By Alex Frazier
Baseball, basketball, floor hockey, soccer.
No matter the sport, Zach Pfeffer grew up playing with a ball.
“Toys were never something he played with,” said his mother Margie. “He was always interested in a ball. It was either something that just fascinated him, or he had a passion for it. That’s what he loved to do.”
Pfeffer’s obsession with a ball has led him to where very few kids his age have gone.
On Dec. 22, 2010, Pfeffer became the fourth youngest player to sign a professional soccer contract. He is the Philadelphia Union’s first Home Grown Player.
Of course Pfeffer had no idea that his first touches on the ball when his mother took him to his first indoor soccer game at the Ambler YMCA at the age of four would lead to Major League Soccer.
“It’s definitely a dream come true,” said Pfeffer. “The reality still hasn’t even hit me yet. Obviously, I’ll begin to feel that more once the season begins. It was definitely very exciting and I’m glad for the opportunity they gave me. I’m looking forward to it a lot.”
The reality is that Pfeffer made the dream come true.
There are a lot of natural athletes who never make it because they don’t put in the effort, and conversely, there are a lot of athletes who work their tails off but just don’t have the talent.
And then there are the rare athletes in whom talent and dedication have conspired to elevate them to greatness.
Upper Dublin coach Rick Schmidt has seen other great players come through his program. But what sets Pfeffer off from the others was his foresight.
“This kid has a vision for what he wants to do, and not only that but how he’s going to get it,” he said. “That’s the thing that’s amazing for a 15-year old. Most 15-year olds may say, ‘I dream about being a professional athlete,’ but do they really not only have the ability but do they also have that focused drive that’s going to take to get what they want. That’s what sets Zach apart.”
Pfeffer started like most kids do, playing for local intramural and travel programs. By age 12 he had already separated himself from the mundane when he started playing for the Olympic Development Program.
By U-14 he was invited to the national camp. Playing with the national team he traveled to Italy, Guadalajara, Argentina, California and Columbia.
“The process has been going on since he was 13 years old,” said Marge Pfeffer. “You never expect it to be your child, but he has been progressing.”
The Union found Zach through John Hackworth, the Union’s head of youth development, who had been following him in his U-17 U.S. Soccer’s residency program at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., even before the Union formed.
“Once I hit the national teams, it really gave me more push and told me that maybe I really could excel and pursue a professional career,” said Zach. “I did not think it would happen this fast at all.”
Last summer Pfeffer joined Philadelphia’s U-17 team that competed in the SUM Cup in Houston, Texas. He began practicing with the Union first team in August, and on September 1, he played in his first professional game, coming on to the field at PPL Park in the 82nd minute in a friendly game against Chivas de Guadalajara.
When he trotted onto the pitch, it almost felt like home with all his family and a host of Upper Dublin fans cheering him on.
“With everyone supporting me, it made the experience that much better,” he said. “It made me more excited so I could show even more people the potential and what I can do.”
Pfeffer just recently returned from a two-week training camp in Hoppenheim, Germany, where he impressed the coaches so much they wanted him to stay on.
•••
Before signing with the Union, Pfeffer played one year of high school soccer with his brother, Jared.“The year I played was a fun year and I enjoyed it a lot,” he said.
Schmidt is glad he could at least have Pfeffer for one year. He played him at center midfield.
“He’s a phenomenal player,” said Schmidt. “I’ve been head coach for 10 years now, and I can only think of maybe one other freshman playing in the center midfield spot.
“The thing that was fun to watch with Zach is that it didn’t matter where the ball came at him—high, low, spinning left, spinning right—it didn’t make any difference. His first touch on the ball was unbelievable. He could put that ball down and do whatever he wanted with it.”
Schmidt said that often great players are “mavericks” and don’t play well with teammates. This was definitely not true of Pfeffer.
“That was the best part of Zach,” said Schmidt. “He had a professional ethic about how he played. He would just get out and play. No politics on the side. No ego. The whistle would blow and he would put his heart in it until the whistle blew and the game was over. That’s the way he was every single time.”
Fortunately, Schmidt still has Zach’s twin brother Jared playing for him.
“Jared is a great player in his own right,” he said. “He has a different style, different personality. By Zach going to play with the Union, Jared has a chance to play on the field in his own world.”
Schmidt noted when the two played together, Zach would often get fouled by defenders, particularly after he developed a reputation.
