Andrew Johnson, currently playing for Charlotte FC and the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national team, has experienced almost every part of the soccer system here in the United States, and I think his story can inspire young players at any stage in their sporting journey.

The son of a legend forged his own path

To say that Andrew grew up in a soccer family is an understatement. His whole family was always around the sport. His father, Elton, was a goalkeeper for St. Vincent and the Grenadines during their golden generation in the 1990s (he was also a wicket-keeper for the West Indies cricket team). Despite this, his father didn’t push him into the sport or even talk about his career.

“My dad did a really good job of encouraging me in a healthy way to fall in love with the sport. I always tell this story, but I didn't even know he played professionally until I was probably like 10 or 11, because he didn't want me to fall in love with the sport or play because he played or to try to impress him,” Andrew shared.

It was Andrew’s older sister who really got him interested in soccer. “My sister played, and that was kind of the reason I got into it. She'd just be playing in our little suburb, our local league…and I would tag along. She was my role model growing up. So I did everything she did. That's how I got into it initially. And then I just naturally fell in love with it,” he explained.

I’m always fascinated by the stories of players and how they ended up in the positions they play now. Some stumble into a role by accident; others have always played one position, and some change in their professional careers. There’s usually a common thread, though - most players growing up want to score goals…but Andrew was different.

“I actually just liked defending as a kid. I think it's kind of rare. Most kids just want to go score goals, and stay up there. But I loved that underdog mentality of being the guy that makes a last-ditch tackle or something like that. So I kind of just naturally fell into that place,” he shared.

Beyond that mentality, Andrew played with a lot of energy and would cover the whole field in his younger days. Because of this, he was usually playing midfield. His place in defense was solidified during a State Cup match when his team’s center-back was out injured. He filled in, excelled, and accidentally found his home in defense. His height probably helped him too - he is 6’2” now and was always taller than most of his peers on the pitch.

Given his athleticism and his height, I wondered if his dad tried to push him to play between the posts as he did during his career. Andrew explained, “My dad actually never really tried to force me into a position or anything like that…His whole view was just fall in love with the sport. Whatever happens happens. He had a very almost hands-off approach, because he saw a lot of parents screaming at their kids, forcing them to do certain things, and he could see the kids fall out of love with the game. So he was like, whatever feels fun for you, just go and do that.”

Despite the lack of pressure from his father, Andrew dreamed of playing as a professional. “I've always had the dream. Obviously, as a kid you have that, I guess you could say delusional dream like, I'm going to play pro. That's the only thing I want to do. And I definitely had that idea: I think I'll play pro one day.”

As Andrew continued to excel, he caught the attention of the Philadelphia Union Academy (one of the most well-run and well-known MLS academies, consistently producing top professional players here in the US). At age 11, he joined the academy and was under the tutelage of academy director Tommy Wilson, whom he is now reunited with at Charlotte FC. “ I got to know him really well. He was really good with all the younger guys, just being around, giving small tips, stuff like that. It was a really good experience there,” Andrew shared.

The pathway isn’t always clear, and progress isn’t always linear

For a select few kids, once they enter the academy setup, the path to the first team and to potentially greater things is clear. The trajectory is up and to the right. For most kids, the path is neither clear nor straightforward. Progress isn’t always linear. Andrew shared openly about his experience and the difficulties he faced in the elite academy setup and how he began to doubt if he would make it to the pros:

“Towards the end of my time at the Union…I had a bit of a tough time. I wasn’t really playing a lot. And I’ll tell you this story, I’ve actually only told my family, but there was a time where I wasn’t even sure if I’d keep playing. I think it was my 15th year. I wasn’t playing at all.

I was kind of just out of touch with the game. I didn’t really feel excited. I remember we were playing in the GA Cup, which is a pretty big tournament now. And I remember at the time, not even knowing that we were traveling that weekend, because I was just so out of touch with everything.

So I think there was periods where I wasn’t sure if it was what I wanted to do, because again, I never really had a ton of pressure outside.”

Andrew was at a crossroads - would he continue in the academy setup that provided a path to MLS? Did he want to try something different…perhaps a different pathway to his dream? Did he want to keep playing at all? That is a lot of pressure to handle as a teenager.

After considering the options, Andrew decided to keep playing, but he wanted something different. He decided to play for his local high school team. “I found another love for the game. Just being around an environment that wasn't as serious. I think guys were still super competitive, but we didn't have the Union's professional academy, so we didn’t have all the pitches, training staff, doctors, and all that. And being out of that environment, I think it was a little bit more raw. And I think just being around people that I really liked, a coach that I really liked, sparked that love for the game for me again,” he shared.

While playing high school ball, Andrew did return to a formal youth club setup with FC Delco. It was organized and competed on the MLS Next platform, but the approach was different. According to their talent philosophy, they state, “We believe that a planned but flexible learning pathway will provide the player with a structure within which to work but still have the flexibility to adapt to her/his individual development.”

Beyond finding enjoyment in the game again, Andrew found something else in this new environment. He explained, “That was probably a really pivotal moment in my career too, because I went from being another cog in a system at a big, really competitive academy to being one of the better guys on my team and somebody who people really look to, whether it be on the field or off the field. So I would say I developed a lot of my leadership attributes playing there.”

With his love for the game back and his abilities on and off the pitch continuing to grow, Andrew’s dream of becoming a professional player was reignited. He knew his best chance was to play soccer in college and pursue the MLS SuperDraft. The next step? Determining where to take his talents in college.

Share ConcaCorner

To Ithaca and the Ivy League

The recruiting window was quickly closing during Andrew’s junior year of high school, but he was still undecided. He had one Zoom call left with coach John Smith of Cornell University before processing all of the plans and pitches laid out to him. If you asked Andrew then, he wasn’t seriously considering Cornell; it was just another call…until it wasn’t.

“My parents will tell you too, it was literally the second he started speaking, there was just something about him…I can’t really describe it, but he had a clear vision for the program. He had a clear vision about where I could fit in there. One of the best things he said was if you’re ready as a freshman, you’ll play. And that was like music to my ears. I think one of the non-negotiables for me was having the opportunity to at least play because I literally had coaches tell me like, hey, you probably won’t play till sophomore or junior year…But John made that really clear. He said if you’re ready, if you come in fit, if you’re sharp, you’ll be one of the guys considered to start…

He just had a really good energy about him. He was an excellent coach, even better human being. I think that was one of the things that I noticed about him right away. And one of the things that drew me to the program because Cornell is not the flashiest place in the world…But that’s actually one of the things John tells you right away because he wants guys that are coming there to understand like, this is going to be a gritty environment. You’re not going to have a million pairs of cleats, a bunch of gear and all that stuff. But if you work really hard, we can be a top 25 program…I could tell by the way he spoke about his outlook on the sport that he had a really good vision for the program.”

Andrew was sold - he committed to Cornell. Coach Smith gave him pointers and things he needed to work on before arriving to give himself the best chance to be in the starting XI on his arrival. “I was lucky enough when I got there to start right away. I did the preparation I needed that summer,” Andrew explained.

Having worked with student-athletes in a previous job, I saw firsthand how the adjustment can be tough for many. You’re fighting for your place on a team, putting in countless hours perfecting your craft, and you’re taking a full course load just like every other student. In Andrew’s case, he wasn’t just at any school. This was Cornell - widely considered one of the most academically rigorous universities in the country.

On his experience balancing it all, “It was honestly a bit tough…I think at the end of the day, it's just time management. I know I spoke to guys before I got there. I was like, this is one of the things I'm fearing because it's a really tough school…I think it was a learning experience for me…I don't think it's the craziest adjustment once you realize, OK, I have this time to do this. And then it was pretty good.”

As Andrew was succeeding in the classroom, he also excelled on the pitch. He started all 17 games for Cornell as a freshman and was an honorable mention for All-Ivy League honors. He also played in his most memorable game that year. It was in the NCAA Tournament, and Cornell hosted perennial power Maryland.

“We played Maryland in Ithaca because at that time we were top 15 in the country. So we had the bye and then we had home field advantage. But we don’t get a ton of people at our games usually throughout the regular season because it’s cold. Soccer’s not a huge sport out there. But that game specifically, it felt like the entire school was there.

We had stands behind the goals, which we don’t normally put up. We had a bunch of students, a bunch of my friends coming and it was an electric experience. And then we scored in the 85th minute and then the 88th to win it. And it was like the happiest moment…It was the first time I’ve had that many people at a game. So it was like a crazy adrenaline rush.”

Andrew continued to establish himself as an anchor on the backline for Cornell and Coach Smith. He started every game of his sophomore season and took a leap in his junior season, earning first-team All-Ivy League and first-team All-Region honors; that year, he added goal-scoring to his staunch defending, scoring two game-winning goals.

These performances put him on the radar for MLS teams with the upcoming SuperDraft - his goal of becoming a professional player was coming to fruition. Charlotte FC ultimately drafted him 47th overall in the second round. This was a blessing for Andrew, but it also left him with a decision to make. A few years prior, MLS changed its draft rules to allow teams to draft players who could continue their college careers and join the club later. It allowed greater flexibility for players. Going back to school could allow players to prepare for the professional level and finish their degrees…but returning to school also risks injuries and changes at the club that drafted them, leaving them on the outside.

It was not an easy decision to make for Andrew, and it weighed on him:

“It was probably one of the most stressful decisions I’ve had to make because it was actually the day after my sister’s wedding. So we were still celebrating and stuff like that…So that decision was kind of a mix of things. The first one was that I wouldn’t have been able to graduate if I had left because Cornell has rules about finishing your last semester in person, and I was already like 75% done with my degree. So it would have felt like a bit of a waste to finish it there.

But it was also just that feeling that, okay, if I pass up on this and I come back next year, if I am good enough or have the belief in myself, then I should be fine next year to come in that environment and earn a contract. Obviously the fear was that you’re turning down a contract and then the next year you have to actually earn it. There’s that fear that I could lose this opportunity.

I spoke to my coach and he was saying if you are ready, then you’re going to go in next year and be perfectly fine and earn the contract. And if you don’t think you’re ready or that next year you won’t earn the contract, then you’re probably not ready to go right now. So it was definitely a tough decision. I think my parents let me, again, my whole life, they’ve kind of let me make decisions on things and haven’t really been too in my face about, you have to do this. They obviously guide me like any good parents would, but they gave me advice. I think for them too, it was important for me to finish my degree because it’s a lifelong opportunity to have. Not a lot of people graduated from a certain university so they were probably wanting me to finish without really forcing me to but I thought it was the right decision.”

In his final season with Cornell, Andrew captained the defense and again earned All-Ivy League and All-Regional honors. He added two more game-winning goals to continue his run of clutch scoring, and he received the Charles H. Moore Outstanding Senior Varsity Athlete Award. He finished his college career with 69 appearances (all starts), 3 NCAA Tournament appearances, and several all-conference and all-regional honors. The decision to return paid off, and he was poised to fight for a spot with Charlotte FC!

Subscribe now

The opportunity to inspire a nation

Before turning our attention to Andrew’s pursuit of the pros, another opportunity opened up for him during his Cornell days. After initially being drafted during his junior year, Andrew got a call from Ezra Hendrickson (long-time MLS veteran and former Chicago Fire head coach). Ezra was managing the national team for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and he wanted to gauge Andrew’s interest in representing his parents’ home nation.

“He spoke to me about an opportunity to play there. It was kind of an in-depth conversation about not only the opportunity for myself and being able to play at the international stage, but obviously it was a tough conversation because I am from the US as well. So there’s that idea of playing for the US one day. He spoke about an angle I never really thought about: the impact I could have on kids from St. Vincent, families from St. Vincent, people from St. Vincent, because it’s such a small community compared to the United States. It’s like 110,000 people who live on the island, and the impact that it could have there if I could help bring success to the country,” he explained.

This gave Andrew a lot to consider. His father, Elton, was part of the golden generation in the 1990s that advanced farther than they ever had in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers (a level they haven’t reached since). His father played against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca and was part of some of the most legendary moments in the nation’s history. Elton also knew Ezra Hendrickson well, as he served as treasurer for the federation while Hendrickson was playing for the national team. He spoke at length with him about the national team to see what ambitions they had.

While Andrew grew up in the US, he never lost touch with his parents’ roots. He travelled back to the island some summers and played and trained during those visits. On how he processed whether to join the national team, “I spoke with my parents and also spoke with a mentor of mine, Jeremiah White, who was a former USMNT player. He kind of agreed with that sentiment of, you could play for the US one day. It could happen. It couldn't happen. Or you could take this opportunity right now and make an impact on probably thousands more kids than you would just holding out. So that was really big for me.”

Andrew took the opportunity and joined the team ahead of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup qualifiers. He debuted in a friendly against Grenada and then came the two-legged qualifier against Caribbean powerhouse Jamaica. If they could get past the Reggae Boyz, they would qualify for their first Gold Cup since 1996. Andrew got his chance and started the first leg, hosted in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. They took the lead in the 65th minute and were close to a historic victory. “We were winning 1-0 actually until the 95th minute, and we gave away a penalty, which is pretty crushing,” he explained. Leon Bailey buried the penalty.

It would be an uphill battle in the return leg in Jamaica - Andrew got the start again. They battled hard but fell 3-0 and were out of qualification. On this experience, Andrew shared:

“We went back for the return leg in Jamaica and lost unfortunately. But even that experience alone, we sold out the national stadium. There was thousands of people there, they obviously had belief in us, but being such an underdog, they didn’t think we would have that much of a chance in seeing that we were able to compete with one of the biggest Caribbean nations was a huge boost to the island.

Afterwards we had events where people were a lot more interested in the national team’s competitiveness. And I think that for me was like, okay, this is actually having a huge impact on people. I can see it physically amongst everyone. So it was really exciting for me. And I think it kind of solidified my decision. I think I made the right choice here. Having an impact on so many people and being able to influence the national team success.”

I asked about his experiences being coached and mentored by Ezra Hendrickson - someone with so many parallels to Andrew and someone he could strive to emulate. Andrew shared:

“Obviously as a coach, he was great. He had a great idea and vision for the national team, but he was also bit of a mentor to myself because again, he has a career that I would hope to have, you know, he came from St. Vincent, played college soccer, had an amazing MLS career, won MLS Cup as a coach and as a player. So just having him in my ear, giving me little tips on things, the future of my career, what MLS coaches look for. I think that was probably another really attractive sentiment in playing for the national team because I had somebody who has kind of the exact vision that I have for myself in my corner, know, helping me out, giving me tips, giving me motivation. And I still am in touch with him now, even though he’s transitioned to Houston, just having him as a person in my corner.”

After the Gold Cup qualifiers against Jamaica, Andrew has made three other appearances for the national team in a friendly and two World Cup qualifiers. He had to step back from recent team camps as he finished school and attempted to earn a contract with Charlotte FC. But he told me, “The next international break, I definitely plan on continuing and continuing for the foreseeable future of my career.”

Beyond what he does on the pitch during his career, Andrew also has big plans for the nation that will last beyond his playing days with the team: “My goal eventually in my career is to give back to St. Vincent, to help with the youth sports there, to help with the national team, with the local league and all that stuff because it's such an awesome community and there's an insane amount of talent. The issue is that a lot of times those kids can't find the opportunity, whether it's college or anything like that.”

Fulfilling the professional dream

After completing his senior season, Andrew was ready to join the team and try to earn a professional contract. In a closed-door friendly back in January, I saw Andrew play, and he fit right into the squad - the level didn’t look beyond him. It has been an adjustment, though.

“The differences between college and a professional league - it’s so much more tactical. And I think that’s been the adjustment for myself. And the thing that I’m trying to learn as quickly as possible is that, you know, there’s a lot more thinking here. You’re encouraged to play a lot more. And I think that’s where I want to improve myself…on the ball,” he shared.

After competing well during preseason and earning the plaudits of coaches throughout that period, Andrew achieved his dream of becoming a professional and signing his contract with the club before the regular season began. Since signing, he has played most of his minutes leading the back line for Crown Legacy (Charlotte’s MLS Next Pro team) while getting opportunities to train with the first team throughout.

On these opportunities to learn with the club, he explained: “The coaching staff has been awesome. Dean’s a very famous, well-known coach, so he’s been great. And being a centre-back himself, he's also giving little tidbits of information. The same with Kevin and the coaching staff in the second team. They’ve been awesome in helping me adjust and giving me tips on what I need to do to transition into a professional footballer coming from college…Because we come from college, where everything is just long balls and duels, which is really important. I think it’s good that I have that base, especially as a defender. But another thing one of the coaches mentioned is that the best player is learning the quickest.”

Beyond his defensive work, Andrew brought his knack for scoring as an aerial threat with him from Cornell to Crown Legacy (including an opening goal against Carolina Core and a game-tying goal against NE Revolution II). His great play for the second team also earned him his first-team debut during a U.S. Open Cup match against Charlotte Independence back in April.

On his debut, Andrew shared, “It was a dream come true, obviously, making my first-team debut. I think the game worked out perfectly. We were doing really well…We kind of settled ourselves in the game. So it was a great time to come in. I think running on the field is, again, a dream come true, a really awesome opportunity. I’m really happy that Dean trusted me for that.”

As he begins his professional career in Charlotte, Andrew has big dreams for his role with the club and what they can achieve:

“At the end of the day, I’m just doing whatever I can to help the team win. I think that should be any player’s goal in any environment they’re in. I think we have the best fans in the league and I think they deserve to see us win silverware wherever that may be. So again, my job as a player is to do whatever I can to help the team win. My personal goals are obviously to get on the field more, to continue training well, to make more appearances.

But for the team, it’s just doing whatever I can to help us win because that’s the whole idea in the club, in the building every day is what can we do to help the team win? What can we do to make the fans happy, to entertain the fans? I think that’s the one goal that we all share. I’m making sure that I’m doing my part in that.”

In Andrew’s Own Words

Whenever I get the chance to interview players, especially those who haven’t been in the spotlight for too long, I like to do a lightning round of questions to help fans get to know them a bit more:

How do you think your teammates would describe Andrew Johnson if I asked them?

“I would say I'm pretty personable, pretty easygoing. I like to joke around. On the field, I would say I flip the switch, and I kind of turn on a lot more aggressive, a lot more vocal, louder. I'm pretty quiet, relatively. But yeah, I would say I have a dichotomy on the field and off the field.”

If you weren't a professional soccer player, what would you want to be?

“Honestly, I'd probably end up doing law or something like that because I was a philosophy major, so I enjoy that side of things…I mean, I love this sport so much, so I'd maybe want to work in sports too, but realistically I'd probably be doing something with law.”

Growing up, who were some of the players that you really gravitated towards or tried to emulate?

“I would say Sergio Ramos and Pique were like the two center backs that I loved watching. I'm a Chelsea fan, so Gary Cahill as a kid was really fun to watch for me, which is kind of a random one to throw out there, but I would say those three guys were who I tried to model my game off of and just really enjoyed watching.”

What is something that playing soccer has taught you about yourself or maybe taught you about life?

“I like to think of soccer as kind of like a microcosm of life. In every game you play, there are good things that happen, bad things that happen, and it’s all about how you react to it. So I would say that I’ve always viewed soccer as just a mini example of life and tried to make sure that in life I’m reacting to things how I would on the field, whether it’s good or bad, you know, keeping a level head, even-keeled approach to everything. So I would say it’s kind of been a model of how I should respond to life.”

What is your why? Why do you continue to play soccer? What does it mean to you?

“It’s really to inspire others. And I think doing what I can to help, give back to the communities and the people that have helped me live the dream, honestly, because playing at this level is a dream of mine. I think my goal in my career is obviously to have a super successful career, be able to take care of my family, but then specifically with Saint Vincent, being able to give back to them, you know, start programs, nonprofits, companies, or anything like that. So, taking all the good that I’ve gotten from this sport and being able to give back to others.”

Share

In a time where there is real division in the United States, and if all you consume is content from conflict entrepreneurs, it’s a division that seems irreparable and permanent, there are only a handful of things that people from all backgrounds and experiences can unify around. I have truly found this team to be one of those things. And based on conversations I’m having and hearing about, I’m not alone!

As the country works through a tumultuous season, while simultaneously hosting the greatest sporting event in the world, many of us here have cautiously held our breath, wondering how this would pan out. There have been legitimate shortcomings from the country: visa bans/denials for would-be travelling fans and delegations, the mistreatment of players, coaches, and fans upon their arrival, and the extreme over-commercialization that they have happily joined with FIFA in.

At the same time, there has been so much joy in the country as fans from across the globe (and the diasporas here in the United States) share their countries and cultures. It is creating moments that only the beautiful game can. One of the joys has also been watching this USMNT. The way they play, the way they fight, the fun they have together, and who they are.

The diversity of backgrounds and ethnicities on this team reflects the beauty of what makes the United States of America so unique. People from different walks of life are coming together to achieve something. To make something better. That hasn’t always been the story of America, but isn’t that what we claim to aspire to?

You have players who grew up in our biggest cities, and others who grew up in rural areas. The sons of military veterans, doctors, athletes, coaches, and small business owners. Players with families who recently immigrated, and those whose families immigrated several generations ago to seek a better life or to flee persecution. Players who moved to other countries themselves, and those who moved to this country. The immigration stories cannot be understated or discarded. Close to half of the players on this roster are immigrants or the sons of immigrants.

This is why I cannot sit by while certain narratives are discussed without sharing a few thoughts. This is not a piece to debate policy, that can be done in other spaces by people far more equipped than I. There has been a lot written about the effects of migration on this World Cup, from a U.S. perspective, a global one, and everything in between. I have many thoughts on those ongoing discussions, but for now, I only want to address something that the U.S. government is doing in the name of “unity” that actually does the opposite. It promotes division.

If you’re on social media (and I’m usually not; someone sent me the posts), you may have seen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) post a few things about the USMNT lately. There was one post about “defending the homeland”, another (that seems to exist no longer) of the team in front of a border fence, that said “built the wall”.

There are a few glaring issues with this administration jumping on board to “support” this team in these ways. Their actions don’t seem to reflect the unifying power of this sport (within the country and across the globe), and their ideologies, policies, and actions are openly anti-immigrant. When it suits them, the administration uses immigrants in this country for its own image and gain. When it doesn’t, they are quick to remind others how these same people “aren’t really American.” This is problematic for a team that has been shaped so clearly by immigration.

If this current administration had its way, many of these players wouldn’t be able to play for this national team, and we wouldn’t have the joy of watching them represent the country with pride and passion. Some players come from immigrant communities that have recently been completely closed off to the country. Others have countries of origin that may not be part of current bans, but the government is actively working to reduce legal pathways for those countries. Even for the players without a recent immigration story, the government is actively looking for ways to disenfranchise some of their communities and push their stories and experiences to the margins.

Share ConcaCorner

Let’s take a look at a few of the examples on this team. My aim here is not to reduce these players to their immigration stories or backgrounds. They are so much more than that, and I want to be careful not to box them in with terminology that can be so divisive in discourse today. They are sons, husbands, brothers, and fathers. They are leaders, change-makers, and pillars in their communities. They each have unique personalities, interests, and skills that contribute to the team's culture. And yes, they each have an immigration story that brought them to represent the USMNT.

• Folarin Balogun - He is the son of Nigerian parents (Florence and Ben) who were living in London and visiting New York City. As they attempted to travel home, the airline wouldn’t let them because his Mother was seven months pregnant with him at the time. Because he was born in the U.S., he can represent the team. He chose to represent the nation, as you’ll see in the video below. The Trump administration has been attacking birthright citizenship since the beginning. They have also placed restrictions on visitors and immigrants from Nigeria. If they had their way, kids like Folarin would not be able to play for this team.

• Timothy Weah - He is the son of a Liberian father (the one and only George Weah) and a Jamaican mother (Clar). Timothy grew up here in the U.S. before moving to Europe as a teenager to pursue his dream. Despite the ability to play for other nations, he chose the U.S., saying, “The decision wasn't hard at all…This is my country, and I love it here”. This administration has suspended immigrant visa processing for both Liberia and Jamaica. If they had their way, kids like Timothy would not be able to play for this team.

• Haji Wright - He is the son of a Liberian mother (Serena) and a father from Ghana, and grew up in Los Angeles. There were reports that Ghana was interested in bringing him into their team, but he has always chosen the U.S. He scored in the 2022 World Cup and is now representing the team at this World Cup. This administration has suspended immigrant visa processing for both Liberia and Ghana. If they had their way, kids like Haji would not be able to play for this team.

• Cristian Roldan - He is the son of a Guatemalan father (César) and a Salvadoran mother (Ana). Both of his parents immigrated to the U.S. during the 1980s, fleeing the brutal civil wars in both their home countries. Having the opportunity to represent three different countries, he ultimately chose the U.S. You can hear more of his story below. Currently, the asylum and refugee processes, designed for people fleeing war and persecution, have been hindered or halted completely. There is also an immigrant visa ban in place for Guatemalans. If they had their way, kids like Cristian would not be able to play for this team.

• Alejandro “Alex” Zendejas - He is the son of Mexican parents (Alfredo and Mónica), was born in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and moved to El Paso as a young child. He has become one of the best players in Mexico’s Liga MX and had to decide between representing Mexico or the U.S. He ultimately chose to represent the U.S. and has said, “I am very proud of being Mexican-American. Values from both cultures have made me the person I am today.” This administration has continued to make the legal pathways for Mexican immigrants more difficult and extend the wait times to exorbitant levels. If they had their way, kids like Alejandro would have a much more difficult time playing for this team.

• Ricardo Pepi - He was born in El Paso, Texas, to Mexican parents (Daniel and Annette). Like many kids who live along the border, he spent much of his life on both sides, visiting family and friends. Similar to Alejandro, he had the opportunity to play for both Mexico and the U.S. He ultimately chose the U.S., as he explains in the video below, “Although I chose the USA, I’m still Mexican. You know, my culture at home is Mexican. But once I step foot out of my house, my culture is American. I felt like, deep in my heart, I wanted to represent the US…I’m a proud Mexican-American.” If the current administration had its way, kids like Ricardo would have a much more difficult time playing for this team.

• Mark McKenzie - He is the son of an American mother (Lynette) and a Jamaican father (Mark). He has had to battle at every level of the game to get where he is now. He learned that grit from both his parents. His mother is a breast cancer survivor, and he describes her as the rock of the family. On his father, “He's probably one of the biggest inspirations of my life. He's an immigrant. He came from Jamaica with very little and earned everything he's gotten. He instilled in me a lot of that same work ethic, that same understanding of what sacrifice looks like.” As stated earlier, the current administration has suspended immigrant visa processing for Jamaicans. If they had their way, kids like Mark wouldn’t be able to represent this team.

