. Other teams attended the tournament from Austria, Hungary, Germany and Switzerland. Madrigal was the leading goal scorer for the tournament.

Madrigal has played internationally in Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, Mexico, Austria, Hungary, Canada and Denmark.

He played for Chula Vista High School in California and broke the school record for goals in a single season in 1995. He was named conference player of the year.

After high school he moved on to play Division I soccer for Creighton University on scholarship, where the team was ranked first in the country.

In 1999, Creighton made it to the “Elite Eight” by beating U.C.L.A., the defending National Champion.

At age 12 he entered a soccer juggling freestyle contest and won the event by keeping the ball in the air an amazing 1,084 times from taps with his feet or body.

Madrigal was able to develop into an exceptional player by beginning at an early age. He started playing recreational soccer at age 4 at YMCAs.

Living near the border that separates California and Mexico, he played on weekdays in the U.S. and on weekends in Tijuana, Mexico. Now retired from competitive soccer playing, he misses the game from a player’s perspective.

“I miss it terribly,” said Madrigal. “I miss the damp, sweaty smell of a locker room before a professional game. I miss the nervousness and butterflies that go through the system before the game starts. I miss not being able to entertain the fans at a professional or international game.”

He takes away from the game some positive experiences.

“The friendships I was able to build with teammates, all the coaches that I learned from, all the domestic and international travel (were positive), and most important was that soccer allowed me to express myself in a competitive environment,” said Madrigal.

Madrigal gives some seasoned advice to anyone wanting to play competitive soccer or sports and advance to the top level.

“For anybody who wants to play soccer or any sport at the highest level, you need to fall in love with it,” said the coach.

Madrigal has websites available at www.magicalsoccermoves.com where information and videos about his career are available and www.wifutsalacademy.com where information about the Wisconsin Futsal Academy is available.