Jorge Mora has always been his own biggest critic — especially when it comes to the game he loves.
Born in New York but raised in Colombia, Mora, a sophomore midfielder, began playing soccer — the country’s most popular sport — as soon as he could learn to walk.
Mora’s father worked to support his family, and Jorge was only able to see him a few times a year while he was growing up. So Mora started hanging out with his cousins on his grandfather’s farm, and he found a passion for the game.
“We would have huge family picnics on the weekends,” Mora said. “Everybody would get together and play. I was always the little kid trying to get in with all my older cousins — and ever since, it’s my life.”
When he was 8 years old, his father moved his family back to New York. There he joined a club team and developed as a player by taking part in international competitions. As a member of his nationally ranked club team, he traveled to such exotic locales as Costa Rica and Italy — where he gained valuable experience.
“The second time I traveled to Italy, we made it all the way to the final,” Mora said. “We lost, but we beat really high caliber teams. It was nice to get a taste of it — the whole atmosphere, playing in front of thousands of people under the lights. The style of play is a lot quicker; it’s a whole different world.”
Last year, as a true freshman, Mora was one of only three Wolfpack players to start all 17 games, and he recorded a team-high seven assists — but was disappointed with his performance.
“I wasn’t happy with how I played last year,” Mora said. “It was frustrating because we didn’t do well as a team, but also personally, I felt like I only achieved so much. I know I can play a whole lot better than what I displayed last year.”
So Mora took it upon himself to improve his play by conditioning in the off-season. During the summer, he joined a semi-professional league and spent countless hours in the weight room to get in better shape for the fall.
Senior forward and co-captain El Hadj Cisse commended Mora’s initiative and said he gets an “A-plus” for his efforts.
“In the summertime, we were playing together, and he started working hard and running a lot.” Cisse said. “He was so positive through the summer and all the way into this season.”
Through six games this season, Mora leads the team in both goals and assists. Sophomore midfielder Daniel Fish, who is also Mora’s roommate, attributes this to his newfound aggressiveness on the field.
“I don’t want to say anything about last year, but this year he’s winning the ball for himself,” Fish said. “It’s not just people passing him the ball. He’s working a lot harder and trying to set an example for a lot of the other players.”
Mora has set some lofty goals for himself this year, including earning All-ACC honors and helping his team advance in the NCAA tournament.
Assistant coach Dan Popik said he is relying on Mora to create an offensive presence for the team.
“For his position, he’s got to help us out — create some goals, create some chances, get some assists — and get some goals as well,” Popik said. “Jorge has definitely stepped up, and he’s definitely improving. He’s still only a sophomore, so hopefully every year he’ll continue to grow for us.”
Mora plans to pursue a career in soccer but said sometimes — like last season — “things don’t always turn out how you want them to.” So, for now, he’s majoring in business management, and he said he wants to continue to improve to help his team succeed.
And according to Cisse, Mora is already doing just that.
“He is stepping up as the best player on the field, and he is contributing everything — communication, leadership, everything,” Cisse said. “I don’t even know what to say anymore — he is doing everything already.”