You also have the stories of Sergiño Dest and Malik Tillman. The sons of American military servicemen and European mothers. They both grew up abroad but chose to represent the USMNT. Kenneth Dest, Sergiño’s Surinamese-American father, explained his perspective, “You’re more American if you were not born over there because you had the choice to choose and you chose America.” You also have Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, whose father (Marlon) was a naturalized American citizen and whose mother (Kelly) is English. He grew up in England, yet chose to represent the USMNT.

Subscribe now

Outside of the immigration stories intertwined with this team, there was also something special about their last game against Australia. It was played on Juneteenth. For those outside the U.S. who may not be familiar with the holiday, it commemorates the events of June 19th, 1865, when Union troops proclaimed to enslaved people in Texas that they were free (this was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation declared all enslaved people free…the implementation of this order was intentionally repressed in Confederate states).

While it should be a holiday of unity in the U.S., it has become polarized around the country, thanks in part to the current administration’s attitude towards it. Last year, the president complained about there being too many non-working holidays on Juneteenth. The administration then decided to remove Juneteenth (along with Martin Luther King Jr. Day) from the National Parks’ fee-free calendar.

Despite their efforts to polarize and divide, I saw something different on Juneteenth. I saw people from across the country rally to cheer on a team with an undeniable African-American influence. I also saw players from the USMNT share the importance of the holiday and what it meant to be playing on that day.

I understand that many of you may feel I am being “too political” or that my very focus on the immigrant stories of this team is divisive in itself, and that it shouldn’t matter. You may desire we view everything through a colorblind lens, not seeing the unique differences, and just celebrating the Stars and Stripes.

While that may seem like unity, it subtly demands uniformity. The truth is, we all have different backgrounds, stories, experiences, and ethnicities. We cannot ignore that, but we can celebrate it. Rather than letting those be dividing lines, we can pursue unity across those lines. While it may be more work, unity will always be stronger than uniformity.

People may not agree with my assessment, but if you believe in something, you have to be willing to critique it and zoom out to see whether the narrative you believe holds true. That critique isn’t anti-American; in fact, I think it’s the opposite. One of my favorite artists, Jason “Propaganda” Petty, says it this way, “I don’t hate America, I just demand she keeps her promises.” This team represents something we can all rally around, an example of what America can be.

So as you root for this team, you’ll find players you identify with - it may be their background, their story, or the way they play. There will be others you may not feel a natural connection to. If that happens, lean in, learn more about them and their story. You might find that you have more in common with them than you think.

Others reading this may feel I am not going far enough in my critique. You may have a tough time supporting this team and the red, white, and blue in a time when you are angry and frustrated with the actions of this government. I can understand that, and I do think there are merits to grievances regarding this administration. Don’t take that out on this team or attribute that to these players. They are the people’s team, not the government’s.

Consider holding those frustrations in tension with supporting this group of twenty-six men who have chosen to represent the United States, warts and all. They are a group of men who reflect all corners of this country, and they are doing something special. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to be inspired by the beautiful game and this team as they look for World Cup glory on home soil.

This sport has always been political. Anytime you have a competition where athletes represent a nation and a flag, there is a lot of baggage that comes with that. If you talk to fans of any team, they experience the tension of rooting for a country in a competition where they may not agree with the current politics. Their love and passion for the team and the country supersede their thoughts on who is currently in power. Leaders come and go, but the culture and beauty of a country remain.

In these divisive times in the United States, this team and this game, however trivial it may seem at the end of the day, might be a beacon of hope. For ninety minutes each game, Americans from every state, political party, religion, ethnicity, and country of origin come together in the stands, in sports bars, in parks, in houses, to collectively cheer for something. Where else can we experience that right now?

Share

We usually think about the destination, but not as much about the journey. The highs and the lows. The moments when the dream is fulfilled and others when it seems to be fading. The opportunities taken, and the ones that slip through your fingers. Being cheered on by family and friends, and having people you thought had your best interests at heart, do things you’d rather forget.

That isn’t just pursuing dreams in football - that is life for all of us. It’s the both/and…we live in the gray…the already but not yet. Every dream we pursue has moments when it’s one we would rather wake up from than continue. If it weren’t this way, would it really be worth it?

A player rarely has the opportunity to zoom out and reflect on all of this while they are living it. I had the chance to connect with one of those individuals, and I knew it was a story I needed to tell.

Football, school, and church

Growing up in Bas-Limbé, a small town in northern Haiti, life was simple and revolved around three things: football, school, and church. “But the main thing was church and school,” Frantz was quick to point out.

It was a competitive home; Frantz is the youngest of four boys, and after school, they would play football. As you’ll read, I think growing up in this environment as the youngest prepared him and developed the grit he would need to fulfill his dreams.

Pretty early in his life, things began to change with Frantz’s family. His dad was the first to immigrate to the U.S., and his brothers followed over time. This is a very common story among families who immigrate. Most of the time, the family doesn’t come all at once. It can take a toll on everyone. Still, it is the sacrifice parents make to give their children opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise.

On going through that experience, “I’ll be honest with you, as a kid, you have a vision of America. You know, you see it in the magazines, you see it on the TV, but you always dream that America is the place to come, is the place to be. And so when it happened, we didn’t expect it to be the case, you know? So when it happened, it was just like, okay, this is really happening. And so it was already in our mind, like this is where we need to be.”

While he waited, he played the scenario so many times in his head - he knew this first dream of moving to the U.S. would be fulfilled, but he didn’t know when.

Coming to America

A few years passed, and it was finally Frantz’s turn to join his father and brothers. He explained after he arrived, “It was just a moment that I was taking in and just realized that this dream has come true, you know?” Although delighted to be there and reunite with his brothers, it also brought several challenges into his life…it was a culture shock at a young age.

“New place, you left home, the food, the culture…and obviously, this place is far more developed. It's a whole different world; the streets are different, the homes are different, cars, all of these things are passing by every day. It was a whole different experience,” Frantz explained.

A new home, a new language, different food, colder weather, and everything in between. There was one thing that was the same, though, one thing that helped him adapt. One of the few universal languages. Football.

“Football has always been the foundation of everything, right? So immediately I was pulled into school and start playing in recess and start playing around with the kids. And then just like this, you start to assimilate into everything. And just like that, you start to kind of get used to this new home.

So football was a big part of my adaptation. It was easier to get along with the kids. It made it easier for me to speak English and learn English. I was a very quiet kid. didn't speak too much. didn't like to have too many friends. But when it came to football, that's really where I just was able to let go and be free.”

Being the youngest, it created a gap between him and his brothers (Destin, Deslin, and Frantzdy). Frantz explained, “It was tough. It was tough in a sense because when I came, I was in elementary school. I was put a grade back, and my brothers were in middle school…So it kind of created a distance between us, and we didn't spend a lot of time because the things that they were doing, I was too young to do. So we didn't hang out too much.”

Despite the distance that was created, his older brothers’ involvement in sports required him to participate in the same training to spend time with them. They were all driven to succeed and live out the dream that so many of those they grew up with didn’t have the chance to.

“It was a very competitive home. We fought a lot, we trained a lot. It was like, we're in America. We came from not very much. So we need to step up. So training was every day, every summer, nonstop…It was crazy. And I'm 11, and my brothers are older, and I'm doing what they're doing…But they've pushed me…it was a great dynamic, very healthy. And we really bring the best out of each other,” he shared.

In addition to the competition within the home amongst his brothers, there was another pressure put on them. It’s a pressure that only immigrants and the kids of immigrants can truly understand. The pressure to “make it” or grab hold of the dream that older generations sacrificed so much for. Sometimes it’s spoken pressure from family or society; other times it's internal, part of the immigrant experience. On this pressure, Frantz shared:

“It was the reality, but I would say my older brothers felt it more than I did…There was not really much, because we’re immigrants. My parents were still learning English…And they had to kind of figure it out on their own as well. And trying to understand the way things work and trying to connect with people that can put them in the best position possible.

So the risk to not make it is massive, you know? It’s a very thin line. But the pressure definitely, they felt it more because my dad wouldn’t take anything less. Even with school, it’s either A’s and B’s, he won’t take anything less. And he was very harsh, very strict about education. He was very strict about performing.

He will criticize you…At the time you were like, why is he being so hard? But that was really just to give you a picture of what we were trying to do. He didn’t take, he didn’t take anything less…After a bad performance, the car ride home is not a fun one.

And that's like, okay, we have to go training, we have to go fix it. So it was that kind of pressure that they were under. I was seeing that and that helped me. I didn't get the same pressure from my dad, but I knew the standard. He didn't have to do it to me directly to know this is the standard. This is the standard. This is what we do. We don't do anything less than that.

I think coming from where we came from. Definitely, I’ll say it had to be done the way it did…If we come here to this land full of opportunities, and this is the sport we’re gonna do, it needs to be 100%. It can’t be half, you know? We have to get something. It’s too easy for us to fall. It’s too easy not to make it. So we have to push a bit extra…Because it’s time, it’s money, it’s everything,”

From a young age, there was a dream inside of Frantz and his brothers. To play the game they loved professionally, "I always believed that I could make it pro,” he shared. Despite the determination and the dream, the deck was stacked against them. “[We] just happened to be born in Haiti, [we] came to America, Melrose, Massachusetts, not known for soccer. It's not a town that's really big on soccer. And we can barely read any English, and you need connections. We didn't have the connections,” Frantz explained.

There are many hurdles in the American soccer landscape - one of them is the “pay to play” system. This can range from hundreds of dollars per year for smaller leagues and clubs, and it can reach into several thousands of dollars for more elite clubs. These obstacles made Frantz question, “Those things were creating doubts in my mind, like could it be possible?”

As his older brothers began to navigate the pathways, he landed on the solution. Going to college and getting drafted into Major League Soccer (MLS). “The draft is the one way. And so it was my goal. I needed to get drafted by any means necessary,” he explained. One of his older brothers, Frantzdy, had just graduated from college, been drafted, but chose to pursue a career in Europe. He saw the pathway. He knew it was possible.

Chasing the dream campus to campus

The MLS SuperDraft route wasn’t the only reason to pursue the college game, as you’ll remember, the most important things for the family were church and school. “Education first. My dad put that before anything…It was the way to get free education because we were not able to afford college. Very expensive. So that was our way to make it pro, get an education…I think that's what my dad was trying to secure. If we don't make it pro, at least we have an education. You know what I mean? Can't lose both,” he explained.

Despite this, Frantz would have preferred to go pro immediately. Because he wasn’t in a prestigious academy in the area, he didn’t have the platform to make that jump. “I didn't have any of that. So for me, it was my only option…It is a route that can put you in a space to be seen…It will give you a platform. And for me, that's what I needed,” he shared.

Frantz started his career on a full scholarship at St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia. It was Division I soccer - it may not have been the biggest stage, but it was an opportunity. Frustration set in for him during his freshman season. He was coming off the bench a bit but wasn’t getting much playing time. In the offseason, he was motivated to make his sophomore year a different story. He put his head down and went to work. Despite this, the playing time continued to elude him. He decided to make a change.

“I went to the coach, and I said, ‘Look, you don't want me here? I don't know why you brought me here. I'm done’. Just straight up, I went to his office and told him this,” Frantz explained. Despite knowing this was the right decision for his career, it was a drastic one, and the gravity of it set in, “What did I just do? Cause I had a full scholarship, right? And I had just given that up, and I have nothing else,” he shared.

His only option was returning to Massachusetts at Merrimack College. “It wasn't a big school, it wasn't, but it was a platform. If I perform, I can put myself in a better position,” Frantz said. He was facing an uphill battle, and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It would have been easy to throw in the towel on the dream…but Frantz and his family had come too far. Quitting wasn’t an option.

The opportunity to break through finally arrived. Merrimack was playing UConn. Frantz was already having a very good season, and other coaches were taking notice. He played very well against UConn, and the coach approached him about playing his final year of eligibility there.

This was the type of opportunity he would have hoped for coming out of high school - the Big East Conference, the bigger platform to get on the radar of MLS scouts. He had just one year to prove himself, and he had a solid showing: 5 goals and 2 assists in 14 games. It was a roundabout way of getting to the heights of the college game, but he had set himself up as a potential draft pick. Reflecting on his college experience, Frantz shared: “All these schools. Three schools just to try to make it, but that's what I was chasing.”

Bet on yourself or take the proven path?

Draft Day - a day when college athletes from many sports learn whether they will have an opportunity to continue their careers at the professional level. Not all sports are created equal when it comes to the draft. For example, in the NFL or NBA, being a draft pick almost always results in a professional contract. In the MLS, this is not the case. Because the draft is just one pathway to get to a team, roster spots are coveted and not guaranteed to draft picks.

The Houston Dynamo selected Frantz in the 3rd round (63rd overall). “The team picked me, but they already had a vision, right? So you go there, you do your pre-season training, and maybe you are offered a first-team contract or a second-team contract, depending on how everything went. What I received was a second-team contract for next year with MLS Next Pro…They wanted to see how I performed in the second division with the second team…I’ll train with the first team sometimes, but most of the time I’ll be playing with the second team,” he explained.

Frantz had a big decision to make after pre-season training. Take the second-team contract and hope to work his way into the first team, or pursue other options outside of MLS, as his brother, Frantzdy, did after being drafted. He spoke to many players who started in MLS Next Pro; some would get their debut with the first team, but many eventually left the clubs and ended up in USL or other levels of the U.S. soccer pyramid.

“Everyone's journey is different, everyone's things are different. Maybe I would have had an opportunity and gotten the first team contract…You don't know. But I wanted to give myself the best opportunity,” he explained. Frantz didn’t have an agent at the time, but he had an advisor who presented him with a different opportunity…going to Ireland.

“For me, the dream was always to make it to Europe somehow…But Ireland wasn't specifically in my mind,” he shared. The opportunity was with a second division side, Athlone Town. Frantz shared, “I didn't know about the league at all in Ireland. I didn't know anything about it. But I didn't question it, I just packed my bags and listened to what he said, and I just went.”

From the beginning, Frantz knew it was a risk. He didn’t just leave a proven path on the table. He left money, resources, state-of-the-art facilities, and sunshine. “The weather wasn't nice. Houston is nice, and the weather is incredible. And that's what I like. The environment is incredible. It's professional, you have a chef. Everything is dope, you know? And I’m in the Irish Second Division.” He had doubts about his decision shortly after arriving in Athlone. He put his trust in someone he had known since he was a teenager, someone who had worked with his brother, too. There was some admitted naivety there.

He knew he had to make it happen and get into a better league because the MLS door closed. He shared: “I had to lock in because if I don't get out of this, if I don't perform here, I'm not going back. There's no chance for me…I just said, I need to kill this league. I need to get this league and go to the Premier Division…It's one of those, it's like a place where you have to be outstanding in the league to really make a push…It's hard to convince an agent with, ‘I'm a good player’. I need numbers, you know?”

The hard work and determination paid off - Frantz dominated the league with 22 goals across all competitions and earned team of the year honors. This opened the door to progress to a bigger league. The doors to some of Frantz’s dream leagues were shut, but the Premier Division in Ireland took notice of his performances. There was a chance to move to Bohemians in Dublin, but ultimately Drogheda United won his signature.

He continued his great run of form in Ireland with Drogheda, scoring 15 goals across all competitions, becoming one of the best strikers in the league, and helping the team win their first cup title in almost two decades. He also scored a brace in the game to keep the club from being relegated to the second division. You can check out his highlights from that season here.

Subscribe now

Representing Les Grenadiers, the 2026 World Cup, and telling a different story

This great season with Drogheda was not only the highlight of his career, but it also gave him the platform to fulfill another dream, playing for the Haitian national team! “It's always been a dream, but it always seemed very impossible…We never had representation of someone from where I'm from who can say that it's possible,” Frantz shared.

Then something changed, his older brother Frantdzy started playing for the national team. He shared, “Seeing that he's getting called for the national team. I clicked in my mind, He's my brother from the same place, in every way, same mom, same home, same everything. He's done it. I can do it. That's when the dream became in my mind, like it's very possible. For a very long time, it seemed very far.”

Frantz had been close to rosters before, but in March 2024, he finally received his first official call-up for a friendly against French Guiana. I asked about what this meant to him, and he shared:

“We have so many talents, so many players who are happy to be here and represent the country. And so for me, I was just like, I'm one of them, I'm part of them. And it was a big moment for me. I even told the coach he made my dream come true. I only played 15 minutes, but for me that was a lot. Just to be on that stage and express more there. That's just what it is…a dream come true.

I got called one time, and I haven't been called since. And so for me, that was big because like I said, I wanted it. I got it. I got the call. I'm on the national team, it's there, written. Dream come true, but I want more.”

Despite not appearing for Haiti since that game, and not being in the squad for Haiti’s return to the World Cup for the first time in 50+ years, Frantz couldn’t be more excited to watch his nation play and show the world something different. “I’m extremely excited, despite not being there, it’s more so for the people. Being Haitian, I’m very proud of that. I’m very happy to be Haitian…I have seen the disrespect we receive, the people looking down on us so much…It’s always against us. So for me, seeing that happening, it’s not even about me…If I’m there, great. But my brother is there. And our people are going to be there…This is to show the world that we are more than what is being put out there on the news, what is being said about us,” he shared.

During our conversation, we spoke about the misconceptions people have about Haiti and the endless negative press the country receives. While there continue to be struggles, the narrative creates a perception of Haiti and Haitians that is harmful and inaccurate. Frantz explained:

“We are way more than that. We are people with passion. We are resilient. We love people. We know we have that in us. And so it's just a great opportunity to show the world a different side of Haiti…Because people have been telling our story. People have been defining us. And we never had an opportunity to do that. I think the World Cup is just a great opportunity…My main thing is that we can show the world that who we are and no one else can really tell us who we are because this is our chance to do it. This is the thing that I'm proud about the most. The fact that we have another opportunity to be in front of the world and no one can take that from us.

I think there’s this thing that everybody thinks Haiti is unsafe, I’m not gonna deny there’s some parts are unsafe, but the beauty of Haiti has been overlooked by this. Somebody hears Haiti, they think, okay, it’s poor and it’s not safe. There’s war and they doing this. And it’s like, take a chance, give it a chance, do some research. Go travel, see for yourself. It’s just about the culture, the food, the place is beautiful. You know, the air is natural, it’s authentic, it’s tropical, you know what I mean? That’s the way I would explain the Haiti to somebody…And we have our issues. I’m not gonna deny we have our problems. Like every place does, that’s for sure.

But there's beauty everywhere. You just have to give it a chance. And yes, I think since the earthquake happened, hit us very hard and then our president being assassinated and then many other natural causes and then war, you know, it's a country that's suffering and people are taken from us all the time. We haven't had a chance to really stand up and do for ourselves. We’re not controlling the place ourselves, you know?

So it’s, like I said to you, it’s easy for people to tell our story and define us because we haven’t really stood up and defined ourselves. And really tell people, no, this is who we are, this is what we do. This is why the World Cup is massive because it’s the biggest platform to do that. It’s not about winning a game, it’s not about winning a championship. No, it’s not about football. Just to see a small country can be so powerful. We have a chance to show that.”

I’ve had the privilege to watch Haiti play here in the U.S. and be part of the celebrations of the fans for those games. I will also be attending one of Haiti’s games at this World Cup. We spoke about the Haitian fans and what people can expect at a game this summer:

“We will be the loudest. Our support group will be the biggest. We’ll be the loudest. And you’re gonna see it. You’re gonna feel it. You’re gonna hear it. We play Brazil, Morocco, and Scotland. Haiti’s gonna show up because everybody’s behind the team. Everybody’s behind the country because this is not just about the team. Like I said to you, this is massive.

This is dreams of their parents. This is dreams of their great-great-grandparents. This is dreams of millions of people that never came true and they’re maybe some of not even here anymore, you know? And they never got to see it. This is for the country. This is big. This is the big show. You can expect a very vibrant, very lively, loud, cheerful, and just good vibes, really. And hopefully a great performance from the guys.”

If your team didn’t qualify, or if you’re a fan of Concacaf, do yourself a favor and root for this team, cheer on Les Grenadiers support Le Rouge et Bleu. They’ve got a great team who have overcome extreme obstacles to get to this World Cup. Regardless of the outcomes of the games, they will make the nation proud, that much is guaranteed.

The dream derails in Bosnia

After his breakout season with Drogheda, the options around Europe started to open up for Frantz. Specifically, he had an opportunity in Romania - it isn’t one of the top leagues in the world, but it would have been a step up and a chance at continental football. It was during this time that Frantz’s eyes were opened to how broken the world of football transfers can be - unfortunately, he ended up paying the price.

The deal in Romania fell through for reasons unknown to Frantz, and his agent pushed him towards a team in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “The one thing I never understood before, and I have never been in that situation, was how much pressure comes with being in that position with agents, with people, and that their intentions are not the best. And they don't have your best interests the way that you thought they did,” he explained.

He joined the club mid-season, and it was a difficult situation from the beginning. He didn’t want to be there. He didn’t know why he was there. “It was probably one of the most depressing moments in my career,” he shared.

“I don't think I was ever happy. And that's why I didn't stay there very long, because it wasn't about football. It wasn't about me. It became more about money. I'm being sent places not because it's what I want, but more so, what people can get out of me going there. If I go there, so and so gets this, this, this, and that, and I'm there, I'm not even wanted, but everyone gets their money, everyone gets their thing, whatever the case is, right?”

During his time in Bosnia, he started to put the pieces together of what happened, how he got there, and the circumstances surrounding his contract. He ultimately broke.

“But when it comes to those close, fine margins to make a decision, people get very, very persuasive. People get very adamant. And so that got me. I never experienced it before. I didn’t know. And I fell into that trap and ended up in Bosnia. Now I’m in Bosnia. No good. I need to leave. I don’t want to be here. And I signed a two-year contract. It lasted three months because I had realized what had happened and that broke me, genuinely broke me.

And then it was in that moment that I actually started to find myself because I’m struggling here. Mentally, it was starting to be very tough because I know that I’m alone, I’ve been lied to, I’ve been betrayed…So a lot of questions in your mind…I was still processing my journey to fully understand what is happening to me because I couldn’t understand.”

Frantz ultimately scored 3 goals in 11 appearances before leaving Velež Mostar. Despite the manipulation he experienced, he knows that it was a learning experience for him too: “I'll take accountability because I signed that contract.” In the offseason, options were limited for Frantz. His brother had just wrapped up a few good seasons in Israel, so that door was open for him. He signed with a second division side, Bnei Yehuda

“I saw there was a vision. I could maybe do something with this to just revive my career, revive myself, and put myself back in a good position,” he explained. Unfortunately, that never happened, at least on the field. “Things didn’t go very well at the beginning. We weren’t winning games…The director got sacked, the coach got sacked, and they brought me, and they vouched for me. So the moment they left, things changed. Then I got my injury right after he left.”

Frantz found himself out of favor with the new club, alone in Israel, and he couldn’t play the game he loved, the game he worked so hard for, due to his injury. He would be sidelined for a minimum of three months. For the first time, he had to slow down and sit with his thoughts, “And it's like, I'm here again. Am I gonna deal with this?”

Share

Choosing to dream again

While the particulars were unique to Frantz, this is a situation many footballers and athletes in general know all too well. You reach that point, whether it’s an injury, a bad season, a contract expiration, or a combination of it all, and you wonder, “Is it still worth it? Should I keep going? Is my dream dead?” Rather than staying stuck in the rumination, Frantz made a decision.

He reconnected with someone he knew in Ireland, a psychologist. He shared, “I’m explaining to him what’s happening to me, but I’m not fully understanding what is going on. And he put it into perspective to help me understand myself…That’s the psychology part, because I’m not fully understanding my performance…That helped me to take on the situation and learn it the best way I could.”

Frantz then began to dive more into the physical struggle he was having. He had to decide whether to have surgery on his knee. He was reading everything he could about the anatomy of the body and the knee. He could rehab his knee and hope to finish out the season, or he could get surgery and be out for the better part of a year. He opted for the intense rehab instead.

As we talked about this season of self-reflection and healing (mentally and physically), Frantz explained:

“I was really just bought into this and also did some time [working] on my mentality, psychology and my identity and how it was tied to my performance and how it was tied to my career. I never was able to separate the two and it helped me understood that everything that has happened so far, and the way I’ve taken it because I never really took the time to understand myself and understand who I was. That people were able to make decisions for me that I didn’t want to make. People were able to persuade me to do things I didn’t want to do. This is my career. This is me. And I must step up and take accountability and responsibility for my actions and my decisions and my career. You know what I mean?”

During the difficult seasons in Bosnia and Israel, Frantz also grew deeper in his faith. “When I was in Bosnia, when that happened, I was in a really deep hole. I needed something to believe in. It's not that I didn't believe in God before, but I really needed to read the words and understand the words…That gave me a sense of purpose and a sense of understanding that this, what's happening to me, this fight is not my fight. You understand? It's not for me to fight.”

Through these trials and difficulties, Frantz chose not only to do the hard work mentally and physically, but he also released the grip of perceived control we all think we have over our lives, and left it in God’s hands.

He explained, “God is making this happen for a reason, and I need to find a way out of it. I needed to change my mind. So every morning I woke up, I was reading the Bible. I was reading the words to listen to them and just take it in. Just give me a different perspective. Just give me a different view, and just believe that I’m gonna leave it to Him. I’m gonna just leave it to God. I’m gonna do the best I can, and that’s just showing up, playing, and training. Be good to my family. Be a good brother, be a good son. You know, be a good boyfriend, do the best that I can be, and keep working.”

After leaving Israel and looking for the next step in his journey, Frantz posted this on his Instagram:

When asked about this post, he shared: “I’m gonna start over. I’m gonna go back to Ireland, where it started. I’m gonna dream again. I’m gonna start over again. I was just getting up and saying, I’m gonna fight again and put myself back to where I belong because I’m getting rid of a lot of people. I’m gonna clear this weight. I’m gonna do it my way, the way I want to with my mind, with my thinking, with what I want. Not anyone telling me anything, but this is what I had done before, and this is where it led me. I’m starting over again.”

