McMinnville’s Frankie Lopez works the ball downfield against a pair of Jesuit defenders in the 2006 state championship game. Lopez led the Grizz to the state crown and is now excelling for the Portland Timbers U-23 team.
News-Register file photo

By GRANT LUCAS
Of the Forest Grove News-Times

As he pulls a Portland Timbers U-23 jersey over his head, 20-year-old Frankie Lopez feels the familiar flutter of butterflies in his stomach. To relax, he calls his idol: his father.

Lopez receives advice on how to improve his game as well as recognition for what he’s doing right. It’s his family he plays for and his father that helps him succeed.

A 2007 McMinnville High School graduate, Lopez led the University of Portland in scoring last season with 12 goals, earning All-West Coast Conference honors as a sophomore. For the Timbers U-23 team, which competes in the United Soccer Leagues’ Premier Development League, Lopez has one goal and two assists in eight games so far this summer.

“Frankie brings a lot to the table. He’s creative, quick and doesn’t pass up opportunities,” said Timbers U-23 head coach Jim Rilatt, also an assistant for the men’s soccer program at Pacific University. “He’s a great team guy with a real positive attitude. He keeps players motivated through positive encouragement and is a coach’s dream.”

That’s the style of play that Lopez said he wanted to show the organization. He not only wanted to score goals, but wanted also to make everyone around him better. Now he hopes the Timbers will recognize his desire to get to the next level and that he’ll do whatever is asked of him to get there.

Lopez’s success is paying other dividends too. Players from schools in the Pacific Conference see a former opponent making a name for himself and suddenly the thought of going on to play at the college or professional level doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

Eric Laukkanen, a former Forest Grove standout who played against Lopez in high school, said the conference was underrated and that Lopez helps bring more attention to the league with every minute he plays for the Timbers U-23s. Laukkanen remembers Lopez as an excellent all-around player, labeling him as “intimidating.” But as threatening as he may have seemed, Laukkanen recalls him as a likeable guy.

“In high school soccer, everyone has some sort of beef with someone,” he said. “But nobody seemed to have anything against Frankie.”

One of Lopez’s biggest attributes is that his mindset remains the same whether he’s practicing or playing in a game — he stays focused and determined, as if he’s battling for a starting spot every second.

This increased competitiveness, Lopez said, can be attributed to Rilatt.

“He doesn’t pick favorites and doesn’t care where you came from or what you’ve done in the past,” Lopez said. “He points out weaknesses for us rather than telling us what we’re doing right, which is a great tool. A player doesn’t get better if he’s hearing that he’s doing something right, but if his weaknesses are identified, he can work on it.”

This is the time of year when Lopez needs to stand out. The season is winding down and players are becoming fatigued. He sees it as a chance to step up his game even more. He wants to be the best and show everyone that he can play at this level.

Lopez is a handful for the opposition, according to Rilatt. He’s difficult to defend, he’s active and he always wants the ball. Rilatt recalls a game in which he saw Lopez play against the Timbers’ professional team. Lopez wore out the opposition with his incredible work rate, forcing the Timbers’ pros to chase him all over the field. It’s that sort of commitment, Rilatt said, that makes Lopez such a valuable player.

But, valuable or not, Lopez still deals with anxiety before every game. Hee isn’t scared. He looks at the nervousness as a sign — the butterflies tell him he’s in a special place. Having this feeling with the Timbers has motivated him to practice and play harder.

Thoughts of his family calm him down more. Lopez remembers something his father told him during their pre-game phone call.

After telling his son what he was doing right and wrong, he let Lopez know how proud he is of what he’s accomplished and how far he’s gotten.

And although his father didn’t have the opportunity to make it this far as a player, Lopez uses that to drive him.

“I’m not just doing this for me,” he said, pausing and looking away while gathering himself. “I’m doing this for my dad — for my family.”