“Jared would always come to Zach’s aid, even when he really didn’t need it,” said Schmidt.
•••
Signing with the Union has brought profound changes to Zach’s life. No other American major professional sport drafts players before they graduate from high school, so his education is impacted.
As a freshman, Pfeffer was a fulltime student at Upper Dublin. No longer. His daily schedule during the school year goes like this: He takes two classes in the morning at Upper Dublin, then attends practice/workouts with the Union and returns home in the afternoon when he takes the rest of his high school curriculum on line.
“It’s not tough at all,” he said. “I’ve acclimated to it very well. I actually enjoy the routine a lot. I have plenty of time to concentrate and focus on school work when I’m home.”
There was a never a day when Pfeffer wasn’t getting touches on the ball.
“I was constantly on the ball,” he said. “The most important thing in soccer is being comfortable on the ball.”
Only a highly disciplined and mature person can handle that kind of responsibility.
“It’s very easy to come home from practice and sit on the sofa and play on the computer,” said his mother. “He’s a very disciplined kid. He’s always been very focused, very motivated. He knows what he has to do and he gets it done. He has always put himself in a routine.”
When he receives his high school diploma, it will be from Upper Dublin.
“He first and foremost wanted to play professionally, but still get an education while he’s playing,” said Marge. “He knows at some point he has to get a college education, and he wants to. He knows someday in the future he’ll need that.”
Pfeffer is likely to earn his college degree on line too.
“Everybody’s been involved in this,” said Schmidt. “They have planned it very carefully. They have looked at all the different options. This is not a knee-jerk reaction. It’s nice to watch a close-knit family work through such an unusual situation for a 15-year old to be in.”
At this point in his life, Pfeffer still lives at home, has his own friends and can partake in family affairs (like a vacation to Puerto Rico) almost like any other normal teenager.
“I have the best of both worlds,” he said.
•••
Signing with the Union won’t drastically change the Pfeffer household.“We’ve been the prototypical (soccer) family for years,” said Marge.
Besides playing for Upper Dublin, Jared also plays with FC Delco so the family has traveled all over to soccer games and tournaments.
“It’s the fabric of our lives,” said Marge.
The main change according to Marge was the timing of Zach’s residency. Zach left for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. last January at the age of 14.
“Wow! You expect your kid to do that at 18, not at 14,” said Marge. “His brother missed him. It was a big change.”
The brothers are very close.
“They have always played all the same sports on all the same teams,” said Marge.
But in soccer, at least, Zach has been blessed.
His success could have created ill feelings or jealousy, but it hasn’t.
“When they were 12 or 13, initially it was tough on his brother,” said Marge. “Now Jared is probably his biggest, biggest fan. When he had gotten (invited) to residency, we all sat down and had a family meeting to see if it was going to be the right thing for the family, and Jared got up and said, ‘Mom and Dad, I’ll never respect you if don’t let Zach have this opportunity. He deserves it and he’s worked hard for it and you have to let him go.’ From that, he’s been his best fan next to his parents.”
Schmidt noted that at the Chivas game when Zach first played for the Union, Jared was one of his most rabid fans.
“Jared was caught up like everybody else was,” he said. “He was excited for his brother and it was neat to see.”
As a result of Zach’s success in soccer, the Pfeffers have traveled extensively to places like Italy, Guadalajara and California.
“We probably got the best part of it,” said Marge. “He was playing soccer, which to him was the best part, but we got to explore the country.”
Pfeffer celebrated another milestone in life when he turned 16 on January 6th.
In another six months or so, Zach will be able to drive himself to practices.
“It will be a nice change,” he said.
Zach’s contract with the Union will keep him in Philadelphia for the next three years.
Just because he is signed, doesn’t necessarily mean he will be included in the 18-man roster come match day.
“Most of his games will probably be played in reserve matches,” said Marge. “It will depend on his progress in preseason. He’s hoping to get a couple of games this season.”
Being so young, Pfeffer is giving up strength and size to the older players.
“It’s something I’m working on with the trainers constantly every week,” he said. “It will come as I get older. When you get on the field, you sort of forget about size, speed and just go out and play your game.
“I’m confident I can play with them regardless of my size or strength. If I just use my skill on the ball, my technical ability, my tactical awareness, I can do fine and handle myself even if I’m smaller than anybody else.”
“We’ll see how it goes,” said Marge. “Hopefully he’ll progress beautifully and develop and have a great future. We’re taking each day as it comes.”
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