Burning Desire

Former four-year starter between the posts at Fresno State, Jeremy Proud is now an assistant coach, but his playing days are far from over

By Eisa Al Nashmi

This past summer the Fresno Fuego captured the hearts of soccer fans in the Central San Joaquin Valley, and former Fresno State goalie Jeremy Proud was in the middle of all the shots.

Two of those shots stood out. They were from a legend and one of the best players in the world.

Proud saved two shots from German striker and three-time World Cup player Jurgen Klinsmann in the final of the Premier Development League, a league for college and amateur players during the off-season

“ Those were two of the best saves I have ever made,” Proud said.

Proud was the goalie for the Fuego and Klinsmann represented a team from Orange County. The Fuego lost the game, but Proud came out as a winner.

Proud's participation with the Fuego was only a small part of a soccer journey he hopes will get him into professional soccer.

After the game against Orange County, Klinsmann was complimentary toward Proud.

“ It was awesome to have someone like him praising me,” Proud said.

The Fuego was originally based in San Luis Obispo. The team was struggling and didn’t do very well, but things changed last year when some people from Fresno bought the team.

Proud said the team consists of players from Fresno City College, Fresno State and Fresno Pacific.

“ It’s a team based primarily on Fresno guys,” Proud said. “It did exceptionally well for it’s first year.”

The Fuego qualified for the U.S. Open, a tournament for amateur, semi-professional and professional teams. They made it to the round of 16 where they played the Los Angeles Galaxy, last year’s Major League Soccer champions. They lost the game 3-1, but Proud did save a penalty shot.

Making big saves has always been what Proud lived for.

Proud got interested in being a goalie at age nine after watching his first soccer World Cup in 1990 when it was held in Italy.

At that time, Proud was going back and forward between baseball and soccer, but the defining moment of his life came after watching a round of 16 game between the Republic of Ireland and Romania, which went to a penalty shoot-out. The Republic of Ireland won the game, but Proud was astonished with how goalies from both teams made big saves.

“ There is nothing better than diving in the air and making big saves,” he said.

After watching that World Cup, Proud’s passion for being a goalkeeper continued to grow.

Growing up in Auburn, Wash., Proud developed his soccer skills by playing at school and on club teams.

For Proud, school soccer was just “a spring thing”, but club soccer was where the best players played.

Proud played for club teams when he was 13 and continued until he went to college. During his soccer club years, Proud won many state and regional championships, but one of his best moments was when his under-18 team won the national championship.

“ Winning the state championship is something good, but being national champions is something I keep close to my heart,” he said.

By the time he graduated from high school, Proud was ready to play soccer in college. “I was very fortunate to be at the right age and have good coaching all the way through high school,” he said.

Proud applied and got accepted to many colleges including the Washington, which was close to his home. He didn’t want to go to the east coast because he said it would be far from home, but he also said he didn’t want to stay in Washington because it was too close to home.

He had mixed feelings on where to play, but things got better when he was approached by former Washington assistant and current Bulldogs coach Dave Chesler.

Chesler asked Proud if he could play for the Bulldogs and he immediately accepted the offer.

" Coach Chesler trusted me to come in my first year and play as a starter. This was a big honor and not many coaches do that," he said

Proud said Fresno State is also a good playing environment and is not far from home.

Proud said his parents love to watch him play and because Fresno is somewhat close to his home, they were able to attend many of his games.

Since his freshman year, Proud started 77 of Fresno State’s 78 matches. He missed one match because he was red-carded after catching the ball outside the box.

The two-time team captain always maintained his focus during games.

“ When I play, I get serious and that keeps me leveled up with the game.”

It seems like his seriousness earned him a spot in Fresno State’s history.

Proud completed his Bulldog career as the school’s all-time saves leader with 319 saves. With a big smile on his face he said, “ when I heard that, I said to myself I should have made more saves.”

Proud was named the team’s most valuable player and got the team’s most inspirational award.

“All these accomplishments are good, but I will definitely trade anything to play in the national championship,” he said.

Unfortunately, he can’t do that as a player, but he is hoping he can do it as an assistant coach at Fresno State. Things don't seem to be going very well for the soccer team because the program is expected to be cut next spring.

Proud and his teammates are doing whatever they can to raise money for their program.

" Nobody in the program is going to give up," he said "I'll do whatever it takes to help raise that money."

Proud is currently working with the goalies and said he is not there to teach them but to help improve their skills.

“ It makes me happy when the goalies do well,” Proud said. “I’m like their cheerleader now.”

Eric Kronberg played behind Proud for the past two years and he is now the starting goalie for the Bulldogs. Kronberg said as a player, Proud was very loud and that’s what got the team fired up.

“ I respect everything he says as a coach, but our relationship is still like it was when we were teammates,” Kronberg said.

Because of his young age and ability to play, coaching may not be the right thing for Proud at this moment.

After the U.S. Open with the Fuego, Proud was approached by the coach of a division-2 team in Syracuse. The coach wanted Proud to finish the season with them, but he didn’t do it because of his commitment with Chesler.

After his work with Fresno State, Proud will pursue a professional soccer career. He said he will go to some professional team trials next summer.

“ That’s been my goal since I was young,” he said. “That’s what I see myself doing in the future.”

For Proud, soccer is beyond just being a game. It’s part of his life.

“ Besides the real things that matter in life, soccer is my passion and that’s what I love to do,” he said.