U.S. soccer player Brian Ching doing it his way

On a bus ride back from their 2002 World Cup quarterfinal loss to Germany in Korea, the U.S. men's national team broke out into song.

A busload of dudes with a karaoke machine belted out Frank Sinatra's classic, "My Way." It served as a theme for a team that convincingly emerged as a force in international soccer by making the round of eight in the most recent World Cup.

The anthem should also apply to Brian Ching, the surfer from Hawaii who spent his college and early professional soccer days in Washington state, and now finds himself in Germany with the U.S. team that will open play Monday.

Ching wasn't a prodigy. He didn't have name recognition, and what little publicity he had came from his knack for scoring bunches of goals in a sport that has yet to catch on in this country.

He didn't play for the national team developmental squads like so many of his teammates. And Ching, a forward who had appeared for the senior national team in a few games since 2003, was practically an afterthought for this World Cup team.

Some observers thought forward Taylor Twellman would be picked over Ching. Twellman, a forward for New England of Major League Soccer, has played in two more games than Ching for the national team (19 to 17) and has two more goals (5 to 3).

"Brian didn't necessarily win us over in the last six weeks," U.S. coach Bruce Arena said when the team was announced last month. "It's a culmination of being with us for a couple of years and knowing what he brings to our team on the field."

That is the willingness to work hard and instant offense off the bench.

Ching believed he had a good chance to make the team, anyway.

"I'm extremely proud of how I got to where I am," the 28-year-old from Oahu said. "I don't think I'm the most skilled guy out there, but I give 110 percent on the field."

Everyone who knows Ching will tell you that his work ethic is why he made the World Cup team and why he is living the dream of every kid who loves playing soccer.

"It's a dream come true," he said. "It's the biggest stage, the biggest sporting event in the world."

Ching is equally as passionate about hanging 10 with the waves off Waikiki or Oahu's North Shore, the places he spent most of his childhood and where he usually spends Decembers, the only month he can get away from the mainland and go home. The rest of Ching's year is devoted to MLS — he plays for the expansion Houston Dynamo — and national team appearances.

"Every time I go back to Hawaii, that's all I do," Ching said of surfing. "Some of the guys [on the U.S. team] probably wished they surfed. It helps me with soccer. It gets me away from the stress of soccer. It's one of the things I do that always puts a smile on my face."

They're smiling in Hawaii — Ching is the first Hawaiian to play on a World Cup team — and in Seattle and Spokane, the places that served as springboards to Ching's success.

Ching left the islands after high school and spent five years at Gonzaga, where he finished his college career with 34 goals, third-most in school history, and 23 assists, a school record. He also spent summers with the Spokane Shadow, a team at one of the lower levels of U.S. soccer development, akin to short-season Class A in baseball.

His movement away from the ball and his constant improvement were what stood out, Gonzaga coach Einar Thorarinsson recalled.

"He's not satisfied with the level he plays at," said Thorarinsson, who keeps in touch with Ching. "It goes back to his drive, wanting to get where he wants to get.

"He loves to score goals, but it doesn't matter unless his team wins. People know that."

Ching got his first chance in MLS in 2001 with the Los Angeles Galaxy but was released at the end of the season. That's when Adrian Hanauer, Seattle Sounders general manager, signed him after Sounders players said he was available.

The Sounders are a step down from MLS, but Ching saw the move as a chance to keep playing and improve his game. Ching missed some time with an injury but still managed to score 16 goals with the Sounders, second-most in the A-League in 2002.

"He worked harder than anybody on the team in games and in training," Hanauer recalled. "We have players on our team who are as talented but don't work as hard as Brian Ching.

"Pedigree is only good for so much. There's plenty of sons of famous players who went to the best schools who will never make the national teams."

Ching's time in Seattle was also memorable because he was able to connect with his half-sister, Tracie Ruiz-Conforto, and her family. Ruiz-Conforto, who lives in Woodinville, is a former Olympic gold medalist in synchronized swimming.

Ching called playing for the Sounders "one of the best things that happened to me."

Soon he was back in MLS.

"It was inevitable that he was going to get another shot with MLS," former Sounders teammate Preston Burpo said.

But injury derailed Ching's comeback with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2003. He led the team in scoring the next year and was named the league's Comeback Player of the Year.

Ching scored four goals in this season's opener for the Dynamo, and when he left the team in early May to train with the U.S. squad, he led MLS with seven goals. That's still tops on the Dynamo.

Ching is representing his country, having found success his way. His immediate goal with the national team is to make an impact.

"I didn't come here to be a cheerleader," Ching said. "I'm doing everything in my power to get on the field. I'm not just happy to be here. I want to play."

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com