Jamael Cox made his way to FC Tucson through Darren Sawatzky, who coached Cox with the Seattle Sounders U-23 of USL League Two as well as the Tacoma Stars of the Major Arena Soccer League.
Since arriving in the Old Pueblo, however, Cox has made a name for himself. And that’s all him.
Throughout the first half of FC Tucson’s first professional season, Cox leads the team in games played (14), games started (11), assists (2) and chances created (14). FC Tucson (5-6-3) will continue the second half of their schedule Saturday at Lansing Ignite FC.
Cox wasn’t aware of his team-leading stats or the impact he had on the club so far in the season; he just liked Sawatzky’s coaching style. And that was enough to join FC Tucson.
“(It’s) intense, but very demanding of players and he wants the best for everyone,” Cox said. “He wants the highest quality out of you – and that’s what I like the most.”
Cox believes the team has managed to make great improvements recently to help them through the second half of the season.
“I think we found the identity the last few games,” he said. “We’ve been working on our pressing and keeping the ball a lot. We’ve been scoring some goals that we haven’t really been finding in the back of the net. So, I think we found ourselves.”
Personally, Cox couldn’t have loved his move to Tucson more. Although monsoon season is late to Tucson, causing hotter temperatures in southeastern Arizona, Cox said he enjoys the sunny days.
The 27-year-old midfielder grew up in Tacoma, Washington, where rainy, overcast was the norm. And he really likes the hiking trails available throughout Tucson. (His favorite is going up “A” Mountain.)
“I love the weather,” Cox said. “From Seattle, I didn’t really get the heat, but I like it – get out of the rain for a bit. And I like the fans. The community is super nice and they’re really supportive.”
Cox started playing soccer at a young age, inspired by his older brother. He dabbled with other sports, but it didn’t work out — he was too short for basketball and just didn’t like baseballs coming at him.
He stuck with soccer, and went on to win a state championship his senior year at Stadium High School before attending Highline College and then going on trial overseas in Scotland and Germany. He came back to the U.S. in 2013 when he signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League.
On Thursday, the club left to Michigan for their first of six games on the road. With all the moves Cox has made in his soccer career, he’s not worried about a simple road trip.
“Playing on the road is always tough, but you come into the road and you have a point at hand,” Cox said. “So, I think just being very focused, you can come out with a point or you can steal three points.”
