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Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 64F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..
Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 50F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Updated: May 13, 2024 @ 11:04 am
Isaiah Flor
Sports Editor
Isaiah Flor, a graduating senior from Woodside High School, was recently called into training camp for the El Salvador U20 national team.
Isaiah Flor
If professional sports is a business, then the soccer world is all about politics and Isaiah Flor simply seems to rise about the games people play.
The soon-to-be 18-year-old Woodside senior has known for a long time what he wanted to do with his life and those dreams are starting become a reality. A naturally gifted soccer player and the son of El Salvador immigrants, Flor recently completed a training camp with the El Salvador U20 national team and is anticipating being included on the team’s roster for the U20 World Cup qualifying tournament in Mexico in July.
“I’m just waiting for the call,” Flor said.
A soccer player since he was five, Flor initially tried to follow in the footsteps of his older brothers, Elijah and Josiah, as they took up American football. But Isaiah Flor did not have the body type for that kind of physical play. Even now as he turns 18, Isaiah Flor is still just 5-7, 135 pounds.
But when he pulled off a move on the soccer field at a young age, everyone who saw it knew which sport he needed to play.
“It’s a natural ability,” Flor said, matter-of-factly. “My dad has a picture from one of my first (ever) practices and I made this move on this one kid and my dad captured it (on his camera). No one taught me how to do it. It just came out of me.
“From a young age, I performed. In my heart, I felt I had that gift.”
It wasn’t the last time someone noticed Flor’s skill. In fact, he’s constantly passing the eye test when he gets on the field and it’s been nothing but a boon for the winger and attacking midfielder. He was initially on the US Soccer age-group radar in 2019 when he was 13 years old, but COVID wiped out any chance of moving on.
Then, after spending 10 years playing with the Juventus Academy-Silicon Valley, based in Redwood City, Flor joined Silicon Valley Soccer Academy.
That’s when the politics of the game first started to rear up. After two years playing academy soccer, the entire academy system was scrapped. Rising in its place is something called “MLSNext,” which works more hand-in-hand with Major League Soccer.
For a while, Flor didn’t know what to do. But his dad, Marvin, did.
“We knew that the stability had to come from inside the household,” Marvin Flor said. “That was all we could control. We always see changes and coaches leaving. A lot of politics. But we just kept (Isaiah) focused and disciplined.”
That is precisely what Isaiah Flor hangs his hat on.
“I’ve been playing since five years old, waking up at 6 in the morning to go train on the beach,” Isaiah Flor said. “I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life and knew that politics would come with it. … My dad says, ‘A good worker will always find a job.’ I just focus on my performance. I have big faith in the Lord. I try my best and God will take care of the rest.
“The only thing I can control is when the ball is at my feet.”
It’s that attitude that has Flor on the cusp on some big-time international soccer. Last December, Flor was one of about 300 kids the El Salvardor soccer federation hosted during an open tryout in Los Angeles.
But a coaching change soon after that tryout left things up in the air. Out of the blue, the family received an email from someone in the federation, asking if Flor would be interested in a training camp at the end of last month.
For Flor, it really was the first time he was traveling by himself for the sole purpose of playing soccer. While there were initial nerves about the entire journey, when it came right down to it, Flor knew he was going to El Salvador to play soccer, something with which he is entirely comfortable.
“Before I was heading out, I had this conversation with my parents. It’s my first real trip by myself. But it wasn’t just any trip, it was a national camp,” Flor said. “Once I got down there, I reminded mysef it’s just soccer. … Having that mindset, it cancels out all the nervousness.”
Plus there is the fact that Flor has an uncanny ability to put the ball in the back of the net. He said his goal-scoring prowess trumps any notion that he may get knocked around by bigger, stronger opponents.
But instead of looking at his size as a detriment, Flor instead has channeled his energy in to figuring out how to counteract his limitations. Part of it is the fact he is comfortable playing against bigger and stronger opponent is because he always has. Throughout his soccer career, Flor has consistently played with and against older players.
“I’m on the smaller side, that was really easy to recognize as a kid. But I didn’t see it as a disadvantage. … That’s nothing new to me. From a young age, I’ve been training for that. My whole life I’ve grown to adapt to playing with older players,” Flor said. “I always said, ‘How can I be a difference maker?’ I’ve always been good at dribbling and taking on defenders.”
He must be something right because every time Flor attends any kind of tryout, coaching staffs always move him to the front of the line. It’s how he secured a spot with San Francisco FC, a semi-professional team that plays in the USL League Two. Much like his tryout for El Salvador, the SFFC brass didn’t need more than one look at Flor.
Flor said he was invited to a tryout with the squad and played in two scrimmages, scoring the game-winner in a match against Menlo College.
When Marvin Flor called the coach to find out the next step in the tryout, the coach said, “No, he’s going to play Saturday,” Isaiah Flor said.
“It’s been amazing,” Flor continued. “It just shows the work I’ve been putting in, I’m getting the results. When the moment comes, I don’t back down. It’s no surprise to me. You feel some kind of sense of accomplishment and it pushes me to work.”
But Flor is not some kind, “Ah shucks, I’m just happy to be here.” In fact, he is a stone-cold sniper. He is the consistently one of the best goal scorer on any teams for which he plays.
“During all the interviews in El Salvador, he said, ‘I was born to score goals,’” Marvin Flor said.
Isaiah Flor didn’t shy away from that comment.
“I am born to score. That is what I do. Any time they call me, I’m going to go score for them,” Flor said. “That’s my job — to score goals.”
Where he continues to score goals is still up in the air. He said he’s gotten some interest from college programs, but he’s hoping his time with the El Salvador U20 team and his upcoming season with SFFC, can be parlayed that into a legitimate professional career.
“I’m still undecided (about my future). I know with USL, I’ll get lot of exposure. Maybe get recognized by some [MLS academy team]. If going pro or semi-pro right away is the opportunity, I’d definitely take it,” Flor said. “I’m extremely excited about what’s to come, but at the same time, I want to focus on right now. It’s just about every day trying to get better. I know the work I put in will be a good result.”
Isaiah Flor
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