Frantz knew he wasn’t the only one who had faced the challenges he experienced. He knew he wanted a fresh start and to bring others with him. This led him to start pursuing another dream, alongside his football career, football.human

football.human - the story behind the number

The journey to becoming a professional athlete is a lonely one. Thankfully, more and more well-known players are speaking out about mental health struggles (Dele Alli, Richarlison, Andres Iniesta, and Phil Foden, to name a few). Despite this, it is still taboo in many circles to talk about the struggle. Fear of backlash from fans and pundits who shout, “Cry with your millions.” There is an unspoken understanding that if you’re living the dream as a professional athlete, you have to deal with it. Frantz didn’t accept this narrative.

“I want to create a platform where players can share their stories because so many things are happening, and people don’t know. And I’ve seen players go through similar things with agents, with coaches, and they just bottle it inside and don’t even speak to anybody…And people are killing these players and criticizing them, but they don’t even know what things are happening, they’re not happening…I created football.human to inspire people and a place for them to come in and speak to me, speak to other players, whatever help we can give…We will connect you with people who can help,” he shared.

football.human is just getting started, and Frantz has already created a community where players can have that safe place to process their careers (especially the tougher moments). He is also considering pursuing a sports psychology certification to add tools to his services for other players.

On his passion for serving other players and his plans for growing the community:

“It's not easy and a lot of players are dealing with this type of things daily. And it’s affecting their performance, it’s affecting their livelihood. It’s affecting them overall and I’ve seen players quit. I’ve seen players who are super talented and simply just don’t keep going because mentally they’re not able to handle it. But what if they have someone that just can give them a different perspective and just see them in a different way.

My ultimate goal is to just create a community of players that can really help each other, you know? And just come together and share the story and let it be known, like going through the same thing…You’re not going through it alone. I’m here for you. We’re just very supportive group. And that’s why I have a lot of players who are already sharing their story because no matter where you are, you’re gonna be dealing with these things.”

Please show Frantz some support, and feel free to share what he is doing with any athletes in your life that need this supportive community. Links to his pages are below:

• Instagram

• TikTok

• YouTube

Familiar place, fresh start

After leaving Israel and going through his healing journey, Frantz knew where he needed to go to get his career back on track. The place he had found success before. Ireland. In February of this year, he signed with Premier Division side Galway United (you can watch his introduction interview here).

As he has worked his way back to full fitness, he has already been producing for the club with 3 goals so far, including this game-winner against Derry City last month:

I don’t know what the future has in store for Frantz Pierrot. Is it becoming a legend in Ireland, moving to one of his dream leagues in Europe, and getting back into the Haitian national team? It’s hard to say. There is one thing I know for sure, though: Frantz will continue to share his story, help his fellow players, and leave a legacy that will last far beyond the end of his playing career.

Share ConcaCorner

The beginnings

During the 2022 World Cup, I started toying with the idea of creating a blog/writing platform dedicated to the beautiful game. It was going to have a unique angle, focusing on the Concacaf region (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean). At the time, the only person I saw doing this (although I’m sure there were others) was with his newsletter . If you haven’t subscribed already, be sure to do so!

Why focus on Concacaf? A few reasons. It is the region I am from and have lived in. It is the region I know the most and where most of my experiences with this game have occurred. More importantly, there are so many stories from this region that never get told. So many nations and footballing cultures that are unknown. Not only to the world, but to many within the region.

Most coverage of soccer is Eurocentric. Even the general fandom in the United States is Eurocentric, and I wanted to bring a different perspective. Don’t get me wrong, I love waking up on Saturdays to watch the Premier League, I tune into weekday Champions League games, and I devour the Euros every four years, but those aren’t my favorite things about the game. Rather than complain about the lack of coverage, I wanted to do something about it.

Before launching ConcaCorner, most of my musings and takes on soccer lived in my own mind, with friends around a table, and in messages that were far too long to read in group chats. After testing some of my ideas, I felt I had enough to go on, and I launched in June 2023. In my first post, I wrote:

“When most people think of this confederation, beauty isn’t what comes to mind. Most people think of scrappy teams that hustle their way to victories. They think of a few powerhouse countries that easily navigate by smaller nations. And this region is often overlooked and pushed to the side. But I do see beauty. I see players proud to represent their countries on any stage, I see divided nations united behind their national teams, and I see a wealth of untapped potential that has the ability to change the soccer landscape in the decades to come.”

That is what I have attempted to do these last two years - bring the nations, people, and stories from the region to the forefront when they have normally lived in the background. My goal is to bring you content that helps share this region’s past, present, and future place in the global mosaic of the beautiful game.

Share ConcaCorner

My background

I grew up in Columbus, Ohio, during the late 1990s - directly coinciding with the start of Major League Soccer and the Columbus Crew. Some of my earliest memories of the game were going to Crew Stadium with my family to watch the team. My dad played soccer his whole life and explained the game to me and who the different players were.

In a piece I wrote about Columbus (which you can read below), I shared:

“As a young kid, I’m glad I didn’t grow up with this sense of inferiority that many MLS fans had and still have. For me, the Columbus Crew were like Barcelona, Crew Stadium was the San Siro, and Stern John, Brian McBride, and Jeff Cunningham were like Figo, Zidane, and O Fenômeno Ronaldo. I know that sounds crazy - maybe it is!”

For the most part, my excitement and love for the game were focused on the Columbus Crew and MLS. Like almost every kid, I played soccer growing up, and let’s just say I wasn’t very good. I was pretty bad, actually. And to be honest, not much has changed. I am extremely right-footed and pigeon-toed, so shooting with the outside of my feet is my go-to and feels more natural. An early trivela goal or shot-on-target makes me look skilled…but after about five minutes, people I play with realize that’s all I can do, and it becomes very apparent that I am not a serviceable player.

But enough about my shortcomings on the pitch! As the years went by, my knowledge and understanding of soccer started to grow beyond MLS. It started with playing FIFA 2003 (and almost every subsequent FIFA after that), it gave me a glimpse into an entire world that played this game and the teams and players that were shaping it. Does anyone else feel like their childhood was marked by various FIFA soundtracks?

Then came the first video I ever remember watching on the internet. If you grew up around the same time as me, it may be the one you remember as well:

As my horizons expanded, the international game is what caught my attention (and it is what I enjoy the most to this day). Trinidad & Tobago’s appearance at the 2006 World Cup, Zidane’s headbutt in the final of that tournament, Türkiye’s run at the 2008 Euros, Landon Donovan’s goal to beat Algeria at the 2010 World Cup, and the heartbreaking shootout loss for the USWNT at the 2011 World Cup are all vivid memories I have.

It was the 2014 World Cup that really turned my passion for the game into an obsession and what sparked my interest in the rest of the Concacaf region. Watching John Brooks’ winning goal for the U.S. against Ghana. Watching Memo Ochoa’s heroics to try to get Mexico to their quinto partido and seeing Keylor Navas stand on his head to lead Costa Rica to their historic quarterfinal appearance.

The crescendo for me, though, was watching Honduras play during the tournament while being in the country. It is probably the reason ConcaCorner exists today and it kickstarted my love for the La H that is going strong today. You can read all about that in one of my latest pieces below:

Over the next decade I lived in Honduras a few different times, learned some Spanish, deepened my appreciation for the game and the cultures of the region, and most importantly, met the love of my life there (to be clear, I am talking about my wife and not the national soccer team). We ended up settling in Charlotte, North Carolina where I have been fortunate enough to witness and cover the early days of another MLS team in Charlotte FC.

So that’s me, a kid from Ohio who fell in love with the game through MLS and expanded his mind through FIFA video games, Ronaldinho videos, watching World Cups, and living in Honduras. I think that background will help you understand ConcaCorner a bit more!

Subscribe now

What you will find here

As stated earlier, I want to bring you content that helps share this region’s past, present, and future place in the global mosaic of the beautiful game. How do I go about this?

One of my favorite ways is interviewing and telling the stories of players, coaches, and others involved in the game in the Concacaf region. I have always tried to have a mix of Concacaf legends, up-and-coming stars, and maybe some people you’ve never heard of but probably should! Some of my favorites are below:

Outside of interviews and profiles, I try to bring perspectives to readers through my own research and opinion. It could be analysis of current events, bringing you stories from the past that have been forgotten, commentary on the intersection of soccer and culture, or something that is top of mind for me:

I’ve also tried my hand at satire and comedy on occasion…I think the audience for that is even more niche than a Concacaf-focused Substack, but I hope to bring more of it to those who appreciate it going forward:

Where is ConcaCorner going?

In many ways, the future of ConcaCorner will be much like the past. I will continue to bring you interviews and profiles of people I think you’ll find fascinating. I’ll provide my thoughts and commentary on events and happenings relevant to the beautiful game in the region, and I’ll hopefully provide something for you that is different than what you receive with traditional media coverage.

2025 was somewhat of a hiatus for me (just a few articles here and there) and I want that to change in 2026. Beyond having a World Cup in the region this year, there are countless stories just waiting to be told!

One change I want to make is co-creating with YOU, the ConcaCorner community. If there are players, coaches, countries, and topics that you want to hear more about, I want to know about it!

I am grateful for each and every one of you - thank you again for your support!

Share

Carlo Costly wound up from outside the box and blasted the ball past the keeper. As soon as the ball ripped into the net, tears began to stream. From Costly, from other players, and from those around me at the bar.

I had witnessed many goals in my life before that day, but this one was different. It meant more. To the game, to the people around me, and to an entire nation. It was a feeling I remembered long after that day, and one that drove me to fandom of another country’s national team that has lasted more than a decade now. Without that goal, I’m not sure ConcaCorner exists.

Carlo Costly’s goal for the ages

This goal that changed it all came in Honduras’ second group stage game at the 2014 World Cup. After a 3-0 loss to France to open the tournament, the team needed to get things back on track quickly if they had hopes of surviving the group. Enter Ecuador, who were coached by Reinaldo Rueda (who had led Los Catrachos at the 2010 World Cup and was a beloved figure in Honduras). It was going to be a tough battle.

I was visiting Honduras at the time, and during this game people were packed in around a small beachside bar at a hotel just outside of La Ceiba. You could feel the tension from the fans. Obviously, everybody had hopes of advancing out of the group, but even more than that, they just wanted a goal. One goal!

Until the previous edition in 2010, Honduras hadn’t appeared at a World Cup since 1982. The 2010 team, led by the aforementioned Rueda, included many legends at the end of their careers. The team fought valiantly but only secured one point in the group and they didn’t manage to score a goal. That disappointment stayed with fans.

Going into this game against Ecuador, it had been 32 years since the fans celebrated a World Cup goal. Many people at the bar that day, including many of my Honduran friends, had never witnessed their team score on the biggest stage. After being shut out against France, the desire for this goal grew even more.

Fast forward to the scene I mentioned right after the goal, it was beautiful to witness and I am grateful I was in Honduras for that moment. Across the whole country, the collective eruption of cheers and tears for that one goal reminded me that futbol isn’t just a game and a goal isn’t just a number on the scoreboard. The video below shows a few reactions across the country:

In both the video of the goal at the beginning and this one above, you can hear the emotion in legendary announcer and longtime presidential candidate, Salvador Nasralla’s voice. The repeated “tiene el gol, tiene el gol, tiene el gol”, then his trademark goal call after the ball hit the net “golazo, golazo, golazo, golazo….Carlo Costly, siiiii seeeeññññooooor”, and lastly expressing the emotion that the whole nation was carrying into that moment, “finalmente Honduras marca un gol en mundiales adultoooos”, “finally Honduras scores a goal in the senior World Cup”.

The beautiful game has an unexplainable way of creating these moments for nations and it’s one of the reasons I love it so much. Just as quickly as that moment came for Honduras, Ecuador equalized minutes later through Enner Valencia, who would also go onto score a winner in the second half. Honduras lost that game and went on to lose their final group stage game 3-0 (at the hands of a Shaqiri hat-trick).

After three successive failed qualifying campaigns for the World Cup since, Costly’s goal is still the only one Honduras has scored at a World Cup for the better part of 50 years. In some ways, this can be a disheartening and sobering fact. In other ways, it makes that goal have an importance and drums up feelings for Hondurans that still brings joy to this day.

That’s the incredible thing about this game and goals like Costly’s. They can never be taken away from the fans who experienced them. People will always remember who they were watching with and what was going on in that period of their life. For soccer fans, and residents of soccer-loving nations, moments like these are markers in time. Markers in life, even.

Back in 2014, La H wasn’t just playing a game on a pitch in Brazil. They were representing a nation. A nation that was experiencing some of their worst years in modern history. The economy was in turmoil. Gang violence had reached an unfathomable level. All the outside world saw were the horrific headlines, but that never told the whole story. It didn’t tell the story of a beautiful country with incredible people.

The 2014 team unified people around something positive. A way to show the world something else about Honduras. That goal wasn’t just the collective expression of joy for ending a goal drought, it was a moment where an entire nation could unify together, and for a brief moment, express pride and passion for their country. That is why I will never forget it.

Share ConcaCorner

What makes a great goal?

I want you to pause for a few moment here and think about the most memorable goals you’ve seen (in person or on the screen). What comes to mind? Why is it still etched in your brain?

When I think about memorable goals, I think there are a few factors that cement them in our collective memories:

The player

Someone actually has to score the goal, and most of the time the goals that we remember are scored by someone we have an attachment to. Maybe it’s our favorite player. Or it could be a world-class player who creates moments of magic. Sometimes it is an up-and-coming star who is creating buzz with every goal they score.

Occasionally it can be a player who you respect but really dislike and they score a goal that regrettably lives rent free in your head (see CR7 bicycle kick in the Champions League). It could also be a player on your favorite team that people are down on but you defend vehemently to all your friends. That moment they prove you right, and everyone else wrong, is one of the most satisfying feelings.

Regardless of who it is, the player is a huge part of memorable goals for all of us. The great thing is, it’s subjective. For one person the player could be irrelevant and for another, it could be one of their most cherished footballing memories.

The skill

Have you ever seen a goal that makes you stand up from your seat (or couch) or forces an involuntary “wow” from you? If so, it was likely the way a goal was scored. It could be the finish in the run of play from a rabona, chilena, or my personal favorite, a trivela (see this beauty from Qauresma, the Trivela King)

It could be something magical from a set piece like an olimpico, a panenka penalty, or a free kick with so much bend you can get nauseous watching it back. Or it’s something diabolical from Roberto Carlos that lives in a class of it’s own. For others, who consider themselves purists, they don’t care about the highlight reel finishes, they love a full-field run with a player taking on the whole team by themselves that leaves helpless defenders in their wake.

It’s not just the final product that can ooze skill and aura - it’s the assist and the setups as well! It could be a cross with pinpoint accuracy, a turn in the midfield with a perfect through-ball, a ridiculous feint to set up a play, or a keeper hoofing the ball up to the big lad for a goal.

The real sickos still talk about the great assists that set up memorable goals to this day. It usually starts with, “hear me out, hear me out, this whole thing wouldn’t have been possible without [insert player name(s)]” and then 10 minutes have passed and they’re still showing you the set up with the salt and pepper shakers on the table. I tip my cap to these people.

The celebration

No goal is complete without the pièce de résistance, the all important celly! I find celebrations fascinating because sometimes they are planned, other times they are spontaneous, and the goalscorer and those around them don’t have much time to think, their emotions take over and in a split second, they are in the midst of it.

Some prefer the classics: a knee slide, a run to the corner flag, or a kiss of the badge. Others have their own celebrations that have become iconic over the years and emulated by youth players and other professionals alike. Some players get the crowd involved, some have a choreographed routine with teammates, and others even have pre-planned props to assist (such as the t-shirt under the kit).

Some of my personal favorites are: the Peter Crouch robot, Tshabalala’s celebration with his teammates after scoring at the 2010 World Cup, and Alberth Elis’ iconic pantera. But the best celebrations, in my opinion, are the spontaneous outbursts of joy and emotion that capture the heart and importance of a goal, like Costly’s against Ecuador.

The call

Some of the goals that are etched in my mind have a soundtrack that goes with them; the poetry of a great call! Many of Messi’s goals have Ray Hudson coming undone behind them, or Martin Tyler’s memorable “it is absolutely world class” after his goal against Bayern in 2015. Tyler also had his famous call of Sergio Agüero’s Premier League winner for Manchester City at the death.

The best announcers don’t just describe and analyze great goals, they draw you in and help you connect to what you just witnessed. When fans don’t have the words, they usually do. Even now, I am thinking of all the lines from Peter Drury, Andrés Cantor, Salvador Nasralla, and Sammy Sadovnik, to name a few. Beyond the seconds before and after the goal that they paint so well, they help explain the final thing that makes a great goal.

The moment

In my personal experience, the platform for all great goals is built on the moment. The “moment” encapsulates so much. It puts the goal in context and this helps move a goal from just a great bit of skill to something that lives on for generations.

The moment can be what’s happening on the pitch: time running out, the score of the game, the tension that has built between players on both teams. It also includes the location, the type of game (international tournament, friendly, league game, local derby), and the fan atmosphere. Lastly, it encompasses the full backdrop of the game: happenings in the country or city of the team (political, social, or economic), history the team/player carries into the match, and the emotions of the fans.

Share

Carlo Costly’s goal at the 2014 World Cup had the perfect blend of these ingredients. It remains one of the foundational moments of my love for futbol and one of the reasons I started this Substack. To bring moments like this to an audience that can appreciate and understand the significance. So what are the goals that come to mind for you? What was a goal that gave you an emotional reaction?

I’ll leave you with another one of my favorite goals. It was scored by Marta Cox of Panama at the 2023 World Cup. This was Panama’s first appearance at the Womens’ World Cup and going into their third group-stage game against France, they had already been eliminated and hadn’t scored a goal. Just minutes into the game, Panama won a free-kick and their superstar, Marta Cox, stepped up to the ball.

Before the tournament, her mother had passed away and it was her late mother’s dream to watch her play at the World Cup. She started her long run up to free-kick and put the perfect combination of power and bend on the ball so no keeper in the world could reach it.

Her sprinting knee slide came to and end and she collapsed to the ground in tears with her teammates surrounding her. She dedicated this goal to her mother as she got up with tears in her eyes and sent a kiss to the sky. This is the beautiful game!

Subscribe now

Whether it was in the stadium, or with family and friends huddled around a TV, I have personally experienced the beauty of that phrase while watching Los Catrachos. Win or lose, there is a sense of pride supporting La H and cheering them on. Unfortunately, in the last year or so, I have observed La H es muda…The H is silent.

Like any passionate fanbase, there is a deep frustration and disappointment after failures - with some fans being very vocal. More recently, culminating in the failed 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, I have observed something far worse. Indifference, numbness, and a hopelessness that permeates through the fans (those I know and those I see online). I don’t hear the cheers or the anguished groans…I don’t hear anything. La H es muda.

How did this happen? How did Honduras go from one of the premier teams in Concacaf to a team that failed to qualify for a third straight World Cup? It’s easy to look at what’s going on and assume the problems are just recent, and there are certainly lots of those, but this is a path that the team has been on for a while, even before the 2014 World Cup.

*Note: this analysis comes from a place of love. I am not from Honduras, but some of the most foundational experiences of my life occurred there and I care deeply for the country, the people, and of course, the national team.

Subscribe now

Domination of Liga Nacional

There are a lot of arguments about parity in sports, is it a good or bad thing? I think futbol in Honduras would benefit from a lot more parity. Since 2010, there have been 30 Liga Nacional titles won. Only five have been won by teams other than Olimpia and Motagua.

While the Capitalino’s have long dominated the league, the recent performance (83% of titles since 2010) is another level of supremacy. If we compare to 2000-2010 (arguably the golden era of Honduran futbol), Olimpia and Motagua won 60% of titles and had tougher challenges from the big clubs from San Pedro Sula (Real España and Marathón).

Does a lack of parity in a league hurt a national team? Likewise, does increased parity help a national team? I would love to see the data on this (someone with more time and expertise than me should put together a white paper on this). For now, we can take it case-by-case. One of the most fascinating case studies on this is Bayern Munich’s dominance in the Bundesliga.

Germany reached the pinnacle of world futbol again in 2014 lifting the World Cup. What proceeded was one of the longest droughts for Die Nationalelf. Grouped in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, a round-of-16 exit in the 2020 Euros, and a quarterfinal exit in the 2024 Euros as a host. During this run, Bayern Munich won every Bundesliga title from 2012-2023.

Correlation is not causation - obviously you could easily point to PSG’s run of titles alongside one of the best decades of performance in their national team’s history, but some in Germany have pointed to Bayern’s success as a detriment to the national team.

Last year, Bill Connelly wrote a piece for ESPN on Bayern about their dominance and their unique ability to concentrate power from a financial perspective. He also noted, “a lot of their success has come from using the Bundesliga as a personal minor league affiliate.” All this concentration at one club is not conducive for competition and development within a nation.

Back in 2015, then Borussia Monchengladbach sporting director, now Bayern Munich sporting director1, Max Eberl, was sounding the alarm about Bayern’s practices of signing young talent from other clubs and academies and the potential pitfalls of that for the nation, “If you harvest talents before they’re ready, I don’t know if that’s good for German football…Young players can also earn their stripes elsewhere and then go to Bayern, then the other clubs also benefit, because the transfer fees flow into the clubs behind Bayern….There are enough examples of talented players who followed the call and then disappeared into obscurity without ever reaching the top.”

From my perspective, this is exactly what has been happening in Honduras for the last decade or more, especially with Olimpia. While they have long been the premier team in Honduras, it was more common to see them bring in talent after players had established themselves at other clubs around the league. Recently, they have been increasingly bringing in young players from around the country before they reach the professional level with their clubs.

Unfortunately this had led to a lot of young talent arriving in Tegucigalpa and getting stuck in the academy or second team and their development is stifled due to a lack of first team minutes. A friend of mine likened it to students going to Harvard and then not being able to find an entry level job, leading them to not live up to that potential. For Olimpia’s part, they seem happy to take the risk and have the finances to do so regardless of the effects for the player or Honduran futbol as a whole.

La Ceiba isn’t what it was

Maynor Figueroa, Wilson Palacios, Victor Bernardez, Tyson Nuñez, Jerry Bengtson, Romell Quioto, Luis Palma…all players that are from or were developed in La Ceiba and the surrounding areas. Atlántida has long been a hotbed of talent for La H and outside of Tegus and San Pedro, it’s where the majority of players come from.

While the local clubs, Vida and Victoria, have never had sustained success in the league, they had always produced talent for the national team. More recently, outside of Luis Palma, there haven’t been many Ceibeños developed through those clubs breaking through into the team. Why is this?

One reason is what I alluded to earlier - over the last several years, young players from Ceiba are going to Olimpia and the other Gigantes and not getting into the first team there. Many get lost there. How many young players from Ceiba has La H missed out on because of this?

More than losing talented youth to other teams, La Ceiba is suffering from issues that go beyond the pitch. I’ll dive into this a bit more towards the end, but Honduras has been in a security and economic crisis for some time now and La Ceiba has been hit especially hard. After the 2009 Coup, gangs around the country filled the chaos and vacuum of power and their grip in La Ceiba tightened.

The violence has had very direct impact in the footballing community. In 2015, young rising star, Arnold Peralta, was shot and killed outside a shopping mall. Attendance gradually declined, especially for night games, because of this for Vida and Victoria. Outside of the professional level, it became quite unsafe for young players to play in leagues or play in the streets.

In part due to the violence, the economy of La Ceiba has contracted over the last few decades. The “Novia de Honduras” was once a place where Hondurans and foreign visitors alike frequented due to the beautiful coastline, mountains, and friendly Ceibeños. In addition to the increased violence, the city has been plagued by local government corruption, natural disasters, and crumbling infrastructure.

As you can imagine, this has an impact on futbol in the city. In August 2024, Vida withdrew from the the Honduran Futbol Federation citing harassment and persecution form the league. I don’t have time to get into all of that but in addition to those reasons, they were in economic crisis. They ended up settling a ~$750,000 debt with FIFA and registered for the second division where they now play.

Seeing the decline of the safety, economy, and the beautiful game in the city has been hard to watch for me personally. La Ceiba is one of my favorite places on earth. It’s where I met and fell in love with my wife, where I lived and learned Spanish, and where I became a fan of the Honduran national team. I have seen countless friends and family members leave the city for other places in Honduras, the United States, or Spain because of the economic and security concerns. It seems trivial to consider the sporting impact of these things given all of this, but it has touched every part of society, including futbol.

Transfers abroad misfire

The success of the national team in eras past has benefitted from players developing and starring overseas. Whether it was in Europe (Figueroa, Pavon, Palacios, and Suazo) or the MLS (Guevara, Boniek García, Espinoza, and Bengtson) La H was fueled, in part, from their talent playing abroad. In recent years, the volume of top players playing abroad has decreased and for those that have gone abroad, many do not feature regularly in their squads and their tenures are short-lived.

Post-2014, we had seen some successful moves for key players:

• Romell Quioto to Houston then Montreal

• Alberth Elis to Houston and eventually Bordeaux (we will forget the Boavista stint).

• Luis Palma to Aris Thessaloniki then Celtic

• Kervin Arriaga to Minnesota then Partizan/Zaragoza and now Levante

While successful for a period we have seen the Quioto and Palma progression stall with Quioto playing in the Saudi Pro League and Palma on loan in Poland. Unfortunately for Alberth Elis (the closest they have had to a superstar in recent years) Bordeaux never accepted transfer offers from bigger clubs and then he had that horrific head injury before returning to Honduras and now settling into the Portuguese second division.

Outside of the handful of successes, there have been many players with moves that have contributed to poor form or lack of games:

• Choco Lozano bounced around Spain (Barca B, Girona, Cadiz, and more) before landing with Santos Laguna in Liga MX. He hasn’t quite found his home or his best form throughout.

• Bryan Róchez went to MLS then Portugal and has fluctuated between teams in the first and second divisions and has struggled for form.

• Michaell Chirinos had stints in the MLS, Greece, and Saprissa before returning to Olimpia.

• Jorge Benguché was another victim of moving to Boavista and also stopped in the Uruguayan and Swiss leagues before returning to Olimpia.

• Rigoberto Rivas was a regular in Italian Serie B before moving to Turkey. He now finds himself with a newly promoted team there.

This is not a critique on these players - I think they all made the best decision they could with the opportunities in front of them. I credit them for taking a risk and moving abroad to develop and grow, but unfortunately for many of them, the situations were not great and it is difficult to see how they can regain their form and help take Honduras to the next level.

