SF Elite Beyond The Pitch: Antonio Camacho | 2004

​This article was written by PrepSoccer staff writer, Matt Smith. Matt Smith is a special news and communications correspondent with SF Elite Academy and will providing viewers with an inside look into SF Elite and what makes our club so special.

San Francisco Elite Soccer Club continues to help players who play for the club to reach their desired goal, which is to play college soccer. Antonio Camacho is another success story.

The former 2003/2004 player recently committed to William Jessup University in Rocklin. The keeper is excited to begin his college career this fall.

"What drew me to Jessup was the long waiting opportunity to play at the college level," Camacho said. "It’s always been a dream of mine. To represent a school at the college level is once in a lifetime." 

While playing for the 03/04 team at the Davis Legacy Showcase, Camacho's recruitment began. Camacho appreciated how they were up front about their intentions. The coaching staff scheduled a visit and made him an offer shortly after that. 
 
"It was a crazy rush, and I only had a week to decide," Camacho said. "But I feel like it was the right decision."

If you talk to any current or former SF Elite player, they will tell you that playing for the Club opened up doors and created opportunities, and Camacho is no different in echoing that sentiment. 

"Playing for SFEA has been really opportunistic for me," Camacho said. "The chance to get noticed and the connections that the club has really helped me." 

"(The club helped) me grow as a player and a person. With the short amount of time I had at the club I feel like I was motivated to never be satisfied with myself and always wanting to improve."


Camacho, with what he learned playing for SF Elite and playing for Lowell High School, should be well-equipped to succeed at the college level. He is constantly communicating with his defenders and trying to stay involved in the game as much as possible. He is confident and is a hard-worker who does not back down from a challenge or an obstacle.

He also had to fight for his minutes at Lowell for two years, but by time he was a junior captain, they won a CIF Section title.

"It is a part of my career that I will never forget because those four years really shaped me to the player and person I am now," Camacho said. "(There were) many many hardships and lots of great memories and emotions playing for Lowell."