 Garza warming up prior to a game at Buck Shaw Stadium, July 2012 | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samuel Cruz Garza | ||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1989-10-17)October 17, 1989 (age 35) | ||||||||||
| Place of birth | Carrollton, Texas, United States | ||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||
Current team | Denton Diablos FC | ||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Edward S. Marcus High School | ||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Denver Pioneers | 20 | (4) | ||||||||
| 2010–2011 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 44 | (17) | ||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||
| 2012–2014 | San Jose Earthquakes | 12 | (0) | ||||||||
| 2014 | →San Antonio Scorpions (loan) | 2 | (0) | ||||||||
| 2014 | Arizona United SC | 9 | (1) | ||||||||
| 2015 | Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 23 | (4) | ||||||||
| 2016 | Arizona United SC | 23 | (2) | ||||||||
| 2019– | Denton Diablos FC | 9 | (8) | ||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | United States U20 | 7 | (1) | ||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 25, 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 28, 2016 | |||||||||||
Samuel Cruz Garza (born October 17, 1989) is an Americansoccer player forDenton Diablos FC in theNational Premier Soccer League.
Garza was born on October 17, 1989, inCarrollton, Texas.[1] After his father's job moved him toNew Mexico, he returned toHighland Village, Texas, to attendEdward S. Marcus High School and play on the school's varsity soccer team from 2005 to 2008.[2][3] Garza would win back-to-back Texas Class 5A State titles with the team and was named as the 2008 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year and aNSCAA All-American.[2][3]
Garza attended theUniversity of Denver and playedcollege soccer for theDenver Pioneers men's soccer team. He made 20 appearances for the Pioneers and scored 4 goals before tearing his ACL and meniscus early in his sophomore year.[4][5][6]
Garza transferred to theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara, joining up with theUC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team ahead of the 2010 season.[7] He was the firstUnited States U20 team player to join the Gauchos.[7] In his two years at UCSB, Garza made 44 appearances, scoring 17 goals and assisting on 10 others.[8][9]
Following his junior year, Garza was signed byMajor League Soccer to aGeneration Adidas contract and forwent playing his senior season at UCSB.[10][11] He was drafted in the first round, sixth overall, bySan Jose Earthquakes in the2012 MLS SuperDraft, two spots behind Gaucho teammateLuis Silva.[12]
In February 2014, San Jose sent Garza on loan toNorth American Soccer League sideSan Antonio Scorpions.[13] Garza, on his loan to San Antonio, stated "When I got loaned to San Antonio Scorpions, it was one of the worst times of my life. I was not enjoying my football."[2] He would make 2 appearances for the club before San Jose waived him in July 2014.[14]
Garza joinedUSL PRO sideArizona United SC for the remainder of the 2014 season.[1] He appeared in 9 games, scoring once.[15] While playing for Arizona United, he caught the attention ofEzra Hendrickson and a conversation withSigi Schmid ensued, leading Garza toSeattle.[2] At the conclusion of the season, Garza returned home to Texas and set forth a career in coaching and teaching at Marcus High School, becoming the school's varsity head coach in 2019.
Following his conversations at the end of the prior season, Garza went on trial withSeattle Sounders FC 2 of theUnited Soccer League in February 2015.[16] His trial was successful and he signed with the club in March 2015.[17][18] He appeared in 23 games, adding 4 goals and 2 assists, but he was not retained for the following season.[19]
Arizona United re-signed Garza in February 2016 for the2016 USL season.[19] In November 2016, Garza was named as the head coach for the Marcus Marauders Football Club (MMFC), the Boys Soccer team at his alma materEdward S. Marcus High School, inFlower Mound, Texas.
Garza was a member of theUnited States men's national under-20 soccer team from 2008 to 2009. His first game was December 20, 2008, againstHaiti U20 and he scored his first U20 goal against theCanada U20 team just days later on December 22.[20] He later represented his country at the2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.[21] Garza was named to the U-20 team byThomas Rongen for the2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, but had to be replaced due to his knee injury suffered with Denver Pioneers.[22] He made a total of 7 appearances with 1 goal for the U20 side.[23]
