Salud América!

In a new partnership, Prost Amerika and La Raza have agreed to exchange content across language barriers in order to provide both sets of readers with the best football coverage available and in the hope we can bring the communities closer. We will be supplying our articles to La Raza for their use in Spanish and they will be providing us with their Spanish language content for our English speaking readers.

In this first article, Jorge Rivera, the Editor of La Raza del Noroeste, was granted an interview with Colombian star Fredy Montero. Fredy discusses his red card, his family and his role in the Sounders line-up.

We are very proud to be working with La Raza and ensuring that Spanish speaking readers have greater access to our work, and that our readers can feel more included in the football talk of our Hispanic community.

Difficult Times –

Fredy Montero Keeps his Head up at a Time of Adversity

By Jorge Rivera – La Raza del Noroeste (Hispanic Peoples of the Northwest)
Translation: La Raza/Prost Amerika Staff

It is hard to tell what goes on inside the head of a young 21-year-old guy who, in less than 24 months, became a celebrity. Fredy Montero went, at lighting fast speed, from young prospect to top scorer in his league, to national team starter, and from then on to star on a team in a foreign country. But not just any foreign country, one where due to linguistic difficulties, he still struggles, to understand what people are saying about him.

After arriving, Fredy sent people, and mostly media, into a frenzy of adoration, with an exceptional three goals in his first two games.

The absence of Freddie Ljungberg in the beginning, added to his outstanding goals, facilitated this frenzy. Everyone wanted to talk about him, to talk to him, to know more about him, wallpapers with his photo appeared on the internet, the blog of a local paper mentioned him as being amongst the “most handsome” in the team.

Frenzy and celebrity treatment were inevitably followed by distraction. Subsequent to that an accusation came along and he was not able to travel to Toronto.

After missing the Toronto game, three more matches have followed in which he hasn’t scored and his last match ended in a red card for an elbow on an opponent which plunged his side into trouble.

In short, Fredy is facing adversity. Someone of good intentions does not hide. Once the team “lifted the embargo”, Fredy talked to La Raza.

The Red Card

La Raza: How many times have you been sent off before?

Fredy Montero: Never, not in a professional league, this is the first time.

La Raza: What did your mum say?

Fredy Montero: They couldn’t watch the game because it is raining a lot in Barranquilla, and they are having blackouts almost everyday; but they learned about it. It was sad, because every time they had heard about me in the news before, it was because I scored a goal, and this time it was totally different.

La Raza: Describe the incident to us?

Fredy Montero: It was a 50/50 ball. I never saw my opponent coming behind me. I had my back to him and this is a contact game. Soccer players are all defensive in those plays.

I think the referee reacted too quickly; there was no movement of my elbow towards his head, and my eyes where always on the ball. Now that hurt me and hurt the team.

La Raza: If the same thing happens to you, but the other way around, would you have made the gestures that Segares made?

Fredy Montero: If I feel I was hit in the face yes, even if it is not too hard; but I did not hit him, he laid down and acted. Then he came back seconds later, without a scratch.

La Raza: What did Sigi say?

Fredy Montero: He was happy about the result, despite my ejection. They were going to watch the video, and see if they could appeal or something.

[There is no appeal procedure in these situations, but coach Sigi did make specific comments on embellishing fouls. (Sigi Hits out at Playacting)]

La Raza: Was anyone angry in the locker room?

Fredy Montero: Nah, I was really sad there, but many of them came along and shook my hand, like Alonso, Kasey Keller, they said they were there for me.

La Raza: What is the immediate future for you?

Fredy Montero: I don’t know, wait and see; it is going to be hard if a teammate steps in and doesn’t make mistakes. I will have to work to get the starting place back; and I am going to keep pushing, so I get back to my previous level of play.

I am convinced I can give the team a lot more; and that is what I am going to be working on in the coming days.

His Role in the Side

La Raza: Since Ljungberg came in, what has changed tactically?

Fredy Montero: It is clear with him in, I have more responsibility to go upfront, without him I usually had to come back and drive the play. We know about his quality, his record, he can play, so Nate Jaqua and I are now going between the center backs.

La Raza: Do you and Freddie understand each other?

Fredy Montero: Really well; he likes give and go, short passing, association, and I like that too. We just need a little better communication inside the box.

La Raza: But, 35 minutes in the second half, you both are entering the box, how does that work? What language do you speak?

Fredy Montero: (smiles) Simply with a look, or the way you move the ball. In soccer we talk about ‘sides’, so if I go on one side, I need the ball in such way, and he is a very smart player, so in a fraction of second we decode that.

La Raza: So, language isn’t problematic?

Fredy Montero: No, not at all, it just a matter of aiming better in the last quarter, and that’s where you can really hurt the other team. We can have the ball a lot, but so what? You only win if you score goals.

La Raza: Fredy, who will win the “Champions League”?

Fredy Montero: I hope Manchester, they play nice.

Fredy left smiling, his handshake always friendly and sharp; leaving the message that he is confident, and especially confident he can beat adversity.