To say that Hispanic players have had an effect on Major League Soccer would be to vastly understate the impact they have had on American soccer. When one thinks about some of the League’s legends, several Hispanic names come to mind. In fact, one needs only to glance at MLS record books before seeing the names of trailblazers like Jaime Moreno, Carlos Valderrama, and Guillermo Barros-Schelotto.
The reason for this is simple: Hispanic players want to come to MLS. According to MLSsoccer.com, of the 254 active players born outside of the U.S. and Canada, 96 of them come from Hispanic countries. That’s over one third of the League’s foreign-born players.
“The growth of the League has left an open door so that Latino players find the opportunity to demonstrate their potential,” says former Columbus Crew SC forward Alejandro Moreno.
Moreno would know, having come to the U.S. as a college student in 1998. In 2002, he entered MLS through the Superdraft, playing in the League until his retirement in 2012. Moreno had stints with six different clubs during his 10-year career, but it was with Columbus Crew SC that he played some of the best soccer of his career, winning three titles during his time there.
Part of the reason why Moreno performed so well is because of the company that surrounded him, which included a certain Argentine by the name of Guillermo Barros Schelotto. “Really if you look at our team from 2008, it was ‘play the ball to me, I’ll hold it up, give it to Guillermo,' let Guillermo find Robbie [Rogers], let Guillermo find Eddie [Gaven], and then we’re crashing the box,” says Moreno.
“When you have a player of that ability, of that vision, and that quality, then everybody else is giving him the ball. Within the context of the group he became even better and made us a whole lot better too,” he adds.
Crew SC fans took notice of this, and began to revere Schelotto with cult-like devotion even long after his departure. This was most obvious recently, when Schelotto’s 2008 MVP campaign was voted as the fourth greatest moment in Columbus Crew SC history, underlining his impact at the club.
Columbus Opens Its Arms
Crew SC has hosted its share of Hispanic players over the years. All have left their mark in the history of the club, although some have left a bigger mark than others. Moreno and Schelotto left their mark in the form of silverware, helping the club win the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup in the 2008 season, the club’s most successful season to date.
The reverse is also true, as Columbus has left its mark on the Hispanic players that have spent time in the Arch City. Recently, Moreno had the opportunity to return to Columbus during the celebration of the club’s first 20 years. “For me, being back in Columbus is an honor. I always felt that this was my home,” he says.
“You feel the love, the appreciation from the fans, the people that work with the club. It goes from top to bottom,” he adds. “It does send a clear message in terms of the mark that we all made as players here, but also the mark that Columbus made in us as people.”
Moreno is not the only one who feels this way. Former Crew SC player Jairo Arrieta, who spent three years with Crew SC before heading to DC United, has nothing but good memories from his time in Ohio’s capital. “I think it has been one of the best experiences I’ve had,” he says, adding that he “will always be thankful to Columbus."
Hispanics in Columbus
Although Arrieta states that the city was "very welcoming," he had some help getting acquainted with it. Before Arrieta’s arrival, there was a fellow Costa Rican player there, Olman Vargas. Shortly after Arrieta’s arrival, he was joined by another Hispanic player: Federico Higuaín.
Arrieta claimed that having other Hispanic players in the team eased the transition not just for him but also his family, fondly remembering time spent with other Hispanic teammates and their wives.
“My wife and my daughter adapted [to Columbus] faster because of Higuaín’s wife and the other players’ wives. We had a good relationship, good friendship with them,” the former Crew SC forward recalls. “We would have cookouts or just spend time with them, sharing and enjoying our free time together.”
Arrieta, in turn, repaid the favor to fellow Costa Ricans Waylon Francis and Giancarlo Gonzalo when they arrived to Columbus in 2014. Francis says that having Arrieta and Gonzalo on the team was very helpful, especially when he first arrived. But despite receiving help from other Hispanic players, he states that he does not have more affinity towards players just because they might be Hispanic.
“I think that the relationship is the same. As a member of a team, you want to have the same type of relationship with all the players. What’s important is that I get along well with everyone,” he says.
The Nordecke Effect
With nearly two seasons under his belt now, Francis has become more comfortable with his surroundings. In his first season, Francis exceeded all expectations by becoming one of the most offensive minded fullbacks in the League, something that earned him a nomination to MLS’ Latino of the Year Award.
“It made me feel good because it was my first year in MLS. I was unfamiliar with the League, unfamiliar with the players, so I knew coming in that it was going to be a rough year,” says Francis.
His rough year was made a bit easier by the support of the fans, specifically those in the Nordecke, Crew SC’s supporters’ section. The Nordecke has a history of singing songs in both Spanish and English, as the fans have taken some of the best aspects of Hispanic soccer culture and mixed it with American soccer culture. This is something that does not go unnoticed by the Hispanic players.
“I’ve noticed that fans show up and sing in Spanish. It’s important to see not just the American community but also the Latino community coming out to support us,” says Francis.
Arrieta thinks that this is important for the growth of the League. “The support of the Latino community is important for each of the teams in the League and their players, whether it’s me here in D.C. or the Latino players in Columbus and other teams. It’s important that we have their support. I think that the more that the Latino community congregates in stadiums and the more it attends matches, the better it will be for each of us playing here in this league.”
It seems that in Columbus, fans have managed to make players feel at home, regardless of where they’re from.
Carlos D. Mojica writes for CentroDeportivo. You can follow him on Twitter at @CD_Mojica.
