Now 18, LA's Bowen ready to act own age

CARSON, Calif. -- Now comes the hard part for the Los Angeles Galaxy's Tristan Bowen.

It was easy for him to lie about his age and participate in the team's open tryout almost two years ago, when he first caught the attention of then-general manager Alexi Lalas. He trained with the team for most of last season and officially signed with the club in November, which made him the first player in MLS history to be signed by a club through the league's Youth Development Initiative that started in November 2006.

But the truly difficult part is just beginning for Bowen, who turned 18 on Jan. 31. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound forward from nearby Van Nuys has to prove he belongs as he participates in his first official training camp.

"I'm still kind of picking my spots," Bowen said, "but I'm feeling more and more comfortable each day. I'm trying to get the hang of the pace of the game. My ball control is coming along, too.

"It's my first camp, so everything is new to me. But it's going good every day."

Bowen, who went on to play for the U.S. U-18 and U-20 national teams after being discovered by the Galaxy, still vividly recalls seeing a notice on the team's website in early 2007 that advertised an open tryout for players 18 and over. Bowen knew that could pose a problem since he was only 16 at the time, but it didn't stop him.

"I just thought it would be a great idea for me to go in and see where I stacked up against those guys," Bowen said. "I snuck in and I lied about my age. I can't forget that part. The first couple of rounds I did pretty well and it started building from there. Alexi came up to me, said I was the first pick and that's where everything started."

What makes all of this even better for Bowen is he grew up as a fan of the team.

"I used to come to the games and watch guys like Cobi (Jones) and Landon (Donovan) and cheering them," he said. "It's amazing. Who would have known a couple of years later I would be playing on the same field as them."

Not only that, but Bowen is coached by one of them. Jones, who Bowen said he has admired for years, is in his second year as an assistant coach with the Galaxy and has been more than willing to lend Bowen his soccer expertise.

"I'm just trying to better him as a player and a person," Jones said. "I know it's a little tough for him at such a young age to come into a professional atmosphere. There's a lot of changes, probably a lot more than most young players, and a lot of things he has to do.

"As a young player, he's not going to have any respect from anybody in the league. He has to keep up with the pace of the game and keep up with players who are older and stronger and have more experience. That's going to be a tough situation for him."

Jones said he likes what he sees so far and said Bowen has even surprised him a little.

"I think he's making a very good adjustment," he said. "It's a slow process for him, but considering where he's come from he's improved by leaps and bounds. I think he's showed enough maturity already as a soccer player that it's going to help him eventually get on the field."

There's no telling when that will happen, but Bowen still has the same youthful energy he exhibited when he literally came out of nowhere to impress coaches and management in 2007. And if he occasionally looks a little wide-eyed as he talks about a career in its infancy, who can blame him?

"I'm just trying to improve my game every day, whether that's physically or mentally," he said. "I have a lot of good people around me making sure I'm doing the best I can and taking care of myself. When I step on the field I want to make sure I can perform with the rest of the guys.

"Maybe I can offer a spark. Once I get my turn, I want to make sure I go out there and play hard and hopefully provide some energy."