Since being able to play varsity soccer as a freshman last year, Amelia Berliner was able to receive a captain position for the Malden High School Girls Soccer and is the youngest to be able to obtain this position.
Berliner’s position is center back and she has been playing for in-town soccer teams since she was 4 years old, but mainly due to her father’s influence as he used to play soccer and also being a coach. However, her father’s influence wasn’t the only thing that made her want to continue. She had the desire to become a better player, “to the point where I would be the best player, someone others could look up to,” says Berliner.
While only a Sophomore, her attributions, skills, and commitment are what led Soccer Coach Rick Caceda to pick her as captain. Coach Caceda mentions he looks for someone that other players can always depend on, whether it’s during the soccer season or not. “She has shown tremendous leadership qualities, she’s a natural leader on the field and I know her teammates all respect her as a player.”
Assistant Coach Anita Caceda said that Berliner was also chosen due to her discipline and her motivation to become a better player. “Her hard work is contagious!”
As a captain, you have to be able to lead your team and be an example. That puts a lot of pressure on the captain and they face many several challenges. “ You get to represent your team and help them achieve their potential, but if there’s any problems, anything that has happened with the team, the captains are the people who get in trouble.” More specifically, Berliner believed that it was complicated and she felt that couldn’t live up to the standards because of her injury and wouldn’t be able to play.
Even though Berliner feels like she wasn’t able to completely do her job as captain, Coach Caceda believes that she leads by example. “From the first time she reached out to me as an 8th grader, I could tell she was the type of person that knew what she wanted and will do whatever she has to get it.” “There have been few players in my Malden high coaching career that play as hard as Amelia. You could see the difference in the team’s aggressiveness and attitude as soon as she stepped back on the field… missing 3/4 of the season due to injuries she was [still] able to see the game from a different perspective. When she was finally able to return to the field I could see a change in her game.”
Player Sofia Vargas, agrees with Coach Caceda and believes that “When she plays hard it makes the team wanna play hard.”
Another player, Imane Aguomad says that as a captain, “she always knows how to rally our team even when we’re all down or messy,” and as a player, “Amelia has such a unique style of playing, she’s such a talented player and a great teammate on the field.”
She also believes that while being the youngest captain, people assume that she is an exceptional player, which puts extra pressure on her performance. Despite the challenges, she loves being captain and believes that it can still be a fun job.
At the moment she hasn’t achieved as much as she’d like to but a few of Berliner’s goals include her “trying to bring out the best in my teammates and help them on the way to reaching a higher level of skill.” She also hopes that in the years that she plays for Malden High School, she will be able to lead the team to states.
For Berliner, she believes that being a good athlete is not only your skill set but also being able to maintain a good mentality on the field. “If your mentality is weak, then your skills will fall short, therefore before you become a stronger athlete you need to get stronger mentally. Your skills and experience all mean nothing if you get into your head, and once you’re in your head it’s a long way out, and the only road to getting your confidence back is to fix your mentality.” She also feels that she could also improve her own mentality on the field.
Berliner felt that her growth as a captain has increased and “…I have grown to be able to manage the team well, and in a positive way that encourages respect and inclusivity amongst the team.”
Assistant Coach Caceda also believes Berliner has grown as a captain, saying she is always up for a challenge no matter the situation. “Amelia has grown to better understand the game of soccer and how to be a leader. Especially through her injury, she has been able to learn her role on and off the field.”
Coach Caceda concluded that Berliner commands respect and that she is a reliable person. “Over the summer she ran the summer league team, making sure we had enough players every game, even while she was away on vacation. She asks and people will listen. I’m sure it’s the same in school; need to get a study group together? Ask Amelia.”
