A second chance: from setback to comeback
My name is Eduardo “Eddy” Marin. I am a division 1 goalkeeper at Santa Clara University. I’m a Bay Area local, I played one year of academy at Lamorinda SC and one season at 51O USL2. When I first started playing soccer, I played 2-3 years up, which resulted in having my fair shares of being rotated in net. I found pleasure in taking away pleasure from others, and seeing how defeated they looked after I would make a save.
The Challenge: Overcoming the Accident
While riding my scooter to school one day, I was hit by a car. I was at the brink of death, but woke up a week and a half later, with injuries such as vision loss in my right eye and hearing loss in my left ear, broken wrist and an aneurism in my face. The biggest challenge mentally was having to deal with not being able to play keeper for 6 months. The biggest challenge I faced physically was not having my right eye vision or left side hearing.
The Road to Recovery
The first couple steps I took into my recovery was adapting to my new depth perception, doing a lot of hand eye stuff, ball eye stuff, pretty much getting used to having one eye. In my first couple trainings back with the team I could not catch a volley consistently, I dropped everything, made many minor errors, and it made me doubt my ability to return to the keeper I once was. The key people who kept me on track throughout all this were my family and friends, as they continue to push me to this day to keep going for them, as they still believe in me and what I can accomplish. Although I wasn’t able to fully train for 6 months, I did what I could on and off the field. I did a lot of running, gained my muscle back, lots of passing and non contact stuff on the ball, and watch old film to see what my game needs improvement on.
The Mindset of a Fighter
What motivated me to keep going was my friends and family as they believe that I could return and be a great goalkeeper and inspire others on the way. I stayed disciplined and committed by trusting God’s plan as I believe that he still has a plan for me in soccer, I kept reminding myself how great it felt to be on the pitch, which inspires me to be better everyday. I have faced many adversities in my journey, and will continue to, but no one is going to get in the way of what god has planned for me.
Eddy shares...
I hope my story inspired you. I am nowhere near done, I look to better myself every single day, trust in God and his plan will be revealed to you.
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
"Eddy’s story is one of the most powerful examples of resilience I’ve ever seen. As goalkeepers, we constantly face challenges, mistakes, competition, injuries, among other experiences but what Eddy went through is on another level. To wake up after a life-threatening accident, lose vision in one eye, and still find a way back to the game takes a level of mental strength that few can understand.
His journey reminds me why I love coaching. It’s not just about technique or making saves, it’s about building the mindset of a fighter. Eddy could’ve given up, but instead, he found a way to adapt, to trust the process, and to prove to himself that he still belongs on the field. That kind of mentality is what separates the good from the great.
This isn’t just a comeback story; it’s a reminder to every goalkeeper out there that obstacles will come, but they don’t have to define you. It’s about how you respond, how you push through, and how you keep believing in yourself even when no one else does. Eddy’s still writing his story, and I have no doubt that it’s only getting started." Matias Herrera, Goalkeeper Coach & Founder of Psico Goalkeeper Training.