There are only a handful of Catrachos currently playing in the MLS. When Honduras has been at their best, they have usually had a strong group of players making an impact in the United States. I would like to see more of the larger clubs (Olimpia, Motagua, Real España) do more business with the MLS. It goes both ways though, I think MLS teams have also seen the decline of Liga Nacional and haven’t brought in as much talent from Honduras accordingly.

Share ConcaCorner

Failure to recruit dual-nationals

Across the globe, dual-national recruitment is on the rise and Concacaf may be the epicenter of it. With Caribbean nations pulling from the diaspora in England, France, and the Netherlands and Central America bringing in players born or living in the United States and Spain, it is not uncommon to find the majority of a starting XI made up of players born or raised outside of the country they represent. Just look at the recent qualifying campaigns of Suriname and Curaçao!

The majority of Honduras’ dual-national base is in the United States and we have seen the team pull in a few players like David Ruiz and Juan Carlos Obregón, but not at the same rate that other Concacaf nations have been able to. The most prominent “one that got away” so far is Keyrol Figueroa, son of legendary defender Maynor Figueroa. He is continuing to perform well in Liverpool’s academy and for the USYNT. While he could still decide to play for Honduras at the senior level, it is still unlikely at this stage2. I wrote about this extensively here:

Recruiting these dual nationals requires people dedicated to doing so and that usually requires finances, but not always. wrote about this a few years back that some of Guatemala’s efforts have been accomplished by a volunteer YouTuber from California. Within Honduras I have seen the success of the women’s national team’s ability to recruit and bring in dual-nationals. I don’t think La H could (or even should) try to fill out the majority of their roster with dual-nationals, but they need to increase their effort to bring more players into the fold.

Socioeconomic and security struggles

If we zoom out and try to look at all of this from 30,000 feet, I believe most of the issues the national team faces stem from the off the pitch issues already mentioned. Yes, complacency and politics in the federation are not helping, but the challenges are deeper. Economic crises and environmental disasters have been part of Honduras’ history since their independence in 1821, but if we just focus on the last 30 years it has been particularly challenging.

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch, one of the deadliest storms in centuries, set Honduras’ economy back decades. The 2008 Global Financial Crisis hurt remittances, and drove up unemployment and poverty levels. The 2009 Coup resulted in frozen foreign aid and a collapse in tourism. Droughts in the 2010s resulted in shocks to the agriculture industry. I saw firsthand how the COVID-19 Pandemic devastated the nation. In November 2020, two Category 4 hurricanes hit Honduras two weeks apart. From an economic standpoints, it has been one step forward and two steps back. Progress seems futile.

The challenges haven’t solely been economic or environmental. The 2010s saw a drastic increase in gang violence and femicide in the country, leading to some of the highest levels of violence outside of an active war zone around the world. Safety in most cities was hard to come by and the general population had to deal with a sense of insecurity and fear in their daily activities. “War Taxes” forced local businesses to close and displaced countless families.

An estimated 2 million people have left Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala for the United States since 2019. This mass migration out of the region creates a strain on the nation in many ways, and in the end, that will affect the progress and development of every industry in the country, including sports. The talent pool continues to shrink and many prospects are either leaving the country at a young age or they are now being born in other countries.

Where do they go from here?

Compared to ongoing issues like insecurity, corruption, violence, infant health, femicide, etc., these concerns about the national team are insignificant, in many ways. Perhaps the only reason it is worth mentioning in a discussion like this is the fact that La H has historically been one of the things in the country that can unify, excite, and rally a people facing so many hardships.

Is it just a superficial distraction? Maybe. But I have seen how this team can bring people together in the midst of turmoil. Back in 2009, after clinching a berth in the 2010 World Cup, Honduras was still reeling from the effects of a coup. At the time, captain Amado Guevara, shared with CBC:

“I hope the politicians take a lesson from what’s going on with the team, that Honduras is a country that can stay unified, regardless of any political problems going on…Here with the World Cup qualification, the people have gotten together, have put their faith in God ahead of everything else and seem to be getting an objective, which is unity. Hopefully the politicians can take a lesson from that.

It’s not that I was focused or not focused on the political situation and the problems that were going on back in the country, my motivation was winning the [El Salvador] game, not only for ourselves, but also for all Hondurans.”

As I write this, Honduras finds itself in the midst of another tumultuous election, compounded by meddling and interference from outside countries. My hope is that the resilient spirit of the Honduran people continues to shine and I know that those who want to create a flourishing society for all will continue to do the work regardless of the outcome. Maybe, just maybe, Los Catrachos could return to being a source of pride and unity for everyone!

In a rock bottom moment for the team, it is easy to ask, “is all hope lost for this team and this program?” Failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and even make it to the intercontinental playoff, was not great and it should be a wake up call. Given that future World Cups will feature 48 teams, and even rumors of 64-team field in 2030 (please, no!), Honduras will continue to have chances at reaching the greatest stage in the sport.

If I’m honest, though, the federation shouldn’t be focusing on that end goal. They need to start from the ground up and figure out why the last decade has been such a struggle. The patterns of Honduran youth national teams competing at the highest level and going toe-to-toe with larger, more established programs, only for most of those players to never impact the senior team, should make them question their youth development process.

They need to look at the culture of the team and the setup to see why complacency, frustration, and even entitlement, has permeated the environment3. They need to bring in a coaching staff that can identify and develop young talent, inspire the core group of players that didn’t retire after this cycle, and determine what is missing. Easier said than done, I know.

They need to look at Liga Nacional and it’s current setup and honestly assess how it is improving or hurting the national team. They need to audit their use of the resources available to them, because a lack of funds in itself cannot be an excuse for struggles on the pitch when other Concacaf nations with less at their disposal like Suriname, Curaçao, and Haiti have found a way to make it work.

The excuses that the federation continues to throw around are landing on deaf ears. Haiti’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup, despite all the obstacles facing their country and the national team4, should put complacent federations on notice and inspire those same countries that they need to look beyond their limitations! I cannot wait to watch Haiti and root for their success in this tournament.

When a program, like Honduras, is in this situation, they are faced with a dilemma. To quote one of my favorite artists, Andy Mineo, “I got two choices, both require pain. One’s the pain of change, the other is the pain of staying the same.” Do you go through the long, and difficult process of change and trying something new. Or do you continue to deal with the frustration and disappointment of doing the same thing you have been for the last 10+ years? That will determine what the next decade looks like.

Despite everything discussed in the article, hope is not lost. That is one of my favorite things about this beautiful game, there’s always another match and always another opportunity. If the federation pushes for change and resetting the program, I’ll patiently be along for the ride, enjoying the ups and downs. If they continue down the same path, I will still reluctantly have hope that the next game is what will spark the turnaround. For now, La H es muda….but it never stays that way!

Share

As impressive as his career was on the pitch, you may find the impact he has already had, and continues to push for, off the pitch will create a more lasting legacy. From his time at the MLS Players’ Association, to representing players as an agent, and now with his work at Carolina Core FC, you’ll read about a legend who is trying to make things better for the next generation by carving out paths and breaking down barriers to hold the door open for others who come behind him.

Stepping away from the pitch and into the boardroom

Given that Pope knew retirement was nearing and that it didn’t begin abruptly, he began to let people know that 2007 was his last season, so he could get a head start on life after playing. He is grateful that he gave himself a long runway because he had many conversations that seemed promising and even some commitments that were made but went unfulfilled…something we can all relate to in a job search. “All those yeses turned into maybes, and then, this happened or that happened, and I needed almost the entire year to really find something,” he explained.

One of his good friends, who was Executive Director of the MLS Players’ Association (MLSPA), reached out to him during this time and asked if he was interested in joining. “I was like, actually, yes. And that's how I ended up there. I was fortunate that my contract ended in December and I started working in January,” he shared. Pope stepped into the Director of Player Relations role at the MLSPA and would go on to hold the position until 2015.

Regarding his time there, Pope shared: “I had a great time at the Players Association. I got to do two collective bargaining agreements and really tried to make things better for players and help as the league was growing to make sure that the players grew alongside the league as well.” As I spoke with him, this was something I appreciated. It’s not innate in every former player to try to make things better for the next generation. Sometimes there is even a sense of a “if we struggled, they should struggle” mentality. I wanted to know more about what motivated him to do that for a living, not just in his spare time:

“The early days in the league, I mean, there were times when you're at autograph sessions and no one's there…you're trying to tell people who you are, even. So I think just trying to improve things, and again, making sure that players have things that you didn't have. There's a sense of satisfaction in watching younger players benefit from the things you didn't have or benefit from things that you've given them or been a part of helping them obtain.

There's certainly some satisfaction in that. It's also fun to watch teams now take big steps, and build training facilities and build stadiums, and just watching the sport grow…And that was a big swing for a lot of us pioneers.”

After a long tenure with the MLSPA, Pope launched into a career as an agent, where he continued to impact the next generation. “You're kind of with that new generation of kids and trying to help them understand what it's like to be a professional, and also trying to help them understand how hard it is, and really just helping them map out their careers. So there's certainly some satisfaction in that,” he explained.

He continued to share about his experience representing young players, “Trying to fit them in the right place and then watching them play their first game and start their career…and then when you get that first player that finally makes a jump to Europe or gets on a national team, you can kind of go down a little bit of a trip down memory lane.”

This experience representing players with their league and representing them directly in their careers would prepare Pope for an opportunity that would not only continue that impact but also allow him to do it in his backyard!

Subscribe now

Building a club from the ground up

When Eddie was approached about being part of the project to bring professional soccer to the North Carolina Triad, he hadn’t even heard of it yet. He even asked a few friends about it, and they didn’t know what he was talking about. Pope explained, “Things started to materialize and actually become real…That’s when I really sort of took a leap of faith and became a part of the project.”

Was it the pull of his hometown or the desire to get into the front office world that ultimately drew Pope to what would become Carolina Core FC? “I think it was both. something that seemed it was new, it was interesting, exciting. You know, I felt like I was almost applying my experiences as a former player, someone who had been at the player associations, was a part of collective bargaining agreements…the business side…disseminating what I knew about the game to players. All of that was kind of going to be a part of this new venture. So it’s good because it was just sort of throwing all those things into the pot at once. And that to me was certainly exciting,” he explained.

Carolina Core FC joined MLS Next Pro (MLSNP), a league on the third tier of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. It is mostly comprised of teams affiliated with MLS teams, but Carolina Core is one of the few independent clubs in the league, which presents unique challenges and opportunities. On the advantages, Pope shared, “The benefits are that as we bring in players, we’re not tied to an MLS club. So our players really are on showcase every week, and they’re playing in front of some MLS team. It gives them the opportunity to show what they can do. And those clubs are open to and have the ability to select our players if that’s something that they want to do. So I think being independent and not being tied with a club is a huge, huge advantage.”

We saw this last year when Carolina Core became one of the first clubs to have a player transfer from MLSNP directly to Europe (Jeremiah White to Legia Warszawa). This may not have occurred if the club weren’t independent. It also signals to players considering different pathways that an independent MLSNP club may provide them with different pathways outside of the traditional MLSNP to MLS pipeline.

Some of the difficulties stem from not having the MLS “mothership” to provide resources, facilities, or opportunities for players to play up or train with a full MLS squad. Despite those drawbacks for independent clubs, Carolina Core has built its own world-class training facility for the team and the academy setup. Pope explained that this has stepped up the professionalism across the club and allows them to compete with the teams in their league that have an MLS team backing them.

One of the most exciting things about the new training facility and the academy is the opportunity it provides to the whole community. Pope shared about the passion he has for bringing this to his backyard:

“It’s really satisfying because the kids in this area, and the surrounding area, it’s given them the opportunity, opportunities that I didn’t have, and the individuals I grew up playing with didn’t have as well.

But it also gives them two really big advantages…you’re automatically sort of thrust into this professional environment that you can now, as a youth player, go and watch a professional team. You’re right there up close with the players. You can get their autographs…This is a true soccer environment, one that’s similar to what you would find in Europe or South America.

The second part is that if you don’t happen to be ready to be an MLS player or an MLS Next Pro player, you’re certainly going to be able to play college soccer. And coming through one of these MLS Next academies, more than likely, you’re going to be one of the top college players in the country. And so you have two avenues right at your fingertips. And that’s all because this team is here in this area.”

One of the incredible things about the Carolina Core Academy is that it is a fully funded program for players, and their goal is to “break down the financial barriers typically associated with high-level youth soccer and provide young players with an unprecedented opportunity to pursue their dreams.”

Whether it’s pursuing the game professionally after coming through the academy or opening the door to college scholarships, Pope and Carolina Core FC are creating lasting change for the youth in the North Carolina Triad! Beyond the impact on the players on the field, the team is creating opportunities for the community off the pitch as well. Pope shared:

“There’s an opportunity for individuals who just want to work in sports. Now there’s a professional club here. So if you want to be in the media world, advertising, sales, sponsorships, or things like that, the club is here. And so you see a lot of young people coming in and getting jobs for the first time and actually growing with the club, which is great because that gives them the opportunity to make some errors, make some mistakes, and learn…I think just the existence of this club being here has just opened up so many doors and created so many opportunities for so many people in this community.”

Share ConcaCorner

Diversity - a pillar of strength for the team and an example to the sport

I first started hearing about Carolina Core in the summer of 2023 as they were assembling their initial coaching staff: Roy Lassiter, Amado Guevara, Donovan Ricketts, and Andy Williams. The first thing that caught my attention was the fact that they were all Concacaf legends. The next thing that really impressed me was the diversity. In a sport that is so diverse in this country (with nearly 80 countries of origin represented in MLS alone), the lack of diversity on the touchline and in the front office is glaring.

We have already detailed how Pope was a trailblazer for the sport in general during his playing days, and he has also been carrying the mantle of creating opportunities for people who have been discriminated against, disregarded, and passed over in soccer. He, along with other legends like DaMarcus Beasley, Cobi Jones, Oguchi Onyewu, and Tony Sanneh, helped form SCORE (Soccer Collective on Racial Equity). You can hear more about this in an interview the late, great Grant Wahl had with members of SCORE back in 2020.

Fútbol with Grant Wahl

Eddie Pope, Evan Whitfield & Allen Hopkins on SCORE (Soccer Collective on Racial Equity)

Grant has a candid interview with former USMNT standout Eddie Pope, former MLS veteran Evan Whitfield and former broadcaster Allen Hopkins about their new organization SCORE, which stands for Soccer …

Listen now

6 years ago · Grant Wahl

He has also been a crucial voice in trying to dismantle racism and discrimination in youth soccer. In a great piece he wrote for MLS in 2022, he detailed his experiences with racism growing up and seeing it as a father in the youth ranks. He shared, “I’m from High Point, North Carolina, and growing up playing soccer in the south, you name it, I’ve probably been called it – the N-word and plenty of other abuse like that.”

Forty years later, youth today are still experiencing discrimination in the sport. Pope continued, “Unfortunately, I’d say we’re taking steps backwards, because I’ve witnessed racism at the youth levels. I know that MLS academies are having some issues with incidents, which means that youth-only clubs are having issues, too. It’s still here, sadly, and there’s certainly been an uptick in probably the last six, seven years.” The issue is also multifaceted, as Pope shared in his article:

“It’s also crucial that we not only go at it from a racial perspective, but from a gender perspective. From immigration to race to gender and class, it’s often the case that anything that’s new gets attacked – somebody is going to go after someone who looks different. And we have to protect kids. There should be a zero-tolerance policy. These are children, we can’t allow them to feel unsafe in these youth soccer environments.”

Despite the long road to change, Pope concluded in his article that he was optimistic about the work being done by Black Players for Change, the MLS Diversity Committee, and various MLS ownership groups. That sort of unified effort across players, teams, and the league is crucial for lasting change.

Since Pope wrote that article, he has become an integral part of living out that mission and making change as the Chief Sporting Officer of Carolina Core FC. He shared, “One of the pillars for MLS Next Pro is diversity, right? Not only from a player perspective, but also in the front offices and certainly on the technical staffs, top to bottom for teams, and also in the league’s offices as well. And they’ve made huge strides in doing that. And so for me, I knew that that was important for the league and it’s something that I wanted to hold at my end of the bargain…it’s something that’s been important to the club.”

The opportunity available in MLSNP also excited Pope for the training ground it can be for more people to enter the coaching and front office ranks. “There’s just way too much talent on the sidelines. And so it’s now time to get people involved in that. Having MLS Next Pro not only be this stepping stone for players to get into the MLS and make it easier for them, but it’s also doing the same thing for the coaches. It’s doing the same thing for front office individuals who do want to be in MLS, but maybe haven’t gotten a shot. MLS Next Pro has checked so many boxes. It’s been a fantastic league and it’s only going to get better,” Pope explained.

As we continued this discussion on diversity, we also touched on the pushback that can come with these types of initiatives, in sports and in life. Pope shared:

“The truth of the matter is that diversity, in a lot of cases, won’t happen naturally. Diversity is a choice, and you do sometimes have to force it. And you do have to make sure that everybody has an equitable chance at being involved in something. I think sometimes people get confused, and they think, this person maybe got this role, got that role, because of who they are, the way that they look. And then saying this wasn’t based on who’s the best, who’s not the best.

Everybody wants the best. Nobody’s going to choose somebody to their own detriment because you won’t be there very long. But I think that’s part of it. Just understanding that sometimes the best talent is just not even being involved in any way, shape, or form. So if you’re not intentional about it, it won’t happen.

Because people, a lot of times, they hire who they feel comfortable with. And you can call it an unconscious bias or a conscious bias. It’s just a lot of times what people do, they hire who they know or who their friends know or who their dad knows or mom knows, and all that stuff. That’s why for me, it was important to just to make sure that everyone has the opportunity. I know it’s important to the league and important to our ownership group. And I think we’ve lived up to that.”

This explanation helps to clarify why diversity initiatives are needed in the world today. It’s not about giving away opportunities and jobs to people without regard for their talents and abilities. It’s ensuring that qualified people have the opportunity to be considered for roles. In life and in sports, many qualified individuals who don’t come from the same background as the decision makers usually don’t even make it to the first stage of these processes.

In the case of the Carolina Core FC team, they have modeled this well. There is no reason someone of Pope’s experience and caliber shouldn’t have a front-office job in the game. Donovan Ricketts, their current head coach, had one of the most legendary MLS careers for a goalie and had a very successful stint as an interim manager in the USL Championship. Amado Guevara, an assistant coach, is arguably the best player in Honduran history, a former MLS MVP, and the former coach of the Puerto Rican national team. There is no reason that both Ricketts and Guevara shouldn’t have had more opportunities in the coaching ranks.

Having this representation in the front office and in the coaching ranks will no doubt have an impact on the next generation. Not only will they see themselves represented on the pitch, being part of a diverse league, but it now extends to all parts of the game.

“So those kids watch the pro team play, and they watch your pro team train…You have those kids who will look to that sideline and say, ‘Oh, wow, I’m not used to seeing that.’ To me, that was always important. It’s not unlike when I was able to watch a national team game, which it would have been in 1990, the U.S. was on, and I saw Jimmy Banks or Desmond Armstrong; it was an eye-opener for me. So I know for our MLS Next kids, they get to see that, and the opposing players get to see it as well. And so I think the more that happens, it is one of those things where it’s you have to kind of see it to believe in it,” Pope explained.

I hope that what is seen as groundbreaking by Carolina Core FC today can become the norm across professional soccer in the United States. I am grateful for legends of the game in this country, like Eddie Pope, who don’t limit their impact to the pitch and continue to push for the change they want to see and opportunities for the next generation!

Share

As it turns out, we were very close to adding the almost-unanimous best defender in USMNT history to this list. Growing up in the late 1970s in the United States, Eddie Pope had his sights set on another sport: “I wanted to play American football. My parents and I missed the signup date, and the only thing left on the board at the time was soccer. And that's how I ended up trying it at the YMCA.”

It wasn’t uncommon for most kids to play soccer for a few years. This era of the grassroots soccer movement coincided with the peak of the NASL before it folded. When the next season came around, Pope’s parents asked if he wanted to play again. “I was like, sure, I'll keep at it and never turned back,” he explained.

As you’ll read, this wouldn’t be the last time that a series of events led Pope from football to soccer. In Part 1 of this profile, we will focus on his playing days from the youth ranks to Chapel Hill, and his professional and national team career. In Part 2, we will cover his post-playing career, including his work with the MLSPA, his role as an agent, and what he is helping to build at Carolina Core.

Destined to play the beautiful game

Growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina, in the 1970s and ‘80s, there wasn’t a lot of knowledge about soccer to go around: “None of our parents knew anything about it. We didn't know anything about it. It wasn't on television. So in that aspect, it was sort of unique,” he shared.

Despite this, he kept playing and was excelling on the pitch. Like many athletes of previous generations, he played multiple sports every year. In that era, Pope believes this helped him in soccer, “I think it certainly gives you a little bit of an advantage just from agility, spatial awareness, different muscles you're developing, and it reduces burnout a little bit.”

Despite this, he knows that isn’t the reality for today’s generation of players. “Nowadays, I think if you play multiple sports and you're competing against kids that only play soccer, you won't be able to keep up because it's just hours spent in the sport,” says Pope. Even in his time, there came a point where he primarily focused on soccer while also handling the kicking duties for his high school football team.

In that era, the idea of “going pro” or playing soccer beyond college was an afterthought. Other than some coaches he had from abroad or teammates whose parents had immigrated, there wasn’t any connection to professional soccer. “It wasn't on television. So we had no idea; we didn't see a professional league on TV. Again, it just didn't exist. The only thing I thought about was maybe being able to play soccer in the Olympics,” Pope explained.

One opportunity soccer provided to talented players during that time was the chance to receive college scholarships. He had his hopes set on playing for a particular college, but in the end, that opportunity fell through. Shortly after, a coach from UNC-Chapel Hill reached out to him and asked if he wanted to kick for the football team on a full scholarship. “I had no idea how he even knew who I was, or what he was talking about. It was a cold call if there ever was one,” he laughed.

Unbeknownst to Pope, his high school kicking coach had sent all his tapes to UNC. In that moment, he wrapped his mind around a new reality of being an American football player. The beautiful game continued to pursue Pope, though, “Then the soccer coach heard that I was coming there, and he was like, ‘I didn't know you were coming here. Do you want to play soccer too?’ Of course, I want to play soccer. So, I went there to do both.”

Early in preseason, he suffered a gruesome injury. What started as a cut on his leg turned into a full-blown infection and a hospitalization. At first, Pope was a little frustrated that he was going to miss a few football games - he had just won the starting kickoff job for the team. A few days went by, then a week, and it didn’t seem to be getting better. Finally, there was improvement at the end of the second week. At this point, the doctors finally informed him of the situation, and it was far worse than he had expected.

“Once it started getting better, that's when the doctor came in and was like, ‘Well, we got it under control. But when I first saw it, I was pretty sure we were gonna have to amputate your leg at the knee.’ It was so bad,” he shared. This was a significant setback for Pope; the football team had placed him on a medical redshirt, and he missed the entire season. By the time he was discharged from the hospital, he decided to focus solely on soccer for the year.

Another opportunity arose for Pope that year; he needed to decide whether he wanted to enter the residency for the Olympic soccer team for the 1996 games. This put him at a crossroads; if he were to do this, his kicking career at UNC would be over, as he had already missed his entire first season.

When he was introduced to soccer as a kid, it was because he missed the signup for American football. During his freshman year, soccer became his primary focus, as his hospitalization had forced him to miss the football season. Now it was his choice to make: soccer or football? “I chose to go into residency with the Olympic team,” he explained.

His decision to focus on soccer paid off. During his time with the Tar Heels, he started every game of his collegiate career. The ACC has always been one of, if not the highest level of competition for collegiate soccer, and in the ‘90s, it was especially true. Early on, Pope recalled asking an older teammate, “Who are the easy teams?” His teammate explained, “There are none.” This also prepared him for the professional career he would soon begin:

“It certainly helped prepare me to be a professional player. But the learning curve was super high in college. Then once you go professional, you've got another level to jump as well. Without the ACC, there's no chance I would have been able to make it.”

Pope went on to have an illustrious career with UNC, and he became the first African-American to earn all-America honors in Men’s Soccer. In 1996, his final year at UNC, his life would change forever!

Share ConcaCorner

1996 - a year to remember

In some ways, Eddie Pope’s senior year of college was like all his other classmates: looking to secure a job after graduation, preparing for life after college, and likely some level of Senioritis. In other ways, it was nothing his classmates, or even most teammates, could relate to.

The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games were fast approaching, and Pope was fighting for his spot on the final roster at residency. “To this day, that was one of the hardest things that, from a soccer standpoint, I've ever had to do. It was so rigorous and tough, and everybody's good, and everybody's fighting for only a few spots,” he explained. Pope would go on to secure one of those final spots.

In addition to that, the brand-new Major League Soccer was about to begin its inaugural season (and if you know anything about that time, the plane was still being built as it took off). In the first college draft, Pope was selected by D.C. United with the second overall pick. The season kicked off that April, which left him in a bit of a bind - he still had a few months left of classes before graduation.

In today’s world, a player in that position would likely find a way to finish their studies virtually, but this was 1996, and the solution wasn’t so simple. “I would go to class during the week, then I can't remember what day it was in a week. Maybe it's a Thursday or something. I would fly to DC, train, play the game, then the next morning fly back to Chapel Hill, go back to class, and so on,” he explained.

Pope was grateful that the Olympic team's training base was also in D.C. and that his D.C. United manager Bruce Arena would coach the team. Regarding his jam-packed schedule of professional soccer, training for the Olympics, and finishing his degree, he shared:

“It was just a lot going on, but you know, you're young at that time, so you don't think about it too much…I enjoyed it. I was getting a taste of professional soccer, which was cool…So it all happened really fast, but not knowing any better, that sort of felt normal to me. Especially when I came into school playing two sports…to me, it felt rather normal.”

Despite not being considered a global soccer power, the 1996 Olympic team had high expectations as the host nation. As is the case today, the majority of the players had to be under age 23. Outside of Pope, future USMNT legends Kasey Keller, Alexi Lalas, Claudio Reyna, and Frankie Hedjuk also featured in the squad. On representing the United States at the Olympics, he shared: “For me, the first time representing the U.S. in any way, or form, was super special. You hear your national anthem, all that stuff was very, very special.”

