Soccer a day at the beach for Lake Zurich’s Bermudez

Lake Zurich High School senior soccer player Jorge Bermudez can vividly describe what his perfect day is like.

“Eat breakfast, hang out at the beach, play soccer for hours — then go back to the ocean,” Bermudez said.

Sounds like paradise, which — for Bermudez — is Cartagena, Columbia, South America. It’s more than a vacation spot — he visits his cousins once every few years — for the 6-foot-2, 155-pound Bears forward, it also represents his nationality. His father, a native Columbian, moved to the United States after meeting his mother in Chicago.

While his bloodlines run deep in soccer, it’s his visits to Columbia that feed his love for the sport. In America, teenagers play and follow a wide range of sports. Not the case in South America.

“Kids here are talking about football or baseball or fantasy football,” Bermudez said. “Over there, you go to the stadium or to someone’s house for the game. It’s a lot like American football with that type of dedication.”

Such dedication to the sport has Bermudez playing a significant role on this year’s Bears (10-5-5) team. A forward, Bermudez is single-minded on the field — and that means finishing runs. For his club team, Lake Zurich’s Ela Elite, Bermudez plays center midfield, requiring a different skill set where marking and defense is needed. 

Fluent in Spanish, Bermudez is also fluent in styles of soccer, which differs by country. He favors the Brazilian way: playing with a flair on the pitch. 

“They are good with dribbling — I like them,” he said. “The English, they like to pass. You find the medium and do your best.”

Which is, taking a piece from each and developing your own personality. Bermudez hopes to continue evolving his style of play in college, as he’s being recruited by the likes of Dominican University, in River Forest, and St. Mary’s in Minnesota. His 3.4 grade-point average will give him options. He plans to study international business and, who knows, but that may just require him to travel to Columbia, where he could live out more beautiful days with his cousins, Christian and Miguel, playing soccer and going to the beach.

“It’s 80 degrees in the winter time,” Bermudez said. “Just perfect.”

Recap: The Bears enter the state playoffs on a winning note, beating Vernon Hills 3-1 on Oct. 12. Bryan Smith scored one gaol, and leading goal scorer John Pothast netted two for Lake Zurich.

The Bears are healthy and experienced, with six players remaining from the 2009 State runner-up team. There are 14 seniors on the roster.

“It’s a big deal in that they realize this is their last shot,” said head coach Mike Schmitz. “We’d like to win our first game. That’s our approach.”

The Bears are a No. 3 seed in their own regional, with McHenry, Cary-Grove and Barrington also on board. It’s a challenging draw, with history thrown into the mix: Lake Zurich lost to Barrington in double overtime in a 2008 regional title game. 

“They (provide) a little rivalry because we’ve played them in the tournament,” Schmitz said. 

The Bears have had a team motto all season — “Pressure Makes Diamonds” — named after a song recently covered by country singer Don Williams.

“We’ve had a lot of pressure the entire season — a lot of tough games,” Bermudez said. “Now it’s time to be the diamonds and come up on top.”

On the schedule: The state playoffs were set to begin on Wednesday, with the Bears opening against McHenry — and the winner advancing to Saturday’s regional championship.

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