2024 - Meet Christian Escobedo

The Elgin Community College (ECC) men’s soccer team recruited ECC student-athlete Christian Escobedo, of Glendale Heights, Illinois, to come play for the team this fall. Under new head coach Dimitri Tsoukalas, the team has excelled in a record-breaking season.

After graduating high school, Escobedo knew he wanted to continue playing soccer. He explored some four-year university options, but when Tsoukalas approached him to play for ECC and offered an athletic scholarship, Escobedo made the decision to be a Spartan.

“It’s been going great at ECC,” Escobedo said. “I didn’t expect junior college to be this fun and welcoming. The intensity is great, and the program is going perfectly. We’re making history! And that is because of a good coach and athletics department.”

As a striker for the team, Escobedo currently leads in assists.

Soccer has been around Escobedo for as long as he can remember. The youngest of four siblings, all of whom remain tight-knit, he got to watch one of his older brothers play for Northern Illinois University’s (NIU) Division I team and travel to Mexico for the opportunity to play professionally there.

At 13 years old, Escobedo made his own international soccer journey over to France, securing a spot on a club team. “Playing in France was really good,” Escobedo said. “But, it was a new environment. I wasn’t with my family, so I was on my own. Everything was new, and I was just a kid, so I decided to go back home after two years of playing there.”

In addition to continuing to pursue his love for soccer, Escobedo’s working toward his Associate of Arts and will pursue a degree in computer engineering when he transfers to a four-year institution.

“Computer engineering has been something that grabbed me at a young age,” Escobedo said. “When I was younger, I got placed in a program for students two years older than me. I never knew I could pursue it as a major here, but when I saw I could, I went for it.”

Escobedo’s academic interest, unlike his athletic interest, sways from that of his siblings, who are all involved in criminal justice. “When I was growing up I wanted to be a police officer, but my family steered me away from it. They all work in Chicago and have been involved in a lot of difficult situations and protests. They think it’s safe for me to take another route. They’ve put in a lot of money and time for me to do things like play my sport because they believe in me.”

Although Escobedo currently remains focused on excelling at Nationals, post-ECC he’d like to continue playing soccer at a Division I school or travel abroad once again for his love of the game.

Get to know Escobedo a little better below!

What’s one thing you do outside of ECC? I play a lot of video games. It is sort of a stress reliever. I also help younger kids at the gym. I put my name on this list where you can help kids who are just starting off. The last person I helped was 12 years old. I also took catechism classes for eight years. After I was confirmed, I taught classes for two years. I usually go to church every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Right now, I’m only going on Saturdays with everything going on.

Dogs, cats, or houseplants? Dogs! My family has four dogs total. My one dog, Cleo, is really tiny. When we first got her I was really young and I taught her how to get into my backpack so I could take her to school with me. I would find a quiet corner outside during recess and take her out to play.

What’s one thing that makes your day? Seeing others smile and seeing other people be productive. When other people are productive, I have no excuse not to be. When I see people getting going and getting things done, it gives me the push I need sometimes.

What’s your favorite meal to cook or eat out? To cook is tacos. I’ve been making them since I was five years old. It’s something I can do really fast, and I find that when I’m in a mood, I like to eat tacos. It’s my comfort food. One thing I like to eat out that I don’t normally often eat is Chinese food. 

Shout out to an ECC staff or peer! I’d like to shout out Melanie Schaefer, sports information and academic support specialist, for always giving me a safe zone in her office to speak to her and always being here for all of us student-athletes. I really appreciate her, and I think we do as an entire group. She always has snacks for us and provides advice and school help. She is a great person.