Rodrigo Rios Interview

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Volume 2, Number1

Credit to Elain Carroll for photograph

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Rodrigo Rios, a Captain and Leader on and off the Pitch

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Credit to Khrishna Cobb-Bomar for photograph

For those in the ADASL and others in the

Atlanta soccer community, Rodrigo Rios is a

sporting legend and ambassador for the game.

Rios has spent his life playing and promoting

the beautiful game from his native Chile to

right here in Atlanta Georgia.

Rodrigo took time from his busy schedule to

allow us into his home in Atlanta to speak to

us about his history in the game and the

direction football is taking in Atlanta and his

hopes for the game nationwide.

Rodrigo, thank you for your time today. It's really a privilege to talk to you about footy.

No problem at all Andre. It's my pleasure to talk to you.

I'd like to start by asking about your history in the game. We know you are originally from Santiago, Chile, but how and when did you get into football?

Yes, I was born and raise in Santiago. My entire family has always been fans of football and very much into the sport. Even as a child, I am told I was trying to kick the ball around before I could properly walk. It has been the same for all members of my family.

Interview by Andre Bomar

progressing and eventually joined Universidad Catolica youth system at the age of 10 where I practiced and played against kids who were 13 and 14 years old. It was always that way, playing against older kids which I think helped shape my playing style early on. I learned fast.

Now, at this time in your life, who were your heroes in the game?

For me it may not be players that are well known here but I really looked up to players like Carlos Valderrama from Columbia, and a couple of players from Uraguay, players like that.

So you were able to pretty much watch football from around the world at an early age in Chile?

Oh yeah, Absolutely. We saw football from around the world even from Europe and other world leagues. There was never a shortage of football to watch and it was inspiring to watch the best play at the top level.

So as a kid, did you think about playing professionally, or did that idea come later after growing up a bit?

Oh, I had always wanted to play professionally, even from that early age. That was my ambition. Football is more than just a sport in Chile, it's really a part of the culture and my family is deeply into it.

I'm not surprised to hear you had an early start. What was it like starting out playing in Chile?

Growing up playing on youth teams in Chile, I always played on teams where the other kids were older than me. My father pushed me to play at the highest level that I could play at. My earliest memories in life were of playing football, not watching cartoons, etc...

My father continued to provide footballs and other football equipment to help me and I did continue



where I was a youth player at Club Deportivo Universidad Catolica which is one of the most popular clubs in Santiago. I also had a stint at C.D. Palestino and Everton de Viña del Mar before playing for another Santiago club named Unión Española.

I see that you were growing in the game right there in Chile. What were your goals while there? Did you want a move abroad? To Europe?

I worked with the players union in Chile because there were problems were some young players were being taken advantage of. I was really concerned about that so I acted by working with the players union to improve conditions for players there.

During these years I was also fortunate enough to be picked for the Chile U-20s and U-23s. It was pretty much a year round occupation in football that I was having and I loved it.





I did want to play at the highest level possible, but I was really concerned about players rights and helping the young pros to protect themselves.

How was the transition to the pro game. Was it in Chile, or did you move abroad?

I played right there in Chile starting with

Was Atlanta one of the places that came up during this time?

During this time, I had other concerns to think about. I had a daughter that was turning 2 years old and I began to think about what was best for my family long term. I had a friend I knew since I was 17 who was playing in the USA and he had always tried to get me to come to play in the US, but I had resisted because I naturally wanted to go play in leagues that were considered the top leagues in the world, so my ambition was elsewhere.

After all I had been through and with my thoughts about the future of my daughter, I called my friend and told him I was ready to give it a try.

Wow, so it was just like that?

Yeah, after about a year and a half later, I made the decision to play in the States and I felt like my family could be happy here in Atlanta. It turned out to be a great decision for me and my family. I love the city and I have a good life and it was special to be apart of helping the game grow here.

With your involvement playing in the league and working with the players union, how did you come to play in Atlanta?

