Jose Cardoso is slim enough that his Bremen soccer jersey hangs loosely off him. He sports large black glasses that remain on even during games.
The senior midfielder knows he looks pretty much the opposite of a stereotypical athlete. But that’s just fine with him.
“I just have to be myself,” Cardoso said. “That’s about it. People probably do underestimate me when they look at me, but I don’t care. I just do what I’ve got to do and prove it on the field.”
Cardoso proved plenty with an unstoppable performance Wednesday night.
He scored two goals, assisted on another, drew a penalty kick and caused an own goal as Bremen rolled to a 4-1 win over Herscher in a Rivals Cup quarterfinal at 315 Sports Park in Bradley.
Johnathan Lagunas also scored for the Braves (5-3-3), while Alan Contreras chipped in with an assist. Jacob Benoit scored for the Tigers (10-4), who took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute.
But moments later, Bremen got even when Cardoso dribbled past a series of defenders and played a dangerous ball into the box that a Herscher defender booted into the net for an own goal.
Cardoso’s dribbling abilities gave the Tigers fits all nights. And Lagunas confirmed sometimes it’s hard not to stop and watch his talented teammate.
“When I’m on the side, I just have to admire him,” Lagunas said. “This guy, he has it all.”
And the look?
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“He’s got the glasses, which kind of throws it off, but it’s his own thing now,” Lagunas said. “It’s a part of him.”
In the second half, Cardoso assisted on Lagunas’ goal that put Bremen up 2-1 and then scored a goal of his own.
He capped the scoring by drawing a penalty and converting the penalty kick to make it 4-1.
It all felt especially sweet after Cardoso missed out on some early scoring opportunities.
“We got the chances and I couldn’t really finish them at the start, so I really wanted to get more goals in the second half,” he said.
Cardoso has now scored 10 goals and dished out six assists this season. He’s constantly impressing assistant coach Donato Lagunas.
Donato Lagunas, who ran the team Wednesday in head coach Huber Saucedo’s absence, is Johnathan’s cousin.
“Jose’s growth has been tremendous,” Donato said. “Last year, he had a good year but he wouldn’t take over games. Now, we expect him to do that and he’s been doing it.”
Cardoso helped the Braves make a surprising run last season to a Class 2A sectional final. This year, he knew he would have to go from a role player to the go-to guy.
“I try to be a leader and do whatever’s best for the team,” he said. “I want us to be at the top again like last year in the playoffs.”
It certainly helps Cardoso to have a talented teammate like Johnathan Lagunas, who has nine goals and six assists. Johnathan, a junior midfielder, sees it as a dynamic duo.
“This is my brother,” Johnathan Lagunas said of Cardoso. “We’ve been playing club together for a long time and now the last three years here and we just have that connection.
“We communicate like telepathically. “
Cardoso’ success certainly does not surprise either of the Lagunas cousins. Or anyone else on Bremen’s sideline.
Everyone else, though?
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“At school, a lot of the teachers and administrators will see us play and they’ll be like, ‘Whoa, Jose’s really good. He doesn’t look like a soccer player,’” Donato Lagunas said. “We’re like, ‘We know, we know.’ Everyone’s really surprised, but we couldn’t be more grateful to have him.
“He’s a player who can change games. He can turn a loss into a win. He’s that big for us.”