Kevin Labastida has always believed that if he worked hard enough things would pretty much work themselves out. But as recently as a couple weeks ago, his theory was being put to the test.

You see, the Fullerton Rangers’ U14 Gold star has developed into an exceptional player, and one that he felt should merit some attention from US Soccer. But as the U14 National Developmental team prepared to depart for camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Jan. 18, Labastida had yet to be identified as one of the 36 players who would make the trip.

Even worse, two of his friends had already received the invite which appeared to indicate that he wouldn’t be chosen.

But just three days before the camp, Labastida got the call.
                                    
“I didn’t really have any words,” he said. “I was very surprised.”

The surprise must’ve worn off quickly, because Labastida played well, scoring a goal in his team’s 4-0 win over a Chivas club.
                                    
He shined while amongst players like Michael Gray, Devonte Small, Kellyn Acosta and Christian De Luna, and returned with a new level of confidence.

“It was fun - a really good level to play at,” Labastida said. “I like to be challenged, and I learned some things too. When you play teams here and win by a lot sometimes the other team kind of lets down, but we had a three-goal lead against Chivas and they didn’t change the way they played at all.”
    
Not even being snubbed from the team would’ve changed the way Labastida approaches soccer. It’s simply a part of his personality to put in time and effort while never feeling entitled to the dividends.  

“He takes everything with humility,” said Fullerton coach Jimmy Obleda. “He was very excited about the opportunity. I told him ‘you have the gift to become a great player but you have to keep working at it.’ He knows these are opportunities he has to take advantage of, and he’s very grateful.”

Labastida has been somewhat of a rising star. He starting playing for Fullerton two years ago and has racked up some impressive honors, including being named to the US Youth Soccer ODP Interregional All-Star team in November along with players like Jose Laboy, Nigel Robinson and Dexter Offer.

Labastida is an aggressive player and a powerful striker. At 5-foot-9 he’s physically developed for his age, and knows how to use his size to his advantage.

“He has great pace on the ball and can strike and score some impressive goals,” Obleda said. “He has a tremendous work ethic. I would say technically he needs to become better playing in tight spaces and finishing the simple plays, because not all of them are going to be spectacular. But I don’t see much that will stop him from continuing to grow and improve.”

This past season with the Rangers was a learning experience even if it wasn’t a particularly successful one in terms of wins and losses.

Labastida’s Fullerton team was moved into the gold division and it was both eye-opening, and humbling. But alongside standouts like Ivan Vazquez, and Edwin Diaz, the team continued to come together.

“A lot of those teams had been playing together for a long time,” Labastida. “We got better as the season went on, the more we worked.”

That’s kind of the theme of Labastida’s soccer career - with time and effort, comes inevitable success.