It was the matchup we all wanted: Carlos Bocanegra vs. Gonzalo Pineda.
No, not USA vs. Mexico in Glendale, Ariz. in 2007 (although, I’m sure that was a good match. The U.S. won 2-0). Today in Guadalajara, the two soccer superstars and now leaders of Atlanta United faced each other on the field.
And somehow, some way... I found myself on the pitch with them.
The club held a staff soccer game after the team’s training session on Saturday. It marked the end of two weeks in Guadalajara for the team and the last of preseason training at Club Atlas Colomos. The staff match didn’t take place on a full field, but a smaller pitch mapped out with blue cones (thank goodness for that, I’m not sure my feet in my sneakers could’ve taken all that running). The Atlanta United players had already wrapped up practice and were heading back to the hotel, so we had the field to ourselves and played two 35-minute halves.
The two sides were captained by Bocanegra and Pineda, guys who’ve played internationally and professionally for a long, long time – guys who’ve played the sport at the highest level.
Yet, there I was playing with them. I felt a bit like an imposter, playing in the same game as these two. And it’s not because I was the only girl on the pitch today. Or the fact that I’m terribly out of shape. Or because the last time I played soccer was a couple months ago, and before that a couple months ago for one of the Unified Team scrimmages, and before that… years ago.
It was because everyone was really, really good.
But a yellow jersey was thrown in my direction. I picked it up, threw it on. And I was in the game.
We don’t have many pictures of the match, our photographer wisely dipping out to head to the hotel with the players, and my play-by-play isn’t quite as verbose (or accurate) when I'm without pen and paper and instead gasping for breath. I have only a collection of memories – images, really – to try and paint the picture: Club president Darren Eales flying through the air to head the ball. Bocanegra working hard to set up a combination that would create a chance for the yellow side. Broadcast director Matt Moore slipping in behind the defense and sliding to try and toe-in a goal, his legs perhaps a little overworked from the timed lap he ran after practice.
The entire coaching staff played in the scrimmage. Rob Valentino, in his relentless and driven way, was all over the field, directing movements and filling in gaps to receive passes. Liam Curran, true to his position prowess, made a magnificent, rangy lunge to block a shot from one of the nets. Diego de la Torre anchored the backline, chipping the ball out of danger with composure and ease. Eugenio Villazón, a solid product of Liga MX, was positioned at left fullback and carried over the same tone he used at practice – firmly encouraging his teammates and willing them on.
And then there was Pineda, toying with us all. His foot skills fast and assured – two, three, four defenders collapsing on him, yet he still managed to find the perfect pass. I’m not sure he ever had the ball taken away from him once. I thought maybe, one time, I could sneak up behind him and tap the ball – but he played the pass coolly without even an ounce of apprehension. The head coach went up and down centrally, controlling the pitch, distributing the ball like the steady defensive midfielder he was during his Chivas days.
The rest of the players were a mixed bag of staff who’ve been in Guadalajara for the trip: athletic trainers, fitness coaches, executives Eales and Dimitrios Efstathiou, members of the digital team, equipment personnel and a communications manager. Even one of our security managers, Chaz Armand, was out there, moving around quite sprightly and setting up several of his teammates with precise passes.
Everyone was really, really good (and the fitness coaches were really, really fit, as I learned the hard way trying to cover them). Our director of sports performance, Ryan Alexander, cut through the defense like a sharp razor. Fitness coach Ricky Oliveira had incredible command of the ball and poise under pressure. Manny Garcia-Oronoz, our player personnel manager, must’ve gotten tips from the players because he showed flashes of creativity, making the switch at halftime and getting the chance to play for both sides.
In the end, Pineda’s team came out on top 5-4. We all packed up the equipment, loaded onto the bus and returned to the hotel with tired legs, that I'm sure will feel the consequences tomorrow, but like a good workout, the shared assurance that we had finished something together.
The Atlanta United players are the ones who take the field tomorrow, the last day of our stay here in Mexico, but we conclude with arguably the biggest event of the trip: a doubleheader against Chivas and Tepatitlán FC.
Fans back home in Atlanta, be sure to tune into atlutd.com/live to watch. We’ll have starting lineups and live updates during both matches at atlutd.com.
