A career-best year was what
Shinya Kadono wanted as he stepped on to the pitch for his junior season with California.
And only six games into the season, it's been exactly that.
Coming off a two-goal win at USF has been both a culmination and commencement for Kadono. He leads the team with three goals this season so far which is more than his freshman and sophomore season combined.
But as a young boy in Kobe, Japan, Kadono was not immediately concerned with his performance on the soccer field or even the idea of playing collegiately.
He was, however, into bugs, and the soccer field provided a great milieu in which to find these fascinating creatures.
"I was really into insect hunting because I really liked bugs and there were a lot of bugs in Japan," Kadono said. "I would just go catch bugs while the game was going on. One time, they put me in goal. During the game I saw a butterfly flying and I just started chasing after it."
Unfortunately, his bug-chasing days were over once his family moved to the United States because of his dad's jobs, but it was just the beginning of his soccer journey.
Yet, before soccer could become his youthful focus, Kadono still needed to learn English. With a significant language barrier, he was often confused and could only say very few, and often unhelpful, terms in English.
"When I first came here, the words I knew how to say were 'yes', 'no' and the phrase 'I don't know'," Kadono, who is now bilingual, recalled. "I went to this water park with a summer camp that my mom put me into for some reason. I wasn't tall enough to get on this ride and one of the staff asked me how old I was. I said 'yes' and then he asked again and I said 'no'. He was confused and I ended up in the lost children's office for three hours. That was tough."
Once language was no longer a concern, Kadono, at the behest of his parents, sought to continue participating in the sport; but, his participation early on would be limited. Instead, Kadono became more fascinated with one American staple: McDonalds.
"I had this culture shock when I came to the United States with fast food," Kadono said. "I went to McDonalds and the burgers were twice the size as the ones in the
Japan. You could refill soda and you couldn't in Japan. The small in the U.S. was a large in Japan. So I was amazed by that and had a lot of hamburgers and sodas and gained a lot of weight."
His amazement and love for fast food became a hindrance for his on-field performance; in fact, it prevented him from making a youth team altogether for two seasons.
"In sixth grade, I tried out for Strikers FC and I didn't make it the first time because I wasn't good. But the second time, the coach told me I was good technically, but I wasn't fit. That made me change my attitude toward soccer and my diet," Kadono said.
The rejection transformed into drive for Kadono.
"I was more determined and focused. It took me a year to lose almost 30 pounds," he said. "I tried out for the team again and the coach was shocked that I lost so much weight in one year. I was able to make the team and worked my way up to the academy."
The Irvine, Calif. resident, also became an unofficial chef, who now cooks daily for teammates and roommates
Noah Texter and
Spencer Held.
"When I started high school, I was more careful with my diet," said the environmental economics and policy major. "I eat more organic and stopped eating junk food and fast food. I usually don't go out to eat so I cook a lot. I learned how to cook watching videos and from my mom, who cooks a lot.
"It's usually healthy portion sizes. I can make pretty much anything, but I know how to make curry from scratch. I also make a Japanese meatloaf dish with ground turkey."
His discipline has become highlighted by successful performances early this season. The junior pelted in the game-winning goal in Cal's 3-2 victory over USF on Sunday, his second of a pair of goal that night.
"The game-winner was very positive for me and the team," Kadono said. "What was great was how our team reacted after the goal. We were very focused and didn't get too comfortable and gave 120 percent the rest of the match."
The team, now 4-2, close the non-conference schedule on Friday as it host Santa Clara at 4:30 p.m. Kadono is pleased with where the guys are right now.
"The team's looking good. We've talked about how the most important game is the next game instead of looking ahead to Pac-12. The next game is Santa Clara so the training now is just focusing on that game. The team is just very positive and in a very good mood. The training is very intense and everyone is pushing each other in a good way," he said.
Kadono, who is the middle child, with a younger and older brother, has found his place on the pitch, far from where he began in Japan.
"Soccer has pretty much shaped who I am," Kadono said. "With my diet, sense of humor, and how I should be disciplined. That became crucial when I got here because it gets crazy with travel. Soccer has given me lots of the positive characteristics that I have now."