That is a bit of an interesting story. My goal for my career was to play and have a chance to play at the highest level that I could find and this lead to interest in Argentina, China, Portugal, Holland, Mexico, Poland and Belgium. Unfortunately each time in all these opportunities, something would happen that would prevent me from progressing to a settled position.

An example of what I had problems with included European permit issues which is a very big deal in Europe. In other cases, the expense for a club to bring in foreign talent was sometimes overruled in favor of a cheaper options in country. Time after time, I would have a good trail with a club, but one of these nagging problems would surface to derail my attempts at playing at the highest levels there.



So This brought you to play with the Silverbacks then?

Yeah, and I found it to be a good fit for me and my family. It's still a young sport here but it's growing very fast now with a lot of youth involvement.

I'm sure there were quite a few differences playing in the States where it's considered a lower tier sport. What did you think of that difference?

Many things took getting use to because football here is not year round like it is in other parts of the world. I am use to playing year round especially in South America where you have the Apertura and Clausura. But I found that it was actually to have the long off-season layoff which I believe helped to extend my career.

While playing for Atlanta, you played offensive midfielder. Was that your favorite position?

I do like playing in midfield and I think my best position is in an attacking position, but I have played all positions on the field short of goalkeeper. Most teams I played for, I did have that attacking role in the midfield which is a very demanding position to play. There is a lot of running with the responsibility to track back. But I love it!

You had many great seasons with the Silverbacks, but what was it like during that run to the Championship game in 2007? You were one win away from the title.

That was a special year, but the preparation and game to game play was no different than previous years. We got the breaks that year and played well as a team to get us to the final game where we eventually lost to Seattle. That did turn out to be a very special year.

Unfortunately, that was the closest you got with Atlanta to a title, the following year even just missing making the playoffs.

Yeah, but that's football! We got the breaks the previous year, but things did not go well the next year. We still had a good team, but injuries and losing goals late in some matches doomed us to mid-table that year.

Unfortunately for all of us whole love this sport, The Atlanta Silverbacks folded after the 2008 season which I am sure was a disappointment to you and all the players. I know it was for the fans.

Yes it was very much a big disappointment. Atlanta has potential to be a big football town and I believe it still will eventually. But different things conspired to fold the team that year. There is still a good business nucleus in the city to bring back the pro game here in the city. I want to be a part of that.

That actually was my next question. I was curious if you still saw your future here in Atlanta even though there is no pro team here currently?

Yes, I really believe Atlanta has a future in the game and I think that we can all make a difference and build it again from the ground up.

There are a lot of fans in Atlanta that are very happy to hear this. I personally hope that the ADASL will be a big part of this growth.

I do believe organizations like the ADASL as well as what you are doing with your website are key to helping to bring pro level soccer back to Atlanta. This is a great city and it deserves to have the game back at the highest level.

Rodrigo, we would like to thank you for your time today and we look forward to following up with you as the year goes on.

The pleasure is all mine. I am always happy to talk football especially with those helping the game grow in Atlanta. I wish you well in your work with the game and your website.

Rodrigo Andres Rios Rodriguez

Date of birth - January 25, 1977Place of birth - Santiago, Chile

Height - 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)Playing position - Midfielder

Youth career1987-1996 - Universidad Católica

Senior career1996-2000 - Universidad Católica

2001 - Everton2002 - Palestino

2003-2004 - Unión Española2005-2008 - Atlanta Silverbacks

National Team1996 - Chile U-202000 - Chile U-23

HonorsIn 1996, Rios earned 8 caps with teh Chilean U-20 national team. In 2000,

he played 6 games scoring one goal, with the U-23 team during qualification for the 2000 Summer Olympics. However, he was not

selected for the final Olympics roster.

CurrentlyDirector of Operations for Atlanta Silverback Park

http://www.atlanta-footballnet.com

http://www.atlanta-footballnet.com

Rodrigo Rios Interview

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