California Golden Bears Athletics
Photo by: Rob Edwards/klcfotos
10/8/2021 3:03 PM | Men's Soccer, Inside The Lair
Alonzo Del Mundo Cherishes Both His Cultures
"He puts in the work."
That's how Cal men's soccer coach Kevin Grimes describes Alonzo Del Mundo. And while that can describe all of the Golden Bears, it has an extra meaning for the senior forward.
A product of nearby Richmond, California, Del Mundo has put in extra work both on the field and off during his time in Berkeley. He's spent much of his time at Cal working construction and paint jobs while going to school and playing for the Bears. And given that he commutes from his hometown, some 20 minutes from campus, Del Mundo has had to set a strict schedule, leaving home every day around 7:15 a.m. and, barring late games, returning to Richmond around 5 p.m.
"It definitely weighs on you to juggle soccer, school and working at the same time, providing for his family and continuing as a student-athlete at Cal," Grimes said.
"Working is really tough, but I like it," Del Mundo said. "It keeps you busy all day, makes you appreciate the things you have and makes you push harder. And I've gotten used to the commute. You've got to stick to that schedule because if you leave five minutes late, traffic changes and delays you a lot longer."
Del Mundo credits his parents and his two cultures for instilling in him a good work ethic. His mother, Lorena Gonzalez, was born in Mexico, while his father, John Del Mundo, is from the Philippines. His family includes his younger brother, Emmanuel, 19, and sister, Nayeli, 16, who both still call him "kuya" - the Tagalog term for brother. And while his dad and most of his Filipino relatives don't live in the Bay Area, he relishes the times they do spend together.
He says his cultures have many similarities, even in language, with Tagalog and Spanish having many of the same or similar words, including words for table (mesa), book (libro), paper (papel), sofa (sofa/sofá) and arm (braso/brazo).
"They're both big on big families, being close to your family, having a lot of food at gatherings," he added. "Both countries are the same – with nice people who make do with what they have, even if they don't have much money. It's nice to have two cultures come together and combine into one."
Del Mundo is proud of his background, which is celebrated in particular during the first two weeks of October, when Latinx Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) and Filipino-American History Month (Oct. 1-31) intersect.
He says that Latinx Heritage Month "means noticing the hard work that a lot of Hispanic people do. When you see people outside a business, they are asking for work, not asking for money. When I play, I play defense, offense, whatever needs to be played. I'm not a lazy player. I've played all over the place this year, and this month just shows that side of our people.
"Filipino-American History Month is just the same as Latinx Heritage Month. I think of the way my dad came over here from the Philippines basically with nothing. My dad and his brother came here by themselves. It shows that if you put in the effort it's going to pay off, and something's going to happen. When you work hard, something good's going to come out of it."
Del Mundo's work ethic also translates to Cal men's soccer, especially this season. He's focusing on school and soccer in his final semester, and is no longer working away from Cal, but he's plenty busy on the field. Along with other Bears, such as Jack Singer and Christian Gomez, Del Mundo has had to play multiple positions due to teammate injuries and absences.
Normally an attacking player, Del Mundo has bolstered the Cal defense in the first half of the season, playing right back, left back and defensive midfielder.
"Wherever he plays, you know he's going to bring it," Cal senior forward Jonathan Estrada said. "You see him down the line, running up and back. He's one of the ones setting the tone for us, going hard into tackles, just trying to fire everyone up."
"It's an amazing to have that much flexibility and versatility in your game, knowing your coach can get quality minutes out of you at any position," Grimes said. "I thought he did a great job in those other positions, but ultimately we had to get him back to his original spot. He helped us significantly at defensive midfield, but his best spot is his attacking role as a left midfielder."
Del Mundo shone in that role as a sophomore, tying for 10th in the nation in assists with nine. He also ranked ninth in the country in assists per game (0.50) and tied for first in assists in the Pac-12 Conference. He's started all 54 games he's played, including eight of Cal's 10 games in his final season.
"He's grown quite a bit considering he started out redshirting as a freshman, and he's really became almost a four-year starter after that," Grimes said. "He's been impactful in different positions on the field, but he's best at playing wide midfielder and using the two great skill sets he has – beating people one on one and crossing. He does that as well as anyone in college soccer."
