When one thinks of San Diego State University soccer players who have made a name for themselves in the beautiful game at the professional level the first ones who come to mind are the likes of Eric Wynalda, Marcelo Balboa, Kraig Chiles, or Dallin Cutler.

Yet, there is another SDSU alum who is just starting out his pro career playing in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) with Albion San Diego who also looks to have a promising future and is ready to leave his mark named Pablo Pelaez.

“I have a lot of great memories there with Lev (Kirshner) and the guys,” he said. “I’ve had and continue to have a great relationship with him. He taught me a lot of things off and on the field and is someone I’m always thankful for.”

Pelaez made an impact in his first season playing midfielder at SDSU in 2016 becoming the first Aztec since Daniel Steres in 2011 to receive first-team All-Far West Region recognition from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and also helped lead the Aztecs to their first trip to the NCAA tournament in a decade.
“2016 was a very memorable year for me and the team,” Pelaez added. In 2017, he played 11 games before suffering a season-ending injury but bounced back in 2018 leading the team in goals and points as captain and most valuable player along with being named second-team all Pac-12, a feat that he repeated the following season.

Pelaez was also selected to the rosters for the U15, U16, U17, U18, and U20 United States men’s national teams before turning professional. He would meet the head coach at Albion San Diego, Ziggy Korytoski, who was serving as an assistant coach for the Aztec men’s soccer team at the time, during his freshman year at SDSU.

“It is such a pleasure to work with Pablo again. His soccer IQ is extremely high as is his commitment to keeping the ball,” said Korytoski. “He is a player that we will rely on in possession to settle the game and I’m excited for him to be back in San Diego playing at a high level for the club that he played for growing up.”

The 24-year-old Pelaez started developing his skills early on playing in the Albion SC youth soccer program and, just as he did at SDSU, made an impact quickly with his new team after scoring the first goal for Albion San Diego in the 2022 NISA regular-season opener against Valley United FC. He also was an integral part of the team’s first regular-season win in their following match against LA Force and expects that game to be a launching pad for good things to come.

“I think we have all the tools and everything that we need to be successful for the season,” Pelaez concluded. “Happy to have people showing up from the community to show all the young kids that they can aspire to be like us one day. We’re here for San Diego and Albion has been here since 1981, so we are a true San Diego soccer club.”