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For Grayslake Central graduate Alan Alonso, going to college is a particularly important milestone.
Alonso, who led the Rams to the Class 2A third-place trophy last year while playing with younger brothers Uriel and Jaziel, wants to continue to be a trendsetter in his family.
“It’s a big responsibility coming from immigrant parents,” Alonso said. “It wasn’t easy. I’m the first child. I wanted to set the scene. It was a pretty big thing for me to go to college.
“I want to be an inspiration to my brothers. I also want to be successful in my career so later down the road I can it pay back to my parents.”
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Alonso, whose parents are from Mexico, continued down that road recently when he committed to play Division I soccer at Illinois-Chicago.
“We’re so proud of Alan,” Alonso’s father, Eduardo, said. “Since Alan was little, he showed great soccer skills and great vision in the game while being a great teammate and leader on the field. We’ve supported him as much as possible. It’s been a lot of sacrifice, but it has been well worth it.”
Alonso’s mother, Adriana Robles, said he is giving his brothers a reason to dream big too.
“We know that both of his brothers look up to him and want to follow the legacy that he’s leaving for them to follow,” Robles said.
Alonso rose through the ranks to become an elite player and help the Rams attain unprecedented success with back-to-back trips to state. He had 15 goals and a team-high 23 assists last season.
But Alonso, a midfielder who was the 2022 News-Sun Boys Soccer Player of the Year, experienced a slow recruiting process.
“It definitely was hard waiting for so long,” he said. “I didn’t get much attention, which is fine. My recruiting process was pretty hard because of COVID and other things. It just didn’t work out right away for me.
“I had to wait a couple of months, but UIC has always been on my radar, all the way back to my junior year, when I went to one of their camps for the first time. During my recruiting, they made it clear what they wanted from me. UIC was the right fit for me.”
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Lake County News-Sun
Alonso, who won a second straight US Youth Soccer national title on July 23 with the Elite 05 team from the Greater Libertyville Soccer Association’s FC 1974 program, said he expects to redshirt during the coming season but doesn’t mind the additional wait.
“It feels good that I get to play at the next level, plus make my parents proud, represent my community and my club,” he said.
Alonso is a player capable of affecting a game without scoring. His athleticism, nonstop motor, fluid style and leadership lifted the Rams, according to coach Keith Andersson.
“He’s the best box-to-box player that I’ve ever seen,” Andersson said. “His work ethic and work rate from the 18 to the 18 is incredible. He has great vision. He’s going to be one of the links in our chain who will be hard to replace.”
Andersson said Alonso became an ambassador for the program.
“I couldn’t be happier for Alan,” Andersson said. “He’s an amazing leader, not only for our program but the community. You couldn’t ask for a better person on your team. He’s very humble and respectful and willing to work.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.