They faced Argentina in the opening game, and their team included the likes of Javier Zanetti, Diego Simeone, and Hernan Crespo. The team jumped out to an early lead in the first minute through a Claudio Reyna goal. Argentina would respond with three goals of their own. Despite the loss, it was a memorable experience for Pope, “Now you go back and look at that roster and even the guys on the bench. They all had amazing careers.”

The Stars and Stripes followed the opening loss with a 2-0 win over Tunisia, setting up a final match against Portugal to determine who else would advance from the group. After going down 1-0, they tied the game up late, but they couldn’t find a winner and were bounced from the tournament. Despite the exit, it was just the beginning of his national team career.

Back with D.C. United for their MLS campaign, the team needed to turn it around after a slow start to the season. Pope had cemented himself in the starting XI by this time, and the team began to string together more wins leading into the MLS Cup Playoffs.

I know many of us continue to cringe at the best-of-three opening round playoff format, but a similar format also existed for the inaugural playoffs in 1996, for all rounds before the single-game final. The first team to achieve 5 points would advance! D.C. dropped its first game against the MetroStars before back-to-back wins. Then they knocked off the Tampa Bay Mutiny in two games (R.I.P. to the club and the best kits in league history). This set up a championship game against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The weather conditions surrounding the final in Foxboro were not ideal. A post-hurricane nor’easter waterlogged the field and brought almost unplayable wind gusts. MLS officials even considered postponing the game, but since there was no lightning, it was game on! Despite the horrible conditions and it being a neutral site game, over 34,000 fans showed up for the final, and they witnessed one of the greatest games in MLS history.

It was a tough start for Pope and D.C. United as Eduardo Hurtado opened the scoring five minutes into the game. The Galaxy added to their lead early in the second half through a Chris Armas goal. As the end of the game neared, D.C. United looked like they were going home empty-handed. What was going through Pope’s mind? “Time's running out, this certainly hasn't gone how we thought it was gonna go. And at that point, you're just trying to just pull one back. You're thinking if we can just pull one back, maybe, you stand a chance…you’re almost at the point where you’re getting desperate,” he explained.

In the 73rd minute, Marco Etcheverry whipped in a free kick, and Tony Sanneh headed in the goal! “We happened to be able to pull that first one back. And once we were able to do that, you start to get a little more hope, and you can see them starting to get super nervous, making a mistake here, a mistake there,” Pope shared.

Just minutes later, Etcheverry launched another dangerous free kick that Jorge Campos parried away, but an unmarked Sean Medved put the ball into the back of the net to equalize. “Once we got the second one, the momentum was so much in our favor that I felt confident that we'd win,” Pope said.

The game entered extra time, and in this era of MLS, the golden goal rule was still in effect. All it would take to win the title was one moment of brilliance. D.C. won a corner early in extra time, and Etcheverry set the ball down, poised to bring that brilliance, and sent the ball towards the box with that famous left foot.

A few days before this, at the end of one of D.C. United’s practices, assistant coach Bob Bradley made a decision, “We were about to actually walk off the field, and he made us stop and work on the corners. I mean, we felt good about it, but he was like, let's do extra. And we just kept working on it over and over and over and over again,” Pope shared.

Because of this extra practice and Pope’s success on corners during the year, he was itching for an opportunity like this. He explained: “I was thinking if we can just get a corner, we stand a good chance of scoring…because we felt really confident about the play. Then we had Marco Etcheverry, of course, who could put it wherever he wanted to put it…he would put it right where I could get it…and I felt like I could win that battle. But he put it in a more than perfect spot for me to be able to go up and get it.”

Pope buried the ball in the back of the net with a towering header and won the title for D.C. United! Check out the goal below:

There’s nothing quite like the playground vibe of “next goal wins” and ending important games on a goal (we have seen the excitement of this in TST recently). I think the golden goal should be brought back for all knockout games in soccer. Pope agrees, “Nobody wants to sit through all the extra 30 minutes. I think that's a rule they've got to change. They either have to do that or go to penalties to make the game a little bit more exciting.”

What say you, ConcaCorner readers? Should we bring back one of the most exciting ways to end a game, or does the very thought of a golden goal make you cringe?

When it seemed like he was on the mountaintop, 1996 continued to get better for Pope. Just ten days removed from winning MLS Cup, he helped lead D.C. United to the U.S. Open Cup title, scoring a goal in a 3-0 win over the Rochester Raging Rhinos (the 1990s A-League was something to behold). Ten days after that, he made his senior debut with the USMNT in World Cup Qualifiers. And he was just getting started!

Subscribe now

Becoming an MLS trailblazer and a USMNT legend

It would be hard to top the 1996 that Pope had, but on the MLS side, 1997 was even better! He won the MLS Defender of the Year award, was part of the all-star team and MLS Best XI while anchoring the D.C. backline en route to another MLS Cup trophy and the Supporters’ Shield. They fell just short of the domestic treble after losing in the U.S. Open Cup final.

During the 1997 and 1998, Pope also established himself as one of the USMNT’s best defenders and looked to be a crucial piece on the 1998 World Cup squad. Ahead of the tournament, Adidas ran an ad campaign dubbing him the “Defender of American Soccer”. Pope’s friends would see it on MTV and call him which he enjoyed, “I loved the concept…I was obviously young at the time, so it was just like the best thing ever.” The ad is a must-watch and honestly, I think the current USMNT could get inspired from it (Pope is also sporting the best cleats ever made, Adidas Predators).

The USMNT entered the World Cup with a lot of momentum and expectation after beating Brazil earlier that year. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned (you can read all about the 1998 World Cup team elsewhere) and the team lost all three group stage games.

While the results for the USMNT at the 1998 World Cup were extremely disappointing, it was a very memorable experience for Pope. He shared, “It was similar to the Olympics. Representing your country, everybody wants to do that…you line up, you hear the national anthem. Those are always special moments…It's what you would think it is. It is all of that and a little bit more.”

He started in two of their games, gained a lot of experience, and sharpened his skills against the world’s best. “Being able to play against amazing players, Jürgen Klinsmann and I can go through the whole team, right? But, it is awesome as well because now you're for sure playing against the best of the best. And as a player, you work really hard and you get to that moment and you want to be against the best,” Pope explained.

The summer of 1998 may have been disappointing with the national team, but Pope did help D.C. United acquire more silverware after the the World Cup when the team became the first from the United States to win the Concacaf Champions Cup with a 1-0 win over Toluca. It was another game-winning goal from Pope that started with the left foot of Marco Etcheverry.

They followed that up with more history, becoming the first team form the United States to win the final installment of the Copa Interamericana in a two-legged battle against Vasco de Gama. After dropping the first leg 1-0, they won the second leg 2-0, in which Pope scored the goal that gave them the title on aggregate. In the last year of the D.C. dynasty, he continued to lead the back line as the team secured the 1999 MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield.

Towards the end of the legendary run from D.C. United, Bruce Arena left his post as their manager to take over the USMNT for the 2002 World Cup cycle. This was a turning point from the program according to Pope. Bruce asked the players what they think needed to change, “A lot of us just talked about team chemistry and improving team chemistry and making sure that the group that gets assembled, that the players like each other, they can work well together,” he shared.

The logistics also took a leap forward. “I think it was the first time that for us in U.S. soccer, we started to charter to games and qualifying. So getting in, playing, leaving right after the game…that to me just brought U.S. soccer up to where it could be and needed to be at the time…it added a level of sophistication and professionalism that we needed,” Pope explained.

The U.S. drew a tough group for the ‘02 World Cup that included a Figo-led Portugal and one of the host nations, South Korea. In the opening game, the USMNT shocked the world with a 3-2 win over Portugal. In the second game, they played South Korea as a true away team. Pope shared, “Days leading up to the game, they were renting out these huge halls and they were practicing the chants…I think drawing the host nation was difficult and the stadium was packed and full. That was not an easy away game, I’ll put it that way”

The team were able to get a result in a 1-1 tie and went into the last match sitting on four points and holding onto that crucial second spot. Disaster struck in their final game versus Poland where they lost 3-1. Luckily, South Korea stunned Portugal which meant the U.S. advanced out of the group by the thinnest of margins. Their quarterfinal opponent…their most bitter rival, El Tri.

How did the team feel about facing Mexico in the Round-of-16? “Once we found out we were playing Mexico, it was good for us because we were familiar with them. And it was the one time we felt like, we'll never get this opportunity again to be at this stage and get a team we're so familiar with to be able to move on to the next round. So we were keen on taking advantage of that,” he shared.

Many of you know the story of that game. Brian McBride opened the scoring early and Landon Donovan’s iconic header put the team in a commanding position. This iconic dos a cero win is probably one of the greatest wins in program history and it sent the U.S. into the quarterfinal. The highlights are always worth rewatching.

After the game, the USMNT bus pulled up next the the El Tri bus as they were leaving the stadium. It’s always fascinating hearing former players memories of this moment:

“I think the way that Mexico finished the game with a lot of hard fouls and trying to injure people, all of that stuff probably sparked that moment. I think if the game would have just ended with them losing…that probably wouldn’t have happened. But I think once the buses were parked beside each other, you know, guys were kind of going back and forth and going at it. No one got off the bus or anything like that, but there was some jawing going back and forth.”

In the quarterfinals, the U.S. fell to Germany 1-0, but the game wasn’t without controversy. In the second half, Germany got away with a clear handball on the line. As someone who wants less VAR in the game, this moment always makes me reconsider. Pope started all five games that tournament and it further cemented his legacy as one of the best USMNT players of that era and of all time.

In his USMNT career, he would go onto play in three World Cups with 82 total caps and he started every game he played for the national team. Despite opportunities and interest from abroad, especially after the World Cups Pope played in, he decided to stay in MLS. Over the course of his 12-year MLS career, his accolades are as good as it gets:

• 3 MLS Cups, 2 Supporters’ Shields, and a U.S. Open Cup

• Concacaf Champions League and Copa Interamericana trophies

• 4x MLS All-Star, 4x MLS Best XI, and an MLS Defender of the Year award

• 2011 National Soccer Hall of Fame Inductee

During the 2007 season, Pope came to the conclusion it was time to hang up the boots. He shared, “It wasn't a tough decision for me because once you're waking up and in pain every morning…you get out of bed and the first step, you know, two, three, four things hurt. And after a while, then you start to think, is this ever going to go away? Do I want to be able to pick my kids up or run around and chase them around? Do I want to be able to make sure that I'm not in a precarious situation when I'm older, you know, 60, 70?…and the best thing at this point is to make sure you do have a life after soccer.”

For Pope, it also helped that he had worked hard and reached the pinnacle so many players dream of. He explained, “I was satisfied, that does make it easier. I think if I was someone that I hadn't won an MLS cup, you know, it bugs you…or maybe never made or had a cap with the national team or something like that…it certainly allows you or gives you the luxury to say, I've been able to accomplish a lot of things. Now I can focus on my own health and leave the game the way that I want to leave it, as opposed to maybe something blowing out or a serious injury…so it certainly makes it easier to move on once you've gotten some things under your belt.”

As we continued our conversation, he reflected on being one of the early trailblazers and key players in the newly formed MLS:

“I think it's satisfying. The early days of the league were really difficult. No one made any money. No one made any real money. And it was new for everyone, even the people who were starting the league, even the owners and people that worked in front offices across all the different teams…it was just new for everyone. So it was certainly difficult across the board.

Different things were tried and sometimes we were the guinea pig of those ideas where there was the shootout dribbling from half field or the clock counting in the wrong direction…I'm sure guys, especially guys who had played overseas, who had friends overseas, were probably taking a little more flack than we were. But I think it was satisfying to kind of to watch it kind of grow the way that it has.

We all feel like pioneers and I'm sure they certainly do as well. All those front office individuals and, and equipment managers and secretaries and all those things. There's people that were there, ticket sales. I mean, you could go across the board. We're all paramount in getting this league launched. And now kids walk into $40 million facilities like it's nothing. So it's been good to watch it grow.”

Share

Eddie Pope’s career on the pitch was as legendary as it gets in the United States and his impact is still felt today. Off the pitch, he has continued to shape soccer in this country and I can’t wait to share some of the incredible things he is doing at Carolina Core FC in MLS Next Pro with you. Stay tuned!

In a league filled with roster restrictions and a salary cap, there’s an argument to be made that MLS academies are just as, if not more important, to their clubs as the legendary academies we think of. Having Homegrown and academy players fill out rosters, become starters, and potentially be transferred to bigger clubs is crucial to achieving sustainable success in the MLS.

Teams like the Philadelphia, Dallas, and the New York Red Bulls have shown the rest of the league what they can strive to create. For a comparatively new club like Charlotte FC, establishing a clear pathway from academy to MLS Next Pro to the first team helps raise the floor and sets the stage for sustainable development.

Brian Romero signed the club’s first Homegrown contract in 2022, followed by Nimfasha Berchimas in 2023. There has been less written about another Homegrown player who recently made his MLS debut - Jack Neeley.

Subscribe now

From the inaugural academy class to a Homegrown contract

Jack is known around the club as a young player with exceptional poise on the ball. This hasn’t happened by accident, as you’ll read, and it has taken a lot of work. This work was started by his parents, both former soccer players, before he was even conscious of it. “My parents introduced me to soccer as soon as I could start walking. I was always kicking a ball around the house,” he explained.

He started playing organized soccer at age four and explained, “From there it was my obsession, and every year I didn't try any other sports. It was soccer the whole time.” I always love to ask defenders and goalies if they started in that position (most rarely do), and the same was true for Jack. Because he was comfortable on the ball and could kick it harder than all the other kids, he played forward. Despite scoring in bunches in the attack, he progressively made his way back into a holding midfield role, and by U13, he was playing center back.

Unlike many young players, Jack wasn’t obsessed with watching teams, nor did he gravitate to famous players. “I just liked playing. I didn't really care about any of that stuff, I just played because I thought it was fun,” he shared. As time passed, Jack thought his path would likely consist of playing in college, where he would later hope to be drafted. Something happened that changed everything. An MLS club was starting in Charlotte, his hometown.

Before the Crown’s inaugural season in 2022, they started their academy, and Jack was part of the first class of players. It wasn’t always easy playing in the academy. There are lots of young players who get the opportunity to join academies around the world, but the reality is that the majority won’t make it to the first team. From my time covering the game and talking with players, there are a handful of key traits that I see in those who make the jump. One of them is grit (or grinta, as the Italians and Mauricio Pochettino say).

“I've had some adversity in soccer. I mean, I wasn’t always the best player, the most physically athletic player on every team. Having the fight and proving that I belong on every team has been important. And I feel like that's one of the reasons why I'm here,” he explained.

That grinta paid off during his time with the academy, and he started playing up with the first team in the 2023 preseason at just 18 years old. During that time, he faced off against legendary players like Chicharito and Christian Benteke. He didn’t back down…he held his own and it showed. Shortly after, he signed as the club’s third-ever professional Homegrown contract in 2023. I asked him to reflect on that moment,

“It was special…I grew up in Charlotte…I knew that it was something I wanted to be involved with, and I wanted to be here so my family could see me play…and when I signed, everything went so quickly, and my parents had me step back and kind of enjoy the moment. We had a dinner to celebrate, but I was all over the place, talked to an agent, talked to the club, signed a contract, announced it, all that. And then I was already playing my first game for Crown Legacy. So it happens so quickly sometimes it's hard to understand what's going on and how special it can be.”

A few years removed from those days, I asked Jack if there was anything he would go back and share with his younger self in the academy. “I would tell myself this for sure, just calm down. I feel like I was so anxious all the time, like I have to be perfect, I have to impress everybody…just calm down. It's all going to work out.”

Captaining Crown Legacy

The creation of MLS Next Pro and Crown Legacy came about at just the right time for Jack and the group of academy players around him. How important is this league? Jack thinks it’s invaluable, “We need that bridge between the academy and the first team. As the league gets better, that bridge becomes harder to make. So I think MLS Next Pro is very important.”

His time with Crown Legacy has allowed him to gain experience at a higher and more professional level. “A lot of the time, I had just played guys that were my age. And so that was the first year I was playing people who were older, faster, stronger, and smarter than me. Having that experience and getting a lot of minutes under my belt was really important,” he explained.

Over the last two seasons, Jack has been a mainstay for Crown Legacy and has had the honor of wearing the armband as captain for the 2025 season. We spoke a lot about how that came about, and he shared:

“The club wants me to be that leader. And I think part of that comes with the position as well. A lot of the time, you see captains are center backs or holding midfielders. You know, there are a couple of outliers that are forwards, but usually it's those that can see the entire field. They have to communicate to the entire field. And it just naturally comes with that. And then having the coaches like Jose [Tavares] and Kevin [Sawchak], and Gary [Dicker], who want to push me into that because they've been there. They know what it takes, and they've seen other players have to grow into that. Because it's not easy being that leader.”

Spending so much time practicing with the first team over the years, Jack has been able to catch different things from veterans around the club. He spoke about looking up to Ashley Westwood and the way he leads in training. He spoke of Tim Ream, who isn’t the captain, but leads by example and has taught him what it takes to be a leader, even when you aren’t wearing the armband.

In a recent Crown Legacy matchup versus Inter Miami II, Jack showed exactly why the coaching staff has him leading the team. In that back-and-forth game, he tied the game up from the penalty spot. Towards the end of the game, Crown Legacy earned another penalty, and Jack stepped up again with a chance to ice the game.

Taking multiple spot kicks in one game can be a challenge…the mind games are ruthless. Jack explained, “We practice pens in training, and we've been to several shootouts…so it's not a foreign feeling to me…on the second one, I decided to go the same direction. I just didn't want to give him a chance, so that's why I wanted to put it high, hit it hard, and not give him a chance, regardless if he goes the right way or not.” As you’ll see below, he stepped up and roofed the ball to seal the victory.

On the strides he hopes to continue making this year with Crown Legacy, Jack outlined:

“I'm always working on everything. Some of the aerial stuff is important. I've had a couple of chances and I'd like to score some goals with my head. It's easier defending with your head and to just go and kind of you pick a direction in the field and you're like, hey, anywhere will do over there. But attacking, you’ve got to be a little more precise. And I feel like that's something I need to work on. It'll make me more important to the team and the club. If I can stop goals and also score goals.”

He also spoke about is being more physical because he knows first-team football is faster and it’s a big leap. He explained, “It's just, you know, you're defending a couple of guys who are 20 or rookies out of the college, and then you’ve got to go in and defend against Zaha. It's a big jump.”

Share ConcaCorner

Breaking into the first team

In recent years, the U.S. Open Cup has been a place for younger player in MLS to cut their teeth at the highest level. Last month, Charlotte FC played in-state foes North Carolina FC in the Round of 32. Jack was named in the roster on the bench to start the game. “Going into the game, I had no expectations at all of even touching the field…I was there if they needed me,” he revealed.

As the game went into extra time, players were wearing out and Charlotte FC needed to hold their lead and close the game out. They called Jack’s name and he made his first-team debut. About that night, he said: “They called my name. I was like, wow, this is pretty cool. But going out there, I didn't feel scared or anything. I felt like I was prepared for it. I thought I was going to be nervous going into it. I was like, oh man, I don't want to be too nervous. Then going into it, I didn't feel nervous. I felt pretty confident that it was within my abilities and I was going to be able to take care of business like I needed to.”

Jack showed a lot of poise to make his debut in an elimination game on the road in extra-time. On what that moment meant to him and his family:

“My parents have been pushing me since I was four years old and as soon as I could walk. Doing that for them was really important for me. All the time, money, just driving around, and the investment they've made for me, it is important to give back to them and prove that it wasn't all for nothing. That's why I do it, it's for them.”

As he has been able to train more with the first team, Jack has the opportunity to glean wisdom from a strong group of center backs. On Andrew Privett, “He's very clean and he takes care of the job…he just does his job so solid.” On Adilson Malanda, “His passing ability is really good. His defensive ability is incredible. So I’m trying to learn that, but he also has an edge to him that I'm trying to learn about…he's not a captain either, but he's a leader out there on the field. He's kind of grown into that over the last couple of years.”

He also has the opportunity to learn from veterans Tim Ream and Bill Tuiloma who have also played at the highest levels for their national teams. On Ream, “He's been in the Premier League. He's been at the peak of everyone's game that we all want to be at, and he's been able to really teach me.” Having this group around him has played a key role in his development.

From Jack’s perspective, consistency has been key to getting opportunities in the first team. Not just for him, but he thinks it is crucial for any young player to show consistency to the staff, “Everybody should know what it takes to get to that level. Because we're always talking about it. It's the biggest part. I think it is always the consistency…so for the young guys to build that trust with the first team, you’ve got to be consistent. Then the coaches are going to know what you're going to be able to give in the game is what you're giving in training.”

When we sat down for this interview, it was shortly after that Open Cup debut. We talked about what his goals were now that he made that appearance. He shared:

“I want to play in the first team and become a starter, that is the ultimate goal. I'm not too worried about what lies beyond that right now because I'm not there yet. Getting into the squad is going to be important, making sure I'm on the bench a lot, learning, seeing what that game day is like…and then you know, as time goes on, be more consistent and then start getting into the squad, coming on subbing. If somebody gets injured, maybe I'm the one that needs to be called upon for that. And then just be more consistent, more minutes under my belt, understand what the league's about, defending better players consistently and then becoming a starter at some point is the main goal.”

Just a few days after our interview, Jack found himself on the bench for an MLS matchup versus the Columbus Crew. With the Crown holding onto a 3-2 lead and right-back Nick Scardina needing a sub, Jack was indeed the one who was called upon and he made his MLS debut! A huge step in his career as these appearances are a lot tougher to get than early round Open Cup games.

I asked manager Dean Smith about Jack’s debut after the match. Check out his comments below and hear what position Dean thinks he could have a future at:

I connected with Jack after the game to get his thoughts on the night. On making his debut in front of the home crowd, “I couldn’t ask for anything better. I have been working at this club for five years towards this and my dream finally came true…from sitting in that crowd as a young kid in the academy to then play in front of that same crowd…the story writes itself.”

I asked about how it felt debuting in MLS compared to his Open Cup appearances. On this bigger stage, he shared, “As far as on the field it was the same, when you get on the field you get into a zone, focus on the game, and everything drowns out. But on the bench you hear the crowd cracking, it was insane and that really got to me. This is a huge opportunity that I have in front of me and I can’t wait to take it if it comes to me and thankfully it did.”

With Charlotte FC continuing to struggle with injuries across the backline and other players missing MLS action while playing with their national teams, don’t be surprised if Jack gets his name called a few more times. The club recently announced adding Jack to a short-term agreement with the first team. Off-roster Homegrown Players are allowed to be called into the roster throughout the season and appear in up to six matches.

In Jack’s own words

Whenever I get the chance to interview players, especially those who haven’t been in the spotlight for too long, I like to do a lightning round of questions to help fans get to know them a bit more:

How would your teammates describe Jack Neeley?

“They tell me that I'm pretty funny, which I think I'm just being myself and people find that funny. I think my dad's funny. So I think part of that is him coming out through me. On the field, I'd say on the ball, I'm, pretty calm. I'm composed on the ball. Then in training, sometimes I have a little edge to me. I get on players and sometimes maybe more than I need to, but I think it's good for the team. Personally, I think it's good for everybody to keep everyone sharp and understand where the level's at.”

Dream goal celebration?

“I think everybody wants this because it's just like the most satisfying thing in the world. You score, I don't know, maybe on the road or you score in front of a packed out stadium. Got the nice grass, it's got a little bit of moisture on it. You hit a sick knee slide and people are cheering. That'd be unbelievable.”

If you weren't a professional soccer player, what would you want to be?

“I think about this quite often. I've just gotten into golf the last two years. I know it's ridiculously hard to do, but that looks so much fun. I mean, they're on the road a lot, but that lifestyle and you don't have to do as much running as we do. Also, it looks really cool to be good at golf. I think that'd be really cool.”

Is there anything that playing soccer has taught you about yourself or anything playing soccer has taught you about life?

“Every coach has taught me about how much hard work is important and how much you put into things is what you're going to get out of it. And I feel like my dad's really helped with that. My dad has a million life lessons for me. And one of them is working hard. And then the results will come.”

Why do you play soccer? What does it mean to you? What is that motivation?

“I always just really enjoyed playing. I was never drawn to any other sport. I think there's just something satisfying about playing soccer, it just itches the right spot in my brain for me…and then the hard work, it gets you in great shape. I love it. I love the running around, working hard, being tired after a day. It makes you feel like you actually worked for something and you deserve to go and lay down for a little bit and maybe take a nap. I think it's the greatest sport ever. And then just seeing where it can take you is something else that makes you choose the sport. There's so many routes you can take, so many countries you can play in. If you want to play in another country, I think that option is there for sure.”

Share

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Jack a bit more. I am excited to see the opportunities he could get at Charlotte FC in the future. His journey from the academy to the first team is exactly how teams have designed the pathway and he can serve as an example to both younger players coming through the system and to the team itself as they invest more into the development setup at the club.

Earlier this week, the world changed forever. For many of us, there are events so profound that we measure our lives before and after them. If I had to guess, Volar’s introduction to the world could be this event for an unfathomable number of people. If you haven’t heard, our beloved region has a new mascot. For me, a mascot doesn’t encapsulate all that he is, so I’ll probably use the word hero.

In the official announcement from the confederation, we learned a bit about our newest champion. The official Marvel comic (which should be required reading for those of us in Concacaf) reveals more about his origin story, purpose, and mission. Today’s post will be a guide for you hopefully answer all the questions I assume you have about Volar.

The basic interrogatives

Before diving into the more nuanced queries, we need to start with the basics - you know, the “W” questions we all learned in school:

• Who? The confederation explains, “Volar is a symbol of unity and passion for Concacaf, embodying the deep connection between our 41 Member Associations and the ocean that links them…Volar is the ultimate guardian of Concacaf’s heart, championing our fans, cultures, and the unifying power of football, both on and off the pitch.”

• What? According to Concacaf, Volar is “a seabird guided by the spirit of the ocean on a mystic mission.” After diving into the comic and scouring the globe for other source material, it is clear that Volar is not just a seabird. He is an anthropomorphic creature with the ability to fly, speak multiple languages, swim, run, and most importantly, bend 30-yard free kicks around walls with incredible pace.