That's how Cal men's soccer coach Kevin Grimes describes Alonzo Del Mundo. And while that can describe all of the Golden Bears, it has an extra meaning for the senior forward.
A product of nearby Richmond, California, Del Mundo has put in extra work both on the field and off during his time in Berkeley. He's spent much of his time at Cal working construction and paint jobs while going to school and playing for the Bears. And given that he commutes from his hometown, some 20 minutes from campus, Del Mundo has had to set a strict schedule, leaving home every day around 7:15 a.m. and, barring late games, returning to Richmond around 5 p.m.
"It definitely weighs on you to juggle soccer, school and working at the same time, providing for his family and continuing as a student-athlete at Cal," Grimes said.
"Working is really tough, but I like it," Del Mundo said. "It keeps you busy all day, makes you appreciate the things you have and makes you push harder. And I've gotten used to the commute. You've got to stick to that schedule because if you leave five minutes late, traffic changes and delays you a lot longer."
Del Mundo credits his parents and his two cultures for instilling in him a good work ethic. His mother, Lorena Gonzalez, was born in Mexico, while his father, John Del Mundo, is from the Philippines. His family includes his younger brother, Emmanuel, 19, and sister, Nayeli, 16, who both still call him "kuya" - the Tagalog term for brother. And while his dad and most of his Filipino relatives don't live in the Bay Area, he relishes the times they do spend together.
He says his cultures have many similarities, even in language, with Tagalog and Spanish having many of the same or similar words, including words for table (mesa), book (libro), paper (papel), sofa (sofa/sofá) and arm (braso/brazo).
"They're both big on big families, being close to your family, having a lot of food at gatherings," he added. "Both countries are the same – with nice people who make do with what they have, even if they don't have much money. It's nice to have two cultures come together and combine into one."
Del Mundo is proud of his background, which is celebrated in particular during the first two weeks of October, when Latinx Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) and Filipino-American History Month (Oct. 1-31) intersect.
He says that Latinx Heritage Month "means noticing the hard work that a lot of Hispanic people do. When you see people outside a business, they are asking for work, not asking for money. When I play, I play defense, offense, whatever needs to be played. I'm not a lazy player. I've played all over the place this year, and this month just shows that side of our people.
"Filipino-American History Month is just the same as Latinx Heritage Month. I think of the way my dad came over here from the Philippines basically with nothing. My dad and his brother came here by themselves. It shows that if you put in the effort it's going to pay off, and something's going to happen. When you work hard, something good's going to come out of it."
Del Mundo's work ethic also translates to Cal men's soccer, especially this season. He's focusing on school and soccer in his final semester, and is no longer working away from Cal, but he's plenty busy on the field. Along with other Bears, such as Jack Singer and Christian Gomez, Del Mundo has had to play multiple positions due to teammate injuries and absences.
Normally an attacking player, Del Mundo has bolstered the Cal defense in the first half of the season, playing right back, left back and defensive midfielder.
"Wherever he plays, you know he's going to bring it," Cal senior forward Jonathan Estrada said. "You see him down the line, running up and back. He's one of the ones setting the tone for us, going hard into tackles, just trying to fire everyone up."
"It's an amazing to have that much flexibility and versatility in your game, knowing your coach can get quality minutes out of you at any position," Grimes said. "I thought he did a great job in those other positions, but ultimately we had to get him back to his original spot. He helped us significantly at defensive midfield, but his best spot is his attacking role as a left midfielder."
Del Mundo shone in that role as a sophomore, tying for 10th in the nation in assists with nine. He also ranked ninth in the country in assists per game (0.50) and tied for first in assists in the Pac-12 Conference. He's started all 54 games he's played, including eight of Cal's 10 games in his final season.
"He's grown quite a bit considering he started out redshirting as a freshman, and he's really became almost a four-year starter after that," Grimes said. "He's been impactful in different positions on the field, but he's best at playing wide midfielder and using the two great skill sets he has – beating people one on one and crossing. He does that as well as anyone in college soccer."
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's Soccer
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Wednesday, April 30
