“I was all blistered-up after the try-out,” Fondy laughed, remembering how, after the airline lost his bag, he had to play in a pair of brand-new cleats he picked up on the way. “But I played great. I balled out and the coach [Justin Evans, at the time] approached me after the game and wanted me to play”.
It was a long way from the bright lights of the top flight, but it was a job playing soccer – the game he loved – and the realization of a dream. “I signed a four-figure salary deal,” Fondy chuckled from his home in the Bay Area, remembering leaving college with one semester to go. “It was a six-month season back then and you only got paid for the months you played – so you get a sense of how much the league has improved since.
“I was living in a house with eight other guys in the team,” added Fondy. “It was the perfect extension of college for me.”
He was released from the Riverhounds after that 2011 season. “The coach and I didn’t see eye-to-eye,” he said. So Fondy packed his bags and went on another second-division open try-out, this time, nearer to home with the LA Blues [Now Orange County SC]. He signed another blockbuster four-figure one-year deal – but this one coincided with several flirtations with the country’s top flight of MLS.
Major League Breakthrough
First up was a trial with the San Jose Earthquakes, and a memorable friendly game against Mexico’s FC Juarez. “I played really well and assisted Wondo [MLS’ top all-time scorer Chris Wondolowski] in a 1-0 win.” Fondy was invited to the Quakes’ pre-season. “Things were going well and it was going to be one of those things, on the last day, I’d either get the offer or get released – and I got released.”
He describes this period as a roller-coaster. And it led to understandable doubts. Should I keep doing this? he asked himself. The answer was yes. Not because of the big bucks or the smooth road ahead – but because he wanted to keep betting on himself and playing the game he loved. After a brief spell with the Seattle Sounders reserves up north, he returned to the USL and the LA Blues.