• When? While we just became aware of Volar’s existence a few days ago, it’s much harder to determine when Volar first took flight and when he became the hero of our region. In the comic origin story, it is clear that he has had encounters with humans in at least 11 member nations and has visited a large majority of the other nations in Concacaf. Based on my extensive knowledge of Caribbean seabirds and other experts I have spoken with, Volar is likely in his early 30s (in anthropomorphic seabird years). Because this is the first we are hearing of him, he has likely only been active in his role for the last month or so. I guess I missed the LinkedIn announcement on that.

• Where? It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where Volar is from. Because he has been chosen as the Guardian of Concacaf by the water that binds the region together, it’s safe to say he doesn’t hail from any one nation (to avoid conflict). Therefore, he was likely spawned on an unclaimed island in the Caribbean or in neutral airspace above. Where is he now? Likely preparing for a hard-fought Sunday-league game in St. Kitts & Nevis.

• Why? This question borders on insulting. The better question is, why not Volar?

• Bonus: How? According to the official comic, Volar was just a normal seabird who dove into the Caribbean Sea chasing a fish and stumbled across a whirlpool. He dove into it out of curiosity, saw the wonders of the Concacaf region and the beautiful game, and shot out of it fully transformed into the juggernaut that he is today.

Now that the introduction has been made, it’s time to dive into the findings of my extensive research to get into the information you won’t find via a simple Google search. This content is really for the Concacaf sickos - if you have made it this far, I assume you include yourself in that!

Subscribe now

Why is he named Volar?

According to Concacaf, “The Spanish name Volar means "to fly" in English, “voler” in French, and “vliegen” in Dutch. His name captures our collective ambition to reach new heights.” This is a great explanation of what his name means, but it does not tell us WHY that’s his name. I needed to know more.

After poring over thousands of seabird census records, I have narrowed it down to the three most likely scenarios:

1. Volar’s parents hail from one of the beaches of a Spanish-speaking nation of Concacaf (50% chance).

2. Volar’s mother was native to the Northern Coast of Honduras, while his father was a well-traveled bird that served as an ambassador across the region. In wanting to honor the family and traditions of the mother, he was given a Spanish name (40% chance).

3. Volar’s parents were birds that had traveled to touristy Mexican beaches a few times in their lives (but never left the resort). They took 5+ years of Spanish in school that has equipped them to fumble through an order of food in a restaurant, and they always like to tell other birds, “I understand a lot of Spanish but don’t speak it”. They were hipsters and wanted their son to have a Spanish name so they would have a cool story to tell (10% chance).

Is Volar a polyglot?

It’s clear from the comic that Volar converses well in English and French. Depending on the answer to the previous question, he could be fluent in Spanish, but at the very least, he is conversational enough to get around Latin America, per the comic. Because he is the heart and soul of the confederation, we can assume that his Dutch is good enough to get by. If he isn’t fluent, he will be in no time!

Is Volar related to Capitán from the 2024 Copa America?

Some of you may recall the mascot from last year’s Copa America - Capitán, the “eagle”. He represented various cultures around the Americas and was present at the tournament (although the real-life version was a bit unsettling; let’s hope they don’t make the same mistake with Volar)

Contrary to the chatter I’ve seen on the internet, they are NOT related. I know many were hoping that they were brothers or even distant primos, but the data I have seen doesn’t support it. While they aren’t related, I assume that they could become great allies of one another. In hindsight, Capitán didn’t resonate with the region or the fans and quickly went into hiding at the conclusion of the tournament. This is a great opportunity for Volar to take him under his wing and bring him back into the fold.

Is Volar left-wing or right-wing dominant?

This has been another heated argument online. Given that Volar is a superhero, I assume he is somewhat ambidextrous, but there is still the issue of his asymmetrical wings (since there are 41 feathers - one for every member nation). I spent a few hours before sunrise reviewing the various images of Volar and have determined he has at least 22 feathers on his left wing (leaving a maximum of 19 on his right wing).

This still doesn’t answer the question, though. Does he have more feathers on his left wing because it’s weaker and needs more support and stabilization, OR is it because it’s the stronger wing? My educated guess is that he is slightly left-wing dominant but not in the way that Messi is left-foot dominant. If Greenland is admitted to the confederation, I assume Volar will sprout another feather on his right wing to help even it all out.

Is Volar campaigning to be the 2026 World Cup Mascot?

We should certainly hope so! There was one supposed leak from 2022 of the mascots (which I don’t put much stock in) that featured Uncle Sam, a moose, and a cactus wearing a sombrero…problematic and disappointing on various levels. If the mascot is only going to incorporate the host nations (US, Mexico, and Canada), I think that is a big miss. Considering that Concacaf will have between 6 and 8 teams competing, the organizers need to think bigger.

While Volar would be an excellent choice, I doubt he will be selected. Based on what I’ve gathered of his character, he won’t bend to the wishes of FIFA and doesn’t want to be used as a prop for the tournament. Whoever or whatever the official mascot ends up being, it would be a good idea for them to glean wisdom from Volar. He understands the beautiful game in this incredible region better than most and seems more than willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.

What are Marvel’s plans with Volar?

It’s not lost on anyone that the Marvel/Disney partnership has fallen on hard times. After Avengers: Endgame, the content produced has been met with mixed reviews. As soon as Volar was announced and the comic was dispersed, rumors began to swirl about his potential appearance in a Marvel project. There are a few directions Marvel could go with this:

1. A standalone feature film, Volar: The Fight for Unity

2. A Disney+ Series, Volar: The Making of Concacaf’s King

3. An entirely new cinematic universe focused on the beautiful game

If it were up to me (still hoping Feige and the Russo brothers will bring me in as an advisor), I would opt for a Disney+ series. The story of Volar will not fit into a 2-hour film; it just can’t. His origin story, accepting of his mission, and carrying it out needs to be told over a long-form limited series (preferably 8+ episodes). One major mistake Marvel made with The Eternals was trying to fit too much content into one film…it didn’t give the viewers enough time to care about the characters.

I would hate to see the same mistake happen with Volar. While he is Concacaf’s champion, he can be an inspiration to the entire world. Through a limited series, those outside of the region can get to know the beautiful nations he protects and be immersed in their unique cultures. What do you think?

Is Volar the hero needed to unify a divided region?

There’s no getting around it - we live in very tumultuous times. In the Concacaf region specifically, we have tensions and trade wars between the largest countries, ongoing disputes on borders and immigration between nations, and political division within countries. Can Volar do anything about this or help in any way?

As much as I have enjoyed poking fun at our confederation’s new mascot and teasing out some of the lore, I know this is a difficult season. I know the issues I mentioned are very real and very personal to so many of you reading (including for me and my family). It may seem like I have my head in the sand, but in a small way, I do think Volar can help us right now.

Soccer has always meant so much to so many in this region. Sometimes, it is just an escape from reality - a few hours playing or watching where we can enjoy the game. At other times, the beautiful game has brought people together across lines that usually divide us (age, gender, ethnicity, religion, political parties, etc). That is one of my favorite things about futbol, the way it unifies.

Can this game solve trade wars? Probably not. Can it reform immigration law? No. Can it erase ethnocentrism? Again, no. What can it do? I think it has a unique way of bringing people together from all over our region (and the world), and it allows us to be part of something bigger than ourselves. When we come together, it allows us to be more human and see the humanity in others.

If Volar can play a small part in that, he might just be a hero we can all rally around!

Share

Before becoming a coach, which as you’ll read was never on his radar, Donovan had a legendary career, amassing 100 caps for the Reggae Boyz, over 100 caps in English club football, and becoming one of the greatest goalkeepers the MLS has ever seen.

How did he crack into the national team? How did his move to England come about? What motivates him? We will discover all that and more - let’s dive in!

Subscribe now

Growing up in Montego Bay, going to a World Cup, and having an inextricable link to Brazil

Donovan was born into a family of 12 brothers and 5 sisters with a father who was into soccer. That is where his passion came from. Like anybody who loved soccer growing up in the 80s, there was only one person you wanted to emulate…Pelé. It was no different for Donovan - despite making his name as a goalkeeper, all he wanted to do as a kid was score goals like the legendary Brazilian.

There was just one problem: he wasn’t a great striker. He failed to make his U12 team. Since his brother made the team, Donovan would find himself at their practices from time to time. He shared, “Then one evening, the goalie didn't show up. And the coach at the time said, ‘Hey, you want to jump in?’ Just stand in goal for us. So I went in, and I had fun, man…I did everything. The following day, I went back, sat where I used to sit, and the coach said, ‘Hey, what are you doing? Get in goal.’ So that’s how it started.”

Despite finding joy and success in between the posts, when high school tryouts came around, Donovan went out for striker again…this time, he made it! This didn’t last long as he explained, “I came off the bench, and I missed the easiest goal in the world. The easiest goal and the coach said, you're never getting back on the field. I said, Well, funny enough, I used to be a goalie. So I went back in the goal after that and I have stayed ever since.”

Most in Jamaica during that time consumed their football content through a Sunday afternoon program that would show English football (usually Manchester United or Liverpool). Accessing these games and watching one player in particular helped Donovan catch a glimpse of where the beautiful game could take him.

“We got a TV…so now we started to see people on TV. And I remember Johnny Barnes played for Liverpool, and you know, he has a Jamaican background. So from then on, I started to dream that, hey, maybe we can get there too. So it started just by getting a TV and watching soccer on TV.”

After high school, Donovan had the chance to attend university while playing professionally for local clubs. He was one of the fortunate ones to make a bit of money while playing - it’s hard to imagine how many talented players out there cannot continue their dreams because of the economic realities in the Concacaf region.

During this season, he started getting opportunities with the U20 team in the Jamaican National Team setup. “It was a dream. Locally, every single person wanted to represent the national team because when you come back to your community, it's like your godlike status once you come back because you're a national representative”, he shared.

Brazilian manager René Simões was leading the Reggae Boyz at the time, and he came to watch the U20s play one Saturday. After the game, he approached Donovan and explained that the senior team was leaving for a trip to Brazil on Monday, and he wanted Donovan to join.

I asked him to share if he remembered what he felt at that moment: “You can't put it into words because you left your house to go play like an under-20 game. And after the game, it's like the national coach came to you and he's like, you're going to Brazil…on the ride back home it's like no talking, no words, because I just couldn't believe it.”

After that trip, Ricketts was a part of every team - including the Jamaican team that qualified for the 1998 World Cup. While he was a reserve keeper for that tournament, it is still the highlight of his career!

“From dreaming, to wanting to be like Pelé…then like the biggest soccer tournament on earth. You're a part of that tournament that you've seen on TV all your life. So it was amazing. We enjoyed the entire journey. I think the highlight of the tournament, even though we lost five to zero, was playing against Argentina to see all those international players…and to top it off, we won the game against Japan to make it an even better experience. You could not tell us anything. It's like we won the World Cup.”

After that World Cup, he spent the next several years playing for the Reggae Boyz and the domestic league in Jamaica. In October 2003, Jamaica traveled to England to face defending World Cup champions, Brazil, in a friendly. The Seleção didn’t send their backups; they sent their stars: Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Kaka, Cafu, and Roberto Carlos.

Being the opposing keeper against that lineup was nerve-wracking enough but it was made worse by Ricketts’ roommate. “Before the game, my roommate said to me, I feel sorry for you today, my friend. You're going to get battered. Imagine your teammate saying this to you,” he shared. Despite his teammate’s lack of confidence, Donovan explained to him, “There are two things that can happen. One, people can say, well, he was no good anyway. Or they're going to say, this is the best goalie we've ever seen in our lives.”

Outside of one of the most vintage Roberto Carlos goals you will ever see, Ricketts shut down the Brazilians and made several saves that got the crowd on their feet. The announcers that day declared him man of the match, and he caught the attention of numerous pundits.

A Sky Sports article after the game shared: “The score would have been heavier but for the heroics of Donovan Ricketts in the Jamaican goal…Ricketts continuously pulled off fine saves to restrict the Samba stars to a single goal at The Walkers Stadium” and my personal favorite describing his save after Ronaldo was sure to score, “The busy Ricketts undoubtedly pulled off his best save though from Ronaldo, who with his back to goal, sent two would-be defenders the wrong way with a neat little drag back inside the area and looked to pass it past Ricketts but the over-worked custodian stuck out an arm to frustrate his opponents for the umpteenth time.”

Below, you can find his highlights from the game:

@chung.lee_jaListen to what Donovan Ricketts had to say at the end! 🇯🇲 Jamaica vs Brazil 🇧🇷 2003 #ReggaeBoyz #JamaicaLandWeLove

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

Reflecting on what he told his teammate pregame, Donovan explained, “Well, I wasn't the best goalie they've seen in their lives, but I had a very, very outstanding game. And I think that game kickstarted everything.”

Share ConcaCorner

Moving to England and braving the cold

Following his spectacular showing against Brazil, Donovan went on trial with various clubs in England and ended up signing with Premier League side Bolton Wanderers. As we discussed the transition, the misconception that players from Concacaf will struggle with the football in England came up. Most think it takes time to get used to the speed of play or the higher technical level, but that was not the case for Donovan. “The football was no problem because we played with the national team. We've seen different nations. We've seen different types of game, different speed, different everything. So the game wasn't the problem. It was just the culture and also the weather” he explained.

The weather and the culture could both be described as cold…a stark contract to life in Jamaica. “English humor is different from any other humor. So, yeah, just the culture and the weather was the biggest factor overall, because you can't feel your toes. You can't feel your fingers, your lips. Everything is numb.” He was thankful that his international teammate, Ricardo Gardner, was already with the club to help him settle into life in the UK. He shared, “There were no bad days, No bad days. It was freezing cold. Not what I'm used to, but that did not faze me one bit because I was so happy to be there.”

Things did not go as planned for him at Bolton Wanderers and he was loaned out to League One side Bradford City. After being a reserve keeper for most of the season, he started their final four games and leveraged that into a permanent move to the club.

His time at Bradford was marked by his relationship with manager Colin Todd. Donovan shared, “He took me under his wing like I was his son. that was to me that that was a part of the reason why I settled so quickly in Bradford.” Despite dealing with various injuries, Ricketts amassed over 100 caps over four seasons including a run of 80 straight league games.

During the end of his time at Bradford, they were relegated to League 2 and Queens Park Rangers (who were playing in the Championship at that time) lined up a move to acquire Ricketts. Unfortunately the deal fell through because of work permit issues and he returned to Bradford. Given their relegation and other financial turmoil, they wanted to cut his salary even further.

He returned to Bradford and was mostly kept out of the team. After attempting to return from international duty with Jamaica later that season, he was sent back due to further work permit and paperwork issues. It was not going to be possible to get a new work permit, so he made the decision to return home to Jamaica.

Reflecting on his time in England, he shared with me:

“Now looking back, you see all these places and the teams that you've played and some are even in the Premiership right now, like Brighton and Bournemouth…So those are just the things that you look back and you say, I played in those stadiums or played against those teams. Because trust me, on the journey, you're just focused on the day-to-day activities of just trying to get better, trying to do everything. It's when you stop playing, you look back and then the memories start flooding back. And now you can be like, I really played against this team and those players.”

Hollywood called and accolades followed

Back home, Ricketts continued to train with the national team and even played a few games with one of his former clubs, Village United. After one game he played with the national team, someone told him that Bruce Arena wanted to talk with him. “I'm like, all right, where's the phone?” he shared but it turned out Bruce was there in person. “So Bruce came to watch the game and he said we're interested in taking you to the Galaxy and I'm like, say less".”

Toronto FC were also interested in his services, but after talking with his teammate Tyrone Marshall (who had played for both clubs) he decided LA was his best option. After freezing for years in England, being in Southern California was a welcomed change, “Now I'm going to where movies are made, man. I'm going to LA” he said.

He joined a star-studded team in 2009 with the likes of David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Edson Buddle. The team rolled through the season and won the Western Conference with Ricketts starting most of their games. After keeping a clean sheet in their conference final win, they faced off against Real Salt Lake in the 2009 MLS Cup.

Minutes into the second half, Donovan sustained a hand injury during a collision in the box. After carrying on for 20 more minutes, he was ultimately pulled from the game and the Galaxy went on to lose on penalties. This served as fuel and motivation for the 2010 season as the Galaxy won the Supporter’s Shield and Ricketts shut down the league with a club record 11 clean sheets and won the 2010 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award.

Although they didn’t win MLS Cup in 2010, the team reloaded and won the 2011 MLS Cup and Supporter’s Shield. Unfortunately for Donovan, he struggled with injuries throughout the year and appeared in less than half the club’s games. He was traded to Montreal at the end of the season.

Montreal was beginning their first season in MLS and for a variety of reasons, it wasn’t the right fit for Ricketts. He explained, “To be fair, my performances weren't like what they knew I could do. So there was a little bit of disconnect right there. I went to Jesse Marsch and I said, hey, it's not working out. I just, I need to be traded.” During the summer transfer window, he was traded to the Portland Timbers and he got his groove back!

After winning the starting job and helping secure the club the 2012 Cascadia Cup, he was ready to make an impact in his first full season. The Timbers added Diego Valeri in the preseason and that added offensive firepower paired with Ricketts having one of the best seasons for a goalie in MLS history, Portland won the Western Conference and made a run to the MLS Cup semifinals. For his part, Donovan was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year for the second time. At one point, he was even getting MVP chatter that year! We discussed how the move to Portland changed his career:

“It was like I found like a family. The players, they were like family. So that gave me another drive. It just brought everything back. So that was just the change. It wasn't the right time for me to be my best at Montreal. And once I went to Portland and then I found a family, like Futty Danso, Pa-Modou Kah, Rodney Wallace, and Darlington Nagby…So you're happy and you play the best football if you're alive, man.”

Another piece of that family atmosphere at the club…the fans! He mentioned the importance of the fans in Portland (which are considered some of the best in the league). The final piece of that puzzle was the manager, Caleb Porter, who had a profound impact on his time there. In a piece from the Timbers during that time he explained: “He gives you the confidence to go out there and express yourself…So that’s the reason why I’m here, it makes you want to try to repay the manager you play for.”

After playing another full season with the Timbers, Donovan was drafted by Orlando City SC in the expansion draft. After starting in goal for their inaugural MLS game, he played 9 more games before being brought back to the LA Galaxy by Bruce Arena. After having a renaissance year with the Galaxy at age 38, Ricketts retired as one of the greatest keepers in league history!

“I think there was a lot left on the table” with the Reggae Boyz

Before we wrapped up discussing his playing career, we talked about the rest of his career with Jamaica. From Gold Cup runs that fell short to his historic showing at the Azteca in 2013 where his Herculian clean sheet and helped earn the first ever point in Mexico for the Reggae Boyz.

When you play in Concacaf for as long as he did, you get to see it all. Often, fans of other confederations have no idea how difficult it can be to play in this region (especially during World Cup Qualifying). From the brutal heat in Central America, to water-logged fields in the Caribbean, to hostile crowds at many stops, it isn’t for the faint of heart.

Donovan shared, “It's a different environment, man. People throwing coins, people throwing all sorts of things. It's hostile. It's like you're in hostile territory. It's like really like you're at war. So that was one of the good things about the play in Concacaf. It's like it's war. But after the game, it's like we're just one people. Like it's just one Concacaf people. But for the game, it's war. That's the beauty of it.” That is probably one of my favorite descriptions of our confederation.

He reminisced on the talent and opportunities that Jamaica had during his 16-year tenure:

“I think there was a lot left on the table, because we played on talented teams with talented individuals…sometimes people bring egos with them from where they are. So there were ego clashes and all that. But I know every single player should have or will have regrets about the times that we spent in the national team because we could have created a bigger legacy than what we had because we shouldn't have just been to one World Cup…we could have been at multiple World Cups…in the end, it seems like we did a lot but we know we could have done a lot more.”

I had to ask about Jamaica’s current team (as I feel they are at risk of having the very same regrets his generation had). On their chances of reaching the 2026 World Cup, “I think this is our best chance yet. Because there's no Mexico to compete with. There's no USA and no Canada to compete with…Jamaica has assembled one of the better teams that we've had in a long time. So on paper, the talent is there.”

I think most would agree that the current Reggae Boyz are one of the most talented teams in the region (especially at the top-end of their roster). What will take them to the next step? He told me, “I think they just need to understand what that would mean for the country as a whole and just have that one single-minded vision to get to the World Cup. I think we would make it if they come together and just share that one common goal and be hungry to make it.”

Fighting stigmas and paving paths as a manager

As their playing careers wind down, many athletes already have their transition to the coaching ranks set up (and some even obtain licenses before retirement). This was not the case for Donovan. Why? Coaching meant dealing with players, and because he was a player he knew that dealing with different personalities, egos, and cultures is a tough job. He had no plans of entering the managerial ranks.

What changed for him? “It's the love for the game. And once you take that break, you start missing everything about the game. You start missing those needy people as well. So it's like, once you just stop and you take a break, then you're like, damn, I guess this is my calling” he explained.

He was living in Atlanta at the time and Emory University was looking for a goalie coach - so he jumped in! He began to really enjoy being back around the game and imparting his wisdom to the next generation of players. He went on to join FC Tulsa as their keeper coach and continued to add new tools to his repertoire through experience and coaching licenses.

During his time with FC Tulsa he earned to opportunity to be the interim head coach after they parted ways with Michael Nsien. This experience was crucial for Donovan and allowed him to oversee the whole team. This assignment also provided the opportunity to push back on the stigma that goalies don’t make good managers. Outside of Nuno Espírito Santo, Julen Lopetegui, and Bruce Arena, it is rare to find former keepers who become managers, let alone managers at the highest levels.

Donovan and I spoke at length about this stigma and why it’s merits are unfounded. He shared:

“I think it's a stigma that comes with the position. I think people say, you're a goalie, you're not on the field. But it's the opposite. We see everything on the field. And you have to organize every single section of the field, have to tell the wing backs when to go, when to tuck in, the midfield when to step, who to press, who to cover. The only persons you're not showing to are the strikers because they're so far away. You're organizing everything in front and you're seeing everything. So I don't know where that stigma came from, how that stigma started.

But I think that's why most goalies do not become coaches or head coaches, because of the stigma that comes with it…so for me, it's like once you start coaching, then everything starts to flood back to you. Now you can see the entire pitch, how you used to see it and how you want people to move…So all that experience just comes flooding back. So it's like you were made to be a coach.”

After his stint as the interim manager to finish the season, Ricketts stayed on the staff of the incoming manager. Ahead of the 2024 season, a new opportunity was brought to his attention by former Reggae Boyz teammate, Andy Williams, on a Zoom call with other former national team players. Andy started as the head scout at MLS Next Pro expansion side Carolina Core FC - they were looking for a goalkeeping coach. Donovan had been considering a change after 7 years in Tulsa. He sent his resume to Eddie Pope (Chief Sporting Officer, former USMNT player) and he got the gig.

In addition to Eddie and Andy, a few more Concacaf legends (Amado Guevara and Roy Lassiter) were also part of the project. On whether old stories of previous battles against one another as players ever come up, Donovan shared “It comes up every now and again. It's like you have a random flashback and you talk about it. But the only person that first started the conversation was Amado. And he came with his phone with a video of a PK that he scored against me in a national team game.”

As a Concacaf sicko, I would love to be part of that coaching room!

While they didn’t achieve some of their highest ambitions, it was still a successful season in many ways for the expansion club. Donovan built a great community and connection with the goalies which was crucial the improved performances down the stretch. This piece from the club showcasing the keepers speaks volumes to the mix of expertise and humility he brought to the group. These are just a few of the reasons he was the right fit to succeed Lassiter as head coach for the club.

Not only does this hire continue to help dispel the stigmas around former goalies as managers, it also continues to pave the path for former players from the Caribbean. In the last few years, we have seen the likes of Dwight Yorke (Trinidad & Tobago), Stern John (Saint Lucia), Ezra Hendrickson (St. Vincent & the Grenadines, formerly Chicago Fire), and Atiba Harris (St. Kitts & Nevis FA) rise to similar positions. Given this, I wanted to know if Donovan felt like a trailblazer of sorts for other aspiring managers from the Caribbean.

“Yeah, you can say that because just like we go back to the beginning, how we saw a John Barnes on TV and then we said, OK, that's what we want to be. We can do it. Now it's like we're opening up the international borders. Now we're not just doing it inside the Caribbean. We're now outside the Caribbean doing it. So I think it gives people that confidence to say, maybe we can be that we can do that, too. I think it opens the eyes and the vision of the other coaches to say, these guys are Jamaican, these guys are from Trinidad, and they're making their mark elsewhere. So maybe we can do it too.”

With this trailblazer status also comes the pressure to make the most of these opportunities. He spoke about the importance of turning these opportunities into success stories and not just another story - just like they did when they played. Their play opened doors for players, now the hope is their success can do the same for other Caribbean coaches. He explained, “Now people are seeing the Caribbean in a different way…so now it's up to the coaches that are involved right now to make their mark so they know that, these coaches can actually do the job. And then other coaches start getting the same opportunities.”

What are his plans with this new opportunity at Carolina Core FC this season? He believes paying more attention to the smaller details is crucial. The club finished the season very strong but a lot of dropped points throughout the year cost them a playoff spot.

He elaborated, “It's not about wholesale changes. It's just paying more attention to smaller details that we know little things that cost us points last season. How do we fix those things?…Now we have to put that work in to get to where we want to be…We have to show up in the little details because we missed the playoffs by a point or two. Now, if we pay attention to smaller details, now we start picking up points because those are vital. So it's not a lot of changes, but just more on the details.”

Player development is another key tenet for the entire Carolina Core project and for Donovan. He, along with many other staff members, have represented their national teams and played at the highest levels and that experience is such a valuable asset for young players to lean on. This development of the next generation of players is one if his “whys” for coaching. He shared:

“I think it's the love for the game and all the knowledge that you've garnered on the journey. You just want to get that knowledge out…So while I'm involved, I just want to be give all the knowledge I have and at the same time to see the team that you're coaching be the best that they can be. So that's just my why, just my love for the game and all this knowledge that's in my head. I just want it out.”

As Carolina Core FC prepares to kick off the their second season, there is a lot of excitement around the club. The fanbase in the North Carolina Triad is dedicated (they had the second highest attendance in MLS Next Pro in 2024), the players are settling in and the momentum they finished the season with has given them confidence to make a playoff push in 2025.

