Football shares a few parallels with life in general. One of those parallels is a significant one: Getting a chance to prove yourself isn't always a given.
For Yohance Marshall, it's a parallel he knows very well. Standing tall at 6'2" (1.88 m), this defender from Trinidad & Tobago has yet to shine on game day for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Currently, he is playing for the Austin Aztex in the USSF Division 2 Professional League on loan from the Gs. One day, his experience playing on the back line at House Park will translate to many memorable matches at the Home Depot Center.
Yohance Marshall was born on January 22, 1986 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. One of the most important cities in the Caribbean, Port-of-Spain is home to the pre-lenten Carnival, its main annual cultural festival and tourist attraction.
The city's major sporting venues the Queen's Park Oval, Hasely Crawford Stadium (the home of the Soca Warriors), the Jean Pierre Complex and various sporting fields on the Queen's Park Savannah. Port-of-Spain has also hosted concerts by entertainers like Beyonce, Chris Brown, Sean Paul, Rihanna, The Outfield, Cascada, Akon, Usher and Kumar Sanu.
Marshall's footballing career began at St. Anthony's College, a high school in Port-of-Spain. He starred on the national Under-17 team, and also was a fixture Under-20 and Under-21 teams while playing with the South Florida Bulls from 2005-2008.
An imposing presence on defence, Marshall helped USF reach the final stages of the NCAA Tournament in three of his four campaigns. He led South Florida to their first-ever conference final and captained the team to the title in his senior year.
After 73 appearances with the Bulls, Marshall was named an NSCAA Second Team All-American, a College Soccer News First Team All-American and an All-Big East First Team selection in 2008.
In March 2009, Yohance Marshall was signed as an undrafted free agent and made his season debut against D.C. on March 22. Marshall would earn his first start in the Galaxy's U.S. Open Cup playoff defeat to the Colorado Rapids.
In late March, Marshall suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain and would not return to training for a month. As a result, Marshall would be loaned to the Aztex in late June.
Marshall made three appearances for the Aztex, making his club debut on June 27, a 2-2 draw with the Cleveland City Stars. They failed to impress in their first season, finishing a dismal 10th in the USL First Division.
In between appearing at a friendly against Boca Juniors earlier this season, Marshall continued to improve in his second season with the Aztex, who are competing in the USL COnference of the USSF D2 Pro League this season.
As of July 15, Austin are 9-2-5 (32 points), five to the good of the Rochester Rhinos for first in the conference. And as of this article date, Marshall has made 15 appearances for Austin this season in defense.
With the best record in USSF D2, Adrian Heath's Aztex share another parallel with Bruce Arena's Galaxy.
As a result, the Galaxy's No. 5 has been blessed to be part of two great clubs. But while Austin's No. 19 is enjoying the pleasure of making house calls at House Park, the question remains: When will Victoria Street call for Yohance Marshall ?