Sofia Alcaraz has waged a lonely, years-long campaign to get the Tijuana Xolos to notice her son Ricardo Villalba, a talented 17-year-old goalkeeper who plays high school soccer just six miles from the border.
“They said, ‘You’re very good. We’ll call you.’ But they never do,” Alcaraz said of her dealings with the Mexican league team.
So she couldn’t hide a feeling of vindication when Xolos scout Jaime Vargas approached Villalba and asked for his phone number following a showcase last month at the San Bernardino Soccer Complex, tucked against the 210 Freeway in the shadow of the San Bernardino Mountains.