As we wrapped up our time, Donovan shared his message for the fans ahead of the new campaign:

“Come out and expect a team that's going to play their all for 90 minutes. We'll never promise a victory, but we promise that we'll give everything we have on every single game day. Everything we have because we know people take time away from whatever they're doing to buy the tickets, to spend their money, to go watch a product. And we want them to leave knowing that these guys tried their very best. To make sure the fans leave with a good product.”

I am very excited to see if Carolina Core FC can take the next step this year under Ricketts and if you are in the Carolinas, consider getting over to High Point for a game - you won’t regret it!

Before we wrap up, the gamers out there might be interested to know that off the pitch, Donovan enjoys playing Call of Duty on Xbox. If you find yourself at a game, maybe you can get his gamertag. If he’s half as good at Warzone as he was in between the posts, you’ll probably lose!

Share

Those who subscribe to ConcaCorner may have noticed something - I haven’t been in your inbox for a while. While there are numerous reasons for that, the primary one is that I am working on a new project! Most of the time I have available for ConacConer has been spent reading, researching, and procuring interviews for a new project!

The Football War/Guerra del fútbol also referred to as the “100 Hour War” was the name given to the armed conflict between Honduras and El Salvador in 1969. Before the onset of the war, the countries faced off in a series of qualifiers for the 1970 World Cup. The matches consisted of rioting in the stands, political statements before the games, and intense battles on the pitch.

If you have any awareness of this war or do brief searches online, it is clear that the war was not started because two countries obsessed with soccer faced off to attempt to qualify for their first World Cup … it was much deeper than that.

Sport is one of the things in this world that can be used by people to promote national and international unity, connect communities as a universal language, and create platforms for change. Because of its power and influence, it can also be used by people and governments as a propaganda tool to divide and set people against each other. As I will delve into this project, there was a lot of the latter at play in this conflict.

Soccer became a tool to stoke a fire that was already burning for the decades leading up to the war. A fire that was started by outside intervention, land disputes, xenophobia, media propaganda, and much more that we will explore together.

Subscribe now

You might be asking, why put in the time to tell a story about something from 50+ years ago? Several reasons:

• Understanding history (especially the parts that are overlooked or untold) is important for us to have context for past events.

• This conflict had lasting effects on both nations along with the region at large that can help us understand why things are the way they are today.

• We can learn from the dangers of what led up to this conflict as many of the themes are still at play today in the region and around the globe.

• Many simply don’t know or choose to ignore the impact that US corporate and government involvement has on this region and this war specifically.

• A reminder for us to use the beautiful game to connect and unite across barriers rather than using it to reinforce them.

I am still working through the best format to release this long-form project. As of today, I am leaning toward a narrative podcast with written transcripts for those who prefer to read it, but it may end up being a fully written format.

I also want to invite you all to be a part of this project. Many of you are not only fans of the beautiful game in the Concacaf region but also have deep connections and ties to the people and places throughout. If there is something I should read or listen to as part of my research or someone I should connect with and interview, please let me know!

Lastly, it isn’t lost on me that many of the topics covered in this series are sensitive and potentially controversial. The events of this conflict impacted real people in real places. My intent, as always, is to present the information and discuss the past and present consequences with the utmost respect.

I look forward to bringing this to you in 2025! In the meantime, there may be a handful of posts and interviews but not at the level you may be accustomed to. Thank you in advance for your patience as I work on this project!

Share ConcaCorner

I had the chance to connect with the Carolina Core midfielder this summer to talk about growing up in Antigua, moving to England, representing his national team as a teenager, and what he hopes for the future!

The Kid from Antigua

Drake enjoyed growing up on a small Caribbean island, “It was amazing, all my family are there. Definitely super island life … so everything is quite laid back. I wouldn’t want to grow up anywhere else. It was a blessing to grow up there” he says.

One of his uncles got him a soccer ball for his third birthday. Once he got that ball at his feet, “It’s just been history” he said. A few years later he joined a local club, North Coast FC, and this is where he developed and fell in love with the beautiful game.

He enjoyed playing with his friends at the club and the rivalries they built with other clubs on the island. He explained, “That built a really competitive spirit within me and I really enjoyed that time there.” During his time at North Coast FC, at just 6 or 7 years old, Drake figured out he wanted to play professionally.

“From the moment I started to play with North Coast, my dreams have always been to make it to the top … so from a young age, I put my head down to get to work to accomplish that goal.”

Drake’s ability and drive began to catch the attention of those outside of Antigua. By the time he was 9, he was spending his summers in England playing with a grassroots club called Ace Academy. This was a game-changer for Drake, “I would play with the older players … and that helped build almost a mentality of, you know, it doesn't matter how old you are, you can dominate at a higher level. And that helped really push my development” he says.

Before long, the kid from the Caribbean was making his mark in England and some of the biggest clubs in the country took notice. When he was 12, West Ham United invited him to an eight-week trial - it was a dream come true!

Subscribe now

Signing with West Ham United

While every youth player feels the pressure of a Premier League trial, Drake faced an added layer of difficulty … he’s not British. Daniel Rogerson, president of Drake’s boyhood club, explained: “This is such a massive achievement in itself because West Ham under-13s have 18 spots available in their squad; in England alone, there are literally thousands of boys who have that dream to be where Drake is today, and it’s extremely difficult and that’s putting it mildly, to get looked at, to get a trial is difficult.”

This did not phase Drake, “I always have full confidence in my ability and I did at a young age so going in I had the mindset that I was going to get signed that I was the best player there” he explained. The highlight of Drake’s trial with West Ham was a goal against Arsenal’s academy. It wasn’t just a goal though, he fired a strike from between the 18-yard box and the halfway line!

I asked Drake about this goal and he grinned from ear to ear, “You see a smile on my face because that was an amazing memory. That solidified the signing for sure. I was doing well in training, etc. But that was an amazing moment” he said.

After that performance, Drake signed with West Ham’s academy just a week into the trial. He became the first Antiguan in a decade to sign for an England-based club! On making history, “It was huge for me, huge for my family because I don't just do this for myself. I really do this to represent my family and represent my country. So it was a very proud moment for sure.”

Making history also meant leaving home and leaving family behind. This is one of the most difficult things to do in life as an adult, even more so for a kid. Drake expanded on that and his time in England:

“Like anything, you have highs and lows … I can say it was very hard for me because I was very young and I was away from my family. So I was in England by myself. My family would come to visit time to time. But the homesickness was definitely a big thing for me.

But I think that allowed me to become mentally stronger. And that translated to the field. I would say the highs were the experience, going from Antigua to a big football country such as England. I developed a lot mentally and most definitely on the field.”

After three years in England with West Ham, Drake ran into some issues with obtaining a work permit (something that many players around the world face - a topic I am planning to cover in the future). Because he also had a U.S. passport, looking for opportunities there was his logical next step.

Representing the national team

Before we jump to Drake’s time in the U.S., he was accomplishing something else during his days in England - playing for the Antigua and Barbuda national team! Many around Concacaf first heard of Drake in 2022. News of a 14-year-old playing at the U-20 championship in Honduras quickly made its way around the internet.

Although it wasn’t a success on the pitch for the team, Drake shared, “I think that was a big moment for me. I was always playing up, but that was kind of the first time that I played up on a big stage … I think that gave me more confidence in myself to know that I can do this even though I was 14 at the time. It was a great experience and really good for me and my development.”

Anytime I get a chance to connect with players representing their national teams, hearing about the first time they put on the kit with the country’s crest never gets old. Drake explained, “It's definitely a proud feeling. You work so hard for moments like that, that when you put on that shirt, it almost gives you chills.” That surreal almost dreamlike feeling is consistent for players across the board.

Just a year later, Drake was called into the senior national team for the first time at 15. He knew this opportunity also came with the need to show he belonged: “Getting the call-up was amazing. A proud moment for me and my family. But I had to go in the mindset that I had to show my teammates that I was capable of playing with them at that high level. I had something to go in there and prove. And I think I came out of that stronger, better, and solidified myself within the national team setup” he said.

Speaking to Drake, you can tell how much he loves and appreciates where he comes from. The nature, the food, the people … it all means a lot to him! He shared about combating misconceptions about his nation and the Caribbean more widely. As with many dual nationals, there exists a natural tension. A love for where you’re from (or where your family is from) and opportunities with another nation that may also feel like home. This has been a theme for the last several stories I have published (see below).

The same is true for Drake Hadeed. Opportunities exist for him to represent the United States or Trinidad & Tobago and those talks are in very early stages. Drake is not in a rush though - at 16 he still has a lot of time to develop and weigh the options of this very important decision. I asked him about this and you can tell how tough this is to navigate:

“You know, it's definitely tough because there's no feeling like putting on the shirt for Antigua and Barbuda … I just have to go with my heart, you know, that's something very personal and meaningful to me. But we'll see. We'll see what comes … It's time to take a step back to kind of scope out the situation and once I make my decision, it's full commitment from there.”

No matter what Drake ultimately decides to do with his national team career, I will bring back words I wrote after Keyrol Figueroa decided to represent the US:

“The right decision as fans of the beautiful game is to support the player and to support whatever decision they decide is best for them and their future. The weight that dual nationals have to carry is one that few will ever understand. These weights are carried off the pitch from a young age at school and at home. These weights follow onto the pitch for players as they have to think through these decisions earlier and earlier. So while fans, including myself, will always have thoughts and reactions to a player’s decision when it comes to which country they represent, let us all remember to be mindful of how nuanced these decisions are, to support the player, and to be thankful for the ability for today’s athletes to have a choice when previous generations didn’t have the opportunity.”

Share ConcaCorner

Transition to the U.S.

After leaving England and searching for club opportunities in the U.S., Drake landed with one of the premier teams in the region, the Columbus Crew. In 2023 he appeared with both the U-15 and U-17 teams and settled into life in the States. We joked a bit about the weather in Columbus not being the best but something that London also prepared him for - both were a big change from the Caribbean weather he grew up with.

On his time in Columbus, Drake shared: “That was a good time for me. I think the main thing I got out of that was adapting to the U.S. style of football … lifestyle on and off the field … That was a really important time for me to get adapted to the U.S.”

That helped lay the foundation for Drake to take the next leap in his career. Last fall, he signed his first professional contract with Carolina Core FC (of MLS Next Pro) at just 15 years old! It was a dream come true for Drake and brought another level of motivation, “It was a big milestone, a big step, a proud moment again for my family and also to represent Antigua. But I think it was almost like one of those other milestones where it's ‘look you've gotten here, now the focus is to get to the next level.’ So my mind quickly switched on what's the next step but in the moment it was an amazing feeling” he says.

At Carolina Core, Drake is surrounded by Concacaf legends: Eddie Pope (Chief Sporting Officer), Roy Lassiter (Manager), Amado Guevera (Assistant Manager), and Donovan Ricketts (Goalie Coach). This is part of what attracted Drake to the new team, “So many good coaches. They're also ex-professionals. So to learn off of those guys, you can't get much better than that … I've learned a ton, I can say that. I came in in February and I do feel like a completely different player than I was five months ago. So that's just credit to them and to the organization” he shared.

In addition to signing his first professional contract, Drake scored his first professional goal with the ultimate hustle play in the historic U.S. Open Cup, pressing the defender and blocking a clearance into the goal (beating legendary keeper Bill Hamid in the process)

On that goal, Drake shared: “A great moment, another milestone for the club, for myself, my family, and my country. It was a great feeling. It was definitely a hustle play. So when I put my foot out there and I saw the ball fly, it was like slow motion.” I asked Drake if he would tell people that he was going for goal when he stuck his foot out, to which he replied, “I don't know if I could play that one off” … I appreciated the humility. At 16, I would have let everyone know it was on purpose.

Although he’s already achieved so much at a young age, Drake remains hungry and eager to learn and doesn’t view being young as pressure but as a privilege. He shared: “It's all about getting to the next level. I'm young, but I do have big dreams and aspirations. So that's my main goal personally … I wouldn't say I feel the pressure. I think it's more motivation because if you can dominate at a young age, then the sky's the limit.”

On his goals with Carolina Core, “For the club, I think we've grown a lot since the beginning of the season. And I just want to bring success and help the team out, help my teammates, the coaches, because we have an amazing fan base, an amazing organization. So I think this club deserves a lot …  I would just say for the Carolina Core fans, keep coming out and supporting us because we're here to put on a show for them and to make High Point and the area around High Point proud.”

If you’re in the Carolinas, especially near High Point, be sure to check the team out as they are in the final stretch of the season!

Playing for something bigger than himself

Throughout my time with Drake, one theme was very clear … he doesn’t play for himself. He is confident but doesn’t have an ego. He has big dreams and big goals, but they aren’t just for himself. People and places are very important to him. When he was away in England he shared about how that distance made him appreciate his family that much more and it helped him appreciate the time they do spend together. He is very close with his siblings and parents.

We closed out time out with a question I usually ask players and coaches, “what is your why?” I always want to know what motivates a person, what makes them tick, what exists below the surface that really matters to them. Before I could finish asking the question, Drake had his answer and it was from the heart:

“Definitely, I would say, it's to make my family proud, especially my grandparents and my grandfather. Both sides, they're both immigrants. My mom's side of the family, I call them Abuelo and my Agui, they came from Cuba to the US. And then on my dad's side, my Jiddu and Taita, that's what we call grandfather and grandmother in Arabic, because you know my dad's side of the family is Arabic. They also migrated from Syria to the islands. It's to represent them, you know. Carrying my last name on the back of my shirt is a big thing for me. And it's all about making that Hadeed name proud for sure.”

Regardless of where Drake’s career takes him, he will carry his people and places with him. For some, that can be a crushing weight, but for Drake it’s a driving force! I am excited to see how he continues to develop here in the Carolinas and for what comes next.

Fans and pundits must remember, he is just 16 years old. We have an obsession with finding the next prodigy (Grant Wahl shared a lot about this in his Freddy Adu series). We put our expectations and aspirations on young athletes still finding their footing. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have high hopes for Drake, it’s very clear he has them for himself, I just hope that we continue to support athletes as they develop and grow!

Share

Some familiar names appear on the roster for fans following the women’s game in Concacaf. For those who don’t follow the region closely, you’ll want to know about these two players! Both Jill Aguilera and Kathrynn González made history for their nations earlier this year at the Concacaf W Gold Cup and now they have their sights set on helping build this team.

I had the chance to catch up with both of them to hear more about their background, their journeys from college to the pros, how they started playing for their national teams, and what they are looking forward to playing for Carolina Ascent.

Similar paths, opposite coasts, and the importance of the college game

Jill Aguilera grew up in the Bay Area of California and casually picked up soccer during elementary school recess. Like many girls at that age, she mostly played against boys and dealt with the typical comments and attitudes that come with that. None of that stopped her though, she explained, “I didn't necessarily feel like I was pushed out or felt some type of way about it and I'm not necessarily the type of person that would really care either way. So it didn't affect me obviously because I continued to do it.”

Jill comes from an athletic family. Her father, originally from Puerto Rico, played for their water polo team, as did her aunt. She also grew up around predominantly Mexican culture in California and everyone lived and breathed soccer. She continued to develop from playing games at recess to playing at the club level. Her performances there, and at her high school, opened up the door to playing collegiately.

On the east coast in Pennsylvania, Kathrynn González grew up with four other siblings that played soccer so it was something she picked up naturally. She was raised in a Dominican household with her mom, aunt, and grandma all being from there, “I definitely grew up with Latin culture… it was something that was integrated into my life a lot” she explained.

From an early age, she had her eyes set on playing the game professionally, but back then the opportunities weren’t what they are today. She told me, “I always knew I wanted to play professionally… but I didn't know it would come to life until maybe senior year of college I was like, okay, maybe I can do this!” Her play with her high school team led to player of the year and first-team all-state honors and she finished as the program’s all-time leading scorer. This allowed her to take her talents to the next level!

Out west, Jill committed to play collegiately at the University of Arizona in a very tough Pac-12 conference. Unfortunately, she tore her ACL before her freshman season began. Although it was difficult, Jill was able to use this setback to her advantage:

“It was definitely not what I was expecting, but at the same time I did end up building a lot of strength, it helped me gain muscle, gain a little bit more perspective, learn how to lift properly, learn even the game on the sidelines. I think that was probably the biggest help overall… I got to sit and watch, although it's hard, and learn what the level is like at a D1 college program, it taught me a lot about the game, speed of play, just positionally, and helped me develop into the player that I wanted to be off the field. And then when I got that opportunity to get back on the field, to kind of implement the things that I had learned on the sidelines on the field.”

And she made the most of those opportunities back on the field after recovering! Jill would go on to become Arizona’s all-time leading scorer with a brace in her final game:

When I asked her about that game and breaking that school record, she said “That wasn't really in my head. I've always been the type of player that I really don't care who scores as long as we're scoring goals and we're winning games. It could be me, it could be somebody else… I've never really thought of that. And again, I think if I did, I probably wouldn't have broken the record because it would have taken up too much time in my head.”

For Kathrynn, she decided to begin her college career at East Carolina University but it was challenging and ended up not being the best fit for her, so she transferred to Marshall. It was there that she started to hit her stride, including making all-conference teams in her junior and senior seasons. She explained, “I found more success. I've always loved the game, but I really realized at Marshall that I wanted to go further with it, like even more so that it could become a reality.”

While everyone’s pathway to the professional game is different, and there are more opportunities available today, I could tell that playing collegiately had a huge impact for both Jill and Kathrynn. In an age when it is more common to see young men and women jump straight to the pros, the value of the college game is alive and well.

Jill told me, “I think overall it created a better transition from like adolescence to adulthood. In college it's your first time on your own, you're doing things on your own, obviously that's scary. You're dealing with things without your parents. And I really enjoyed my college experience where I was able to meet a lot of different people from all over the world… and although that was the best path for me to get to where I am today, that obviously isn't the case for a lot of other people… it may not work for everybody, but I think that everyone has their own path.”

Kathrynn added, “I think college helped me grow in a lot of areas. It's interesting to be with a team… it's your whole life. You're with the team for school and for soccer. It taught me a lot about how to handle different situations on and off the field, create team bonds, and chemistry.”

Their college coaches also had huge impacts on their careers. Jill was coached by former NSWL player, Becca Moros, and she explained, “I felt like my soccer IQ had just grown exponentially under Becca. She's an amazing coach and we still talk to this day.” Kathrynn’s coach at Marshall was actually the one that made the connection for her to the Dominican Republic’s national team coach and one of her assistants there, Erika Duncan, is now on the Carolina Ascent staff and connected her to the team. A lot of times we hear about how important networking and connections made in college are for a career… the same can be true in soccer!

Subscribe now

Settling in as dual-nats in the Caribbean

Even before Kathrynn was able to get connected to the Dominican team, representing them was top of mind. Growing up, her parents would tell her they wanted her to play for the Dominican team or the Puerto Rican team (she was eligible to represent both). As her career developed, it was something she hoped for, “I always wanted to. Representing your country is the greatest honor. Honestly, I really love doing it and it's my country. So it was definitely something I wanted to do” she says. She made her official debut with the Dominican national team in 2021.

For Jill, playing for a national team wasn’t something she considered growing up. Similar to most young girls playing soccer in the United States, having the chance to play for the USWNT is everyone’s dream - but she viewed that as a motivator versus a specific goal of hers. As her career continued, other national teams started to take notice and recruit her in unorthodox ways. She received DMs on social media from coaches and others researching on Facebook and asking if she had ties to their country. Eventually, she got connected with the Puerto Rican team through a LinkedIn message and after a phone call, she joined Las Boricuas for World Cup qualifying games.

With the incredible honor and responsibility that comes with representing a national teams, both of these women also have to navigate the tensions that all dual-national players have. While the dual-national experience is not a monolith, there are many shared experiences. Some have the ni de aquí, ni de allá feeling of not fitting in either box - the nation they live in versus the nation(s) their family comes from. Some have the frustration of people and society trying to put them in a specific box rather than allowing for a more nuanced reality. We looked at this in detail last year with Keyrol Figueroa’s story:

Tensions can also exist within teams and their fanbases when there are dual-national players competing for spots on a team with players born in that country. Delving deeper into that will be left for another time. Whatever the case may be, being a dual-national player has its unique opportunities and challenges. I wanted to know what their experiences had been.

Jill shared, “Yeah, I've definitely felt where it's like, okay, I don't know a whole lot about the island. So when I joined the team in 2022, I was a little bit nervous about that of like, ‘oh, is she even Puerto Rican? Like she doesn't speak Spanish. She's not really from the island’, things like that.”

Her background and experience is not unique for the team as many of the players were born in the States or have spent most of their lives split between the island and the States. How has the team navigated this dynamic? How have players, like Jill, worked through some of those things? With a culture of humility and welcoming. She shared:

“Honestly, the girls continue to be so welcoming to everybody and they just teach what you need to know. They kind of force you to speak Spanish, which again, gets you out of your comfort zone. But there are a lot of girls who aren't super fluent in Spanish, and then there are people who aren't super fluent in English, and then we do both. We learned about music, the food, and then whenever we do get to spend time in Puerto Rico, it is a really big learning experience, and I truly do love it because we're all just sharing our own experiences and building a really healthy culture as a team together.”

Similar to Puerto Rico, the Dominican national team is a mix of players born in the U.S. and others born and raised on the island. Kathrynn explained feeling that ni de aquí, ni de allá sentiment at the beginning, “I felt it slightly. It's definitely a thing living in America and then going to the DR and the Dominican girls are there” and before I could even ask how they navigate that as a squad, she told me: “Diversity in general is always good for a team so it's been beneficial… they're very inclusive. Everybody loves each other… like we're family. So they invite all of us into the team and it's been really good.”

Making history at the 2024 W Gold Cup

Historically, both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic have not had much success in the sport. Puerto Rico’s only major tournament appearance was at the 1998 Concacaf W Championship where they lost all three group games by a combined score of 38-0. For the Dominican team, the only major tournament they had appeared in was the 2012 Olympic Qualifying tournament and the result was three group losses by a combined 27-0.

In the last few years, though, as both Jill and Kathrynn joined their respective nations, that all started to change, culminating with historic performances at the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup! Both teams had a long journey to even qualify for the prestigious tournament.

After navigating a second place finish in their qualifying group (thanks in part to a winning goal against Trinidad & Tobago from Jill), Las Boricuas earned a spot in the play-in games for the W Gold Cup. For their play-in game, they had to face off against Haiti who had just played in the 2023 World Cup and boasted superstar Nérilia Mondésir attack.

Most people, including myself, penciled in Haiti to win and moved on. I asked Jill about their mindset going into the game and she said, “We were going to approach the game like we would have any other game and that is to win and to just make history. We knew that regardless of whether we won or lost that game, we were making history for Puerto Rico. And I think that was honestly motivation enough for us to be able to go out there and perform.”

They did more than perform - they pulled off a clean sheet against one of the better teams in the region and Jill converted the winning goal from the penalty spot… arguably the biggest goal in the history of Puerto Rican women’s soccer to that point. Check it out below:

On that victory and making history for Puerto Rico, Jill told me: “They [Haiti] are a great team and I have nothing but respect for them. And I think that our motivation to make Puerto Rico proud and to make history for our island was just a little bit more motivation than theirs… and truly that was a team win.”

Kathrynn and the Dominican team had a tougher path to qualify as they needed to top their group. In a must-win game against Bermuda, Las Quisqueyanas claimed a 2-0 victory in front of a home crowd. In their qualifying games Kathrynn scored 3 goals and was crucial to their success in getting to the playoff.

In reflecting on this long road to the playoffs, Kathrynn explained, “It was a journey for sure. It was difficult at times, but really rewarding. We all worked so hard for it. We only have a few camps a year, so bringing people together for each camp has been challenging, but we figured it out.”

In their play-in game, the Dominicans faced off against Guyana. Despite dominating most of the game, they couldn’t find the back of the net in the first half. Early in the second-half, the ball came to Kathrynn outside the box and she stepped up and hit a historic screamer past the keeper. This ended up being the winning goal and sent the team to the 2024 W Gold Cup group stage. Check out the goal below:

On scoring the biggest goal in the country’s history, Kathrynn shared: “That goal, honestly, I think it changed a lot for all of us… I like to stand at the top of the box for corners because I always want that type of shot. And I finally got it. It was just a perfect moment. I think everybody was waiting for that. It was coming and I'm glad I was the one to be able to do it.” And during postgame interviews she said “This is an unreal feeling, making history, putting the DR on the map, it means the world to us and we’re so excited about it.”

Both women led their teams through qualifying and scored goals to put their teams into the 2024 W Gold Cup! After defeating a World Cup team, Puerto Rico found themselves in a group with three other World Cup sides: Brazil, Colombia, and Panama. The Domincan Republic had to face off against the USWNT, Mexico, and Argentina.

Las Quisqueyanas had a tough time in their group, dropping all three games and failing to score a goal. Despite the losses, Kathrynn saw these games as an important step forward for the team, “They were very much learning moments. Each and every game was very different, but it was really good to see where we're at and where we can move towards. They were very difficult opponents, great players, but we knew we were going to face top players and we were ready for it. And we had a game plan. They're amazing players, but we have to play the best to be the best.”

Las Boricuas continued to shock the region as they held Brazil scoreless until the last 10 minutes before giving up a goal and falling 1-0. They followed that up with a 2-1 victory against Panama to earn their first victory at a major tournament. In the group finale, the lost to Colombia 2-0 but were in the game from start to finish. They still had a chance to advance the the quarterfinals as one of the best 3rd place teams… they just needed a bit of luck.

In a extremely unlikely twist of events, they ended up tied with Costa Rica on every single tie-breaker: points, goal difference, goals scored and disciplinary points. What did this mean? In one of the most wild and Concacafy things I have ever seen, they had to draw lots to see who would advance. You can read all about that night here with some great reporting from Theo Lloyd-Hughes at Squad Depth. Unfortunately the plastic ball containing the piece of paper with ‘Puerto Rico’ on it was not chosen and they were out of the tournament.

Even with the heart-breaking exit, this tournament served as a leap for the Puerto Rican women’s program and highlighted the needs to get to the next level. Jill shared:

“Puerto Rico is a small island. We don't have a ton of resources and the Gold Cup put us on the map for sure, but we're still lacking some of the things that prepare teams the best… We're getting to that point now, and I think that that's important, but we weren't necessarily there yet… Overall, that was just a really, really amazing experience and it was great to see the fans feel the same frustration that we felt when we were eliminated because we felt like we deserved to move on and a lot of other people felt that way too. And so it created even more sense of community and an overall gratefulness to have achieved as much as we did.”

