In the Shadows : They’ve Got the Skills, They’ve Got the Stats, but These Players Don’t Get the Attention the Stars Do

They aren’t on the preseason recruiting lists and are rarely the subjects of feature stories or profiles.

Yet, they can be stars on poor teams or secondary players in the shadows of greatness. The general public may not know their names, but their coaches do.

They are underrated players, the ones who are appreciated by their teammates if not by anyone else.

Who are Orange County’s best unknowns, the ones deserving of a few moments in the spotlight?

Matt Hall San Clemente Boys’ Soccer

Matt Hall, stopper and middle halfback for San Clemente’s eighth-ranked boys’ soccer team, isn’t so sure he’d call himself underrated.

“Maybe overlooked,” Hall said. “San Clemente gets a lot of that being in the same league with Mater Dei and Capistrano Valley.”

On a team full of underrated players, Hall might be the most underrated, according to his coach, Michael Pronier. Hall doesn’t have flashy statistics--he’s scored three goals and handed out four assists--but he’s one of the big reasons San Clemente, unranked in the preseason, is off to a 10-2-3 start.

“Matt’s not one of the guys people will watch out for,” Pronier said. “But after the game, he’s made a lot of plays that led to a lot of scoring opportunities for his teammates, and he’s won a lot of balls in the air.”

Pronier said Hall might lose his underrated tag if he keeps up his air acrobatics.

“He has very good leaping ability and timing,” Pronier said. “He’ll beat four or five guys in the air that he’s much shorter than. He plays pretty big.”

Hall, 5 feet 10, 165 pounds, is used to playing big. He entered high school at 5-2 and was told he was too small to play football or soccer. He finished his high school football career starting at receiver and defensive back for the Tritons and was a second-team All-South Coast League selection as a receiver.

Last season, Hall was named honorable mention all-league in soccer.

“I don’t think I’m that well-known in either sport,” he said. “It’s fine with me. It helps me work harder. People have told me all my life that I’m too short for football, but I’ve proven them wrong.”

Hall has also proven that football players can be good soccer players.

“My touch doesn’t come until two or three weeks after football season, but I can compensate by winning a lot of head balls,” Hall said.

Typifying his underrated image, Hall is not being recruited in football or soccer. Pronier has written a letter of recommendation on Hall’s behalf that Hall has sent to 15 schools. Hall’s brother, Brett, had a similar problem coming out of San Clemente, but Brett eventually gained a football scholarship to Shepard College in West Virginia.

“I’m hoping something like that works out for me,” Hall said.