Not only are Jill and Kathrynn writing history for their national teams, but they are keys parts of a generation that are trailblazing for the next generation of Boricuas and Dominicanas that have dreams of playing the beautiful game.

Kathrynn shared: “We need more people to be invested in us and believe in us. And that's the only way we're going to move forward… In the DR, there's not enough opportunity for women and young girls. And we need that in order to be better… hopefully in the next year, couple of years, we will get that and keep progressing in the country… We see a lot of young girls come to our games and it's really nice to see. They're all so excited and you can tell they want that opportunity. They want to be where we're at. They just need the steps and the guidance to get there.”

I asked Jill if she felt the responsibility to create pathways for those coming behind her. “Definitely. I don't think I'm doing it as an individual. I think we're doing it as a team for sure. And we already have some of those young girls in our environment, which I think is really important to see the level that we're at and the level that we're striving to get to… You need some help along the way, you can ask me or you can ask any of the girls. We are very, very open and sharing our experiences and praising the culture that we have on the team because it's truly super open, super inclusive, super caring. Everyone's so involved and everything's for the island” she says.

Share ConcaCorner

Finding new opportunity with Carolina Ascent FC

Prior to arriving in the Carolinas, both Jill and Kathrynn played for other professional clubs.

Jill spent two seasons playing in the NWSL for the Chicago Red Stars. Making her debut and playing at the highest level was a dream come true for her. She told me that sometimes she would have to remind herself it was reality when she was surrounded with so many players she respected. When she understood she belonged there, she told herself, “I'm gonna keep working to stay in this environment and help people who come along after me and learn from the people that have come before me and just truly be all in whatever experience comes my way.”

During her time in Chicago, Jill played every position on the field except keeper and right-back. While difficult, she explained “I definitely think it polished parts of my game that I may have not touched on a little bit… I think overall it helped me get better. It helped me see the game differently. It helped me understand where people's positioning should be.” While she prefers to play left-forward, she will play wherever the team needs her.

Kathrynn’s first taste of the professional game was European… Danish to be specific. After completing her college career, she signed with FC Thy-Thisted Q in Denmark’s top-flight. Although she only spent a season there, it was a valuable move for her.

“Honestly, the experience was challenging but also very exciting and it was very new for me. It was my first professional opportunity and I just wanted to show I could be a professional player. And it was in a new country, different language. It definitely had its ups and downs, but overall I was very grateful for the experience.”

After Jill was released by Chicago Red Stars and Kathrynn’s time abroad came to an end, they were both looking for a new opportunity. In addition to their club experience, their play at the W Gold Cup put them on the radar of Philip Poole (Carolina Ascent FC manager and former USWNT assistant coach).

When Jill’s signing with the Ascent was announced, coach Poole said “After watching her performances with Puerto Rico in the CONCACAF W Gold cup earlier this year, I was convinced she was a player we needed to bring here to the Carolinas.” Jill remembers connecting with him at that tournament too, “I think it was the day of the W Gold Cup final. Philip texted me ‘Hey, would love to chat with you about joining Carolina, have a game tonight but let's talk tomorrow’ as if the championship game of a major tournament wasn't happening” she says.

While she had other teams interested in her services, the new Carolina Ascent FC project stuck out to her, “I truly felt what Philip was trying to build with Carolina Ascent was something very new and very exciting to be a part of a league that is giving so many women and girls the possibility to play professionally in the US… I'm really excited for that. And it seems a lot of people are excited for it. And I'm just really looking forward to building something new and creating a stepping stone for the next generation of players… I'm really looking forward to this season” she says.

Coach Poole also had the chance to see Kathrynn play in the W Gold Cup when the USWNT faced the Dominican Republic. In her signing announcement, he said “I watched Kathrynn several times for the Dominican Republic and was able to see the passion and energy she is capable of giving to our team. I am really looking forward to seeing Kathrynn represent our group this season.”

As I mentioned earlier, Kathrynn also had a connection from her time at Marshall with assistant coach Erika Duncan - it made this team a great fit. She was also excited to come back to the Carolinas, “I love Charlotte, North Carolina. I went to ECU. I love North Carolina in general. So when I saw this new opportunity, the USL, I was very excited for it” she said.

As I spoke to both of them, it was clear how grateful they are for this new USL Super League and their excitement for the opportunity it presents for other women and girls around the country. “We've only had the NWSL and sometimes it's really hard to get into the NWSL. So I'm glad there's another opportunity for people to show that they can be professionals at this level” Kathrynn shared.

“We have the NWSL, but I mean this year 14 teams to represent one of the best national teams in the world professionally, I just don't think is enough because there's so much talent here obviously with what we have in the national team, so the Super League and Carolina to be able create and represent a lot of those players that haven't had their opportunity to play professionally, to play at a high level and to get paid what they deserve to be paid is really, really great. And I'm really excited for that” says Jill.

I wrapped up my time with Jill and Kathrynn asking if they had a message for Carolina Ascent fans and they shared:

Kathrynn: “Enjoy women's soccer, watch women's soccer. It's exciting, it’s fun. It's a great opportunity to support something more in this state. And I think it's gonna be very fun and nice to watch it. So get on board and watch!”

Jill: “I think the team already feels the love from Charlotte with our jersey reveal, all the social media posts, the tickets, everything. We feel the love and we're so grateful and we just can't wait to play in front of all of them… We already feel the love and we can't wait to see everyone. Honestly it's going to be a really really fun experience.”

They already helped make history during the inaugural game on Saturday in front of the sell out crowd that filled historic American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte. Both started on the wings and helped the club to their first landmark victory (1-0 over DC Power FC). It’s an exciting time for the women’s game here in the U.S. with the arrival of the USL Super League. You can catch Jill, Kathrynn, and Carolina Ascent FC all season long in Charlotte and streaming on Peacock!

Share

Something else came to mind - Honduras’ run to qualify for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in which they beat the United States 2-1 to earn their spot. Although they didn’t get out of the group, Los Catrachos made the nation proud and continued the rich history of the team at the summer games.

Just before the Charlotte Independence began their 2024 season, they signed J.C. Obregón Jr. He played a big part for the team that went to Tokyo and I wanted to know more about his story, his career, and what the future holds for him. It’s not often that my fandom of Honduras and my soccer coverage in the Carolinas combine, but I’m very glad it did.

Futsal, Ronaldinho, and watching Los Catrachos

J.C. was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY by his Honduran parents. His love for the game was formed from an early age, “Soccer ran in our blood and my father loved soccer and he passed it down to me” he told me. He grew up going to his dad’s adult leagues and played pickup with the other kids there.

During the long winters, he played a lot of futsal and in the summers it was street soccer. Learning the game this way benefitted J.C. - he explained, “I think that's how I've gotten my creativity as a player growing up playing futsal.” The player that inspired him growing up also got his start playing futsal… Ronaldinho.

“I think the player who made me fall in love with soccer and I used to watch his highlights or watch his games and then go out on the field and try to do his moves was Ronaldinho. I think he was my idol growing up and is my idol now. My favorite player of all time. I remember watching his YouTube highlights and then in academy games, I would go out and try his moves.”

I was interested in hearing about J.C.’s introduction to the game through pickup street soccer and futsal. For most around the globe, this is how they pick the game up. Here in the US, that is usually not the case. J.C. also found inspiration from another source - watching the Honduran national team. “I grew up in a strong Honduran household… I always remember watching the Honduran national team play either World Cup qualifiers or when they qualified for the World Cup. I remember in my living room watching the games thinking, one day I want to represent Honduras” he said.

From Upstate New York to Aguascalientes and back to the US

J.C. intentionally opted to play college soccer and attended Siena College. He told me, “It was always a goal of mine to go to college, study, and have an education. My parents always instilled that in me. That's the reason I took that route and played soccer… I knew I had the opportunity to have my education paid for.”

After a few years there, he joined the U-20 squad of Liga MX side Club Necaxa. It was a dream come true for him and his first taste of playing professionally. The experience there took his game to another level tactically, “I think that's where I gained most of my soccer IQ… I give thanks to my experience there playing in Mexico” he explained. After scoring some goals and finding success there, he returned to the States to play in the USL.

After a short stint with Rio Grande Valley FC, he signed with Hartford Athletic and this changed the course of his career. In 2021 he became the first player in club history to score double-digit goals in a season. By the time he left Hartford, he was the club’s all-time leading scorer. In reflecting on his time there, J.C. told me “I think I took another step in my career because I started getting called up to the national team as well, which had always been a dream of mine.”

Subscribe now

Becoming an Olympian

His childhood dream of representing La H started to take shape during his time at Siena. Representatives from the Honduran federation contacted him and brought him into the U-20 team. While he was part of the camps ahead of the 2017 U-20 World Cup, he didn’t make the final roster. This wasn’t the end of his journey, though.

In 2021, J.C. made the U-23 team that would compete for a spot in the delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympics. When I asked about the emotions of representing Honduras for the first time, he told me:

“That feeling honestly was surreal. It was a bunch of emotions coming at once. It was kind of like, finally I made it. My dream came true. All the work that I put in up to this point, it paid off. So it was a surreal moment and I remember going on to that field, having La H on my chest. I got chills. I got chills.”

After winning their group, they just needed one more win to advance to the Olympics and their opponent was the United States. As we discussed that game, J.C. explained the mixed emotions he felt before kickoff, “Being born in the U.S., coming from a Honduran household, Honduran parents, I kind of represent both, honestly. I am American, but I'm also Honduran, so I carry them hand in hand… when I heard both anthems, it just felt surreal… I'm American and I’m Honduran, so I carry that naturally.”

It was a tense back-and-forth first half. Honduras was knocking but couldn’t break through. In first-half stoppage time, the opportunity came again and J.C.’s life was about to change. Honduras played a beautiful ball into the box, J.C. knew his teammate was going to win it and called for him to head it down as he darted toward the goal… sure enough, Maldonado headed the ball down into his path, and J.C. got a touch on it to give Los Catrachos the lead.

Reflecting on that goal, he told me: “That moment was another moment of a dream becoming reality. All the work that I've put in, thinking about, you know, my family, my loved ones, everyone who was watching, thinking about the whole country of Honduras, how proud everyone must be. And that was one of my proudest moments of my career so far.” Honduras would go onto beat the U.S. 2-1 to book their ticket to Tokyo.

Despite being a key part of their qualification, J.C. wasn’t sure if he would make the final squad, but once he got the news he would be part of the team, he was overjoyed. Expectations were high for the team as they had done very well at the prior two Olympics (quarterfinals and fourth place). The squad opened their group stage with a loss and needed a big result in their second game to have hopes of advancing.

Honduras found themselves down 2-1 late in the second half. J.C. came on as a sub for his Olympic debut with the team desperately needing an equalizer. After a few minutes on the pitch, he pressed New Zealand as they played out of the back and scored the ultimate hustle goal. Not only was he an Olympian, but he was now an Olympic goal-scorer.

“I remember thinking throughout the whole game, if I was going to go on, I was telling myself that I was going to go on and score a goal and change the game. And I was able to do that.” he told me.

Los Catrachos went onto win that game 3-2 but their Olympic journey ended after falling to South Korea in the group finale. As J.C. reflected on his Olympic experience, he shared:

“That experience was great… That's something that I'll be able to talk about for the rest of my life. I'll be able to tell my kids, my grandkids, you know. So it's something that goes down in history, being part of the Olympics. I think that's the proudest moment of my career so far, being able to represent Honduras in the Olympics because it is the greatest sporting event in the world. It's all the best athletes in the world and to be a part of that is a blessing and it was surreal for me.

Share ConcaCorner

Playing for a legendary Honduran club

After his showing at the Olympics and continued success with Hartford Athletic, the opportunity to play for one of the most storied teams in Honduras presented itself. J.C. joined Club de Fútbol Motagua for their 2023 Clausura campaign. There was a lot that went into this decision beyond the history. He wanted to take his career to another level.

Playing at Motagua meant the opportunity to take part in Concacaf Champions League (the highest level club competition in the region). It also kept him closer to the national team setup as he was looking to get his first call-up to the senior team. I asked him about playing against Tigres at El Volcán (arguably one of the best atmospheres in the region), he told me: “I think that's the best atmosphere I've ever been in so far in my career. That's something I will never forget. That atmosphere, those fans, they were singing tirelessly the 90 minutes.”

Although it was unexpected, his time at Motagua came to an end after that Clausura. In total, J.C. appeared in 8 games and scored a goal during his time with the club. Despite a less than ideal time there, J.C. doesn’t view any of it as wasted. “Obviously it didn't go as I wanted because I didn't play as much as I thought I was going to, or as I thought I needed to be able to excel. But it was valuable experience… so I just try to take the positives from it and I gained experience from it” he explained.

He returned to USL to play with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and he picked up where he left off in Hartford, scoring goals. He helped the club win the Players' Shield but his contract option was not picked up at the end of the season. After a few short stints with Motagua and Pittsburgh, J.C. found himself looking to take his goalscoring to a new club, and that’s when Charlotte Independence coach, Mike Jeffries, gave him a call.

He just keeps scoring in Charlotte

The Independence were looking for a new number nine - one that could come in and produce right away. J.C had been a proven goal-scorer in USL so he was high on that list. In that call, Jeffries laid out how J.C. could help them succeed and gave him his vision for him in the striker position. This style seemed to fit J.C.’s strengths and his former teammate, Joel Johnson, helped sell him on the team as well.

So how’s it going so far? J.C. is leading the USL League One golden boot race with 10 goals in just 12 matches. Counting all competitions (including U.S. Open Cup and USL Cup) he has scored 15 goals and the Independence sit atop the table. He won player of the month in June and might be able to get a few more of those before the season ends.

It has been a huge win for the club and for J.C. I asked him about why he thinks he is finding so much success in Charlotte and he told me:

“Mike has given me full confidence… the green light to express myself on the field. He's given me the opportunity to play. I think for any player to be productive, he has to have the opportunity first. And then if he's prepared for the moment, he's going to show his product on the field. And I think that's what I've been able to do… I'm glad that I've been able to help the team win games by scoring goals. And hopefully, I can score many more goals and help the team win more games.”

J.C. has also developed a great on-field connection with fellow Honduran, Luis Álvarez. “That's also made me feel more welcome, you know, having someone from my native country. Someone that I share culture with... we have a good connection on the field and hopefully we can grow on that and continue to score more goals and assist each other” he explained. As a fan of Honduras, it has been great to see them both thrive in Charlotte and enjoy their soccer this year!

He’s just getting started

J.C. is putting up the biggest numbers of his career and it has the potential to open new doors for him. With Los Catrachos searching for in-form goal scorers as they make push to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, this could be his chance to work his way back into the national team setup. I asked about whether his performances this year have put him in that picture and he told me, “Yeah, for sure. The contact is always there. They're always watching my games, staying on top of my form and my performances… I mean, for me, it's a dream to play for the national team, It is a goal of mine to represent the national team at the senior level. I'm hopeful that with my form, I'll be taken into consideration.”

At the club level, I am interested to see if this kind of play will turn into a move to a higher level like Liga MX, Honduras’ Liga Nacional, or Costa Rica’s Liga Promerica. J.C. has another idea in mind, “I've also always had the dream and aspiration to play at the MLS level. I think I'm an MLS talent. I just haven't had the opportunity to play at that level yet. So I'm going to continue working hard and preparing myself to be able to find that opportunity.”

At 26, a lot of player’s dreams of making their debut for the senior team or making a jump to a higher tier of club soccer might have faded, but for J.C., those dreams are alive and well. That is one of the unique things about the beautiful game. Every team, club or country, at every level needs goal scorers. If you can consistently put the ball in the back of the net, your services will be required. If he keeps his performances at this level, wins a golden boot, and helps lead the Charlotte Independence to a trophy, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make the jump at the club level or get called into a national team camp.

Regardless of the where his game takes him, I have no doubt he will continue to enjoy his soccer. Rooted in his faith, J.C. has a peace about him that helps balance contentment and ambition, “My faith is really important to me. I grew up in a Honduran household that our faith was always very strong. I grew up going to church, so it was kind of instilled in me and it gives me a sense of peace, too. My faith takes me a long way and I know it's going to take me even further,” he explained.

In addition to his faith, he is motivated to continue making his family proud. When I asked him about his “why” or the reason he plays the sport, he explained: “It would definitely be my family, especially my dad, because he instilled soccer in me. I know he aspired to be a professional soccer player as well. I think that he had the talent to do so. He just didn't get the opportunity… I try to do my best each and every day for him and I also try to allow him to enjoy this experience and live this experience of being a pro through me.”

Share

Thanks for taking the time to check out J.C. Obregón’s story! If you’re in the Charlotte area, check out an Independence game to see him in action. In the coming weeks we will be bringing you more stories of Concacaf players in the Carolinas that you’ll want to know about!

It’s been back-to-back strong months for Charlotte FC ending with a disappointing loss on the road. Despite the bad taste those losses have left, this team has momentum! They’ve been methodically working their way up the table anchored by their strong defense and the attack is finally starting to come together. This is a welcomed change as The Crown will have their work cut out for them in the games leading into Leagues Cup. Let’s get into it!

Monthly Summary (results, table, stats)

Results:

• 3-2 win vs. Atlanta, goals - Williams (OG), Abada (2)

• 1-0 win vs. DC United, goal - Vargas

• 2-2 draw vs. Orlando City, goals - Vargas, Bronico

• 2-0 win vs. Philadelphia Union, goals - Agyemang (2)

• 0-1 loss vs. Houston Dynamo

Player Stats:

• Goals: Agyemang - 5, Vargas - 4, Abada - 3

• Assists: Uronen - 3, Vargas & Agyeman - 2

• FotMob Rating: top 5 players - Westwood (7.3), Vargas (7.1), Uronen (7.1), Kahlina (7.1), Malanda (7.0)

Team Stats:

• Expected goals (xG) = 25.3 (24th in MLS)

• Goals per match = 1.1 (27th in MLS)

• Goals conceded per match = 1.0 (1st in MLS)

• Clean sheets = 9 (1st in MLS)

• Average possession = 44.4% (27th in MLS)

Subscribe now

Takeaways

Charlotte FC is in the best form in its history

• Since the beginning of May, Charlotte FC has earned 21 points from 11 games. Fans have seen good runs before but those have never been sustained and consistent like this. During this run, the team has had 7 clean sheets and a +5 goal differential. The identity has been established and the players have all bought in!

• The league is starting to take note and give the club the respect they are earning. After the win against Philadelphia, MLS Wrap-Up did a feature on the club’s progress and Taylor Twellman featured the team in his weekly takes. This is a welcome change for fans of The Crown after most discussions about Charlotte thus far have focused on late goals allowed and dysfunction.

• The team is not a finished product (as I’ll discuss in a bit) but there is a resilience and belief from the players and consistency in their performances that can continue taking this team up the table!

In a league with few opportunities for road support, Charlotte FC shines

• It seems like months ago now, but for the game against Atlanta United, over 2,000 Charlotte FC fans made the trek down I-85 to support the club. This has become a common sight for these Atlanta matchups and each time you can audibly hear the Charlotte supporters through the broadcast.

• Unlike many other leagues around the globe, it is very rare to see large groups of traveling fans in MLS given the large distances between cities. The Atlanta away days for Charlotte are an outlier and something the club has helped build over the years. It’s not just the Atlanta games - it isn’t shocking to see a hundred Charlotte supporters at other away games.

• I asked Dean Smith and Ashley Westwood about what that away support means to them after the Atlanta victory:

Brandt Bronico has never been better

• His heart, hustle, and drive have never been in question, but for the last two seasons, the technical ability and final product had been missing for Brandt Bronico. I’ll be the first to admit I have been critical of his play before and didn’t think he had a place in the current starting XI. After starting the season injured and returning to a crowded midfield, he needed to make the most of his chances and in June, he was excellent! After the Houston game, I asked Brandt if he and the team still felt momentum going into July and he agreed with me that he was playing some of the best soccer of his career.

• Earlier in June, Dean Smith gave Brandt high praise explaining, “his running stats are incredible… out of all the players I’ve ever worked with, he’s the best runner I think I’ve worked with.” That work rate combined with the production he added in attack has taken his game to another level. In June, Brandt started 4 out of 5 games, had an amazing assist to Abada in Atlanta, and scored a go-ahead goal against Orlando.

• I still don’t know exactly where Brandt fits into the starting XI once a few DPs are brought in - but his play will make Dean Smith’s decision to put him on the bench harder than it would’ve been before June. If he can keep up this play, he will be a critical part of Charlotte’s success… whether it’s in the starting lineup or coming off the bench remains to be seen.

The attack is starting to heat up and take shape

• “Where are the goals??”…the question all fans and pundits had been asking coming into the month. For the first time this season, the team has responded! The front three have stepped up and provided the attacking spark that was desperately needed. Before June, The Crown was averaging less than a goal per game… last month they scored 8 goals in 5 games!

• Against Atlanta, Liel Abada had his first breakout game for Charlotte and bagged a brace. Kerwin Vargas scored in back-to-back games including an incredible header off a corner. Patrick Agyemang ended his goal drought with a brace at Philadelphia to lead The Crown to a big win!

• Everything improved in June - progressive passing from the backline and midfield, service into the box from the wings, set pieces, and combination play around the box. The team has talked at length about the desire to bring in reinforcements in the attack and many thought Charlotte would continue their offensive struggles until they arrived. Perhaps this was a motivation to the current starters.

DP help in the attack is still needed to take this team to the next level

• Despite the increased production, this team needs more danger and creativity to get to the top half of the East and stay there. It’s not that Kerwin, Patrick, Liel, and whoever occupies the 10 don’t have starting quality. This team needs depth and options down the stretch. Between injuries, an Olympic call-up in the case of Abada, and fatigue, the team isn’t set up to make the kind of run they want.

• There are two DP spots open for Charlotte and all the buzz points to bringing in a striker and either a creative midfielder or another winger. What was previously considered impossible by many, looks more like reality as the club’s first DP, Karol Swiderski, is scheduled to be back with the team later this month. Manager Dean Smith said:

  “He's in our plans because he becomes our player again… he went out on loan, they decided not to take him and we'll happily welcome him back…listen, he decided he wanted to go and pursue Europe and we were happy for him to go and do that… It's not happened at the moment for him to join anyone, so he's coming back. And as I say, we want good players at the club, I believe he's a good player. As long as he comes back, his attitude and application are top like it was before he left, then not a problem."

• Dean also mentioned he thinks Karol can fill multiple spots on the field (striker, midfielder, and on the outside). This would give the team great flexibility as they pursue another DP. If they can get a 9 they like, Karol can slot in at the 10. If they find that creative midfielder, Karol and Pat can compete for the striker position or have a strike partnership. Without any inside information, I do think Charlotte FC would be willing to sell Karol for the right price if another team comes knocking.

• Getting fresh attackers in the building during this window will be essential for Charlotte to build on the progress from June. It is going to be a very interesting summer! As a reminder, the summer transfer window opens on July 18th and closes on August 14th.

Despite no players on the roster, Charlotte has MLS All-Stars

• Brian Maurer with TopBin90 put out a great post on deserving Charlotte FC players getting snubbed. I don’t have much to add to what he said - for the most part, the MLS All-Star game is a popularity contest with the fan and commissioner spots. For the manager selections, it’s hard to expect someone as busy as Wilfried Nancy to watch and know about the best players across the league.

• It’s okay for Charlotte fans to feel hard done by not having a player on the roster. Kristijan Kahlina is leading the league in clean sheets and has two of the best-performing center-backs in the league (Malanda and Privett) in front of him. At least one of those three earned a spot with the best 30 players across the league in my semi-professional opinion.

• This team does not need a glorified popularity contest to know that the players are performing at a high level. The team should use this as motivation and one positive is that there will be no injury risk for The Crown when the MLS All-Stars face off against Liga MX All-Stars later this month. They can use that time to rest up and prepare for Leagues Cup.

Share ConcaCorner

July Preview

Similar to the long road trip at the beginning of the season, The Crown faces another difficult stretch of games heading into Leagues Cup (which we will provide a separate preview piece for). After opening the month against first-place Inter Miami, Charlotte have to travel to face two of the other best teams in the East before heading down to Texas for a game that is sure to have a tough atmosphere. They set themselves up in June with some margin for error in July… but that margin isn’t huge!

• Inter Miami (home) 7/3 - Messi and Suarez won’t be joining the Herons for this game, but the attack is far from toothless without them. With Leo Campana in the middle with Robert Taylor and Jordi Alba causing havoc on the left could prove difficult for Charlotte FC. Keeping a clean sheet against Miami will be tough, but they also have a very average defense (giving up 30 goals already). It could be a high-scoring affair at The Bank and Charlotte will want a result before hitting the road.

• FC Cincinnati (away) 7/13 - The Crown haven’t had much luck in their previous trips to TQL stadium. They have lost twice by a combined score of 5-0. Cincinnati’s home atmosphere paired with one of the league’s best teams over the last two seasons will make this a difficult game. In the previous matchup earlier this year, Charlotte held reigning MVP, Lucho Acosta, to a very quiet game. They will need to repeat that to get points from this one.

• Columbus Crew (away) 7/17 - The team will face the other MLS team from Ohio just a few days later - the defending MLS Cup champions and Concacaf Champions Cup finalists, Columbus Crew. The Columbus attack (led by Cucho Hernández and Diego Rossi) is firing on all cylinders with 9 goals in their last two games in June. Charlotte won a very fluky contest against them earlier this year and probably can’t bank on The Crew getting an early red in this one. Perhaps Wilfried Nancy leaving Charlotte FC off his all-star team will fire up the squad!

• Austin FC (away) 7/20 - Austin has had attacking woes of their own this year (tied with Charlotte FC towards the bottom of the league) and is sitting a spot below the playoff line heading into July. Charlotte is better than Austin but the Verde and Black are not easy to beat at their place (have only lost 2 games so far). If the road trip to Ohio isn’t fruitful for The Crown, this will be a crucial game heading into Leagues Cup.

Charlotte FC currently sits 8 points above the final playoff spot in the East. The July road trip is going to be tough, but if Charlotte can come away with a few results and stay in the top 7 in the table, it will be another step forward for the club. Reinforcements should arrive later this month and then the final stretch begins. It should be a fun month of games!

Be on the lookout for a Leagues Cup preview for Charlotte FC later this month!

Share