WEBVTT 00:00:05.290 --> 00:00:11.130 You're listening to Raising Anchor on 990 WBOB. 00:00:18.530 --> 00:00:21.230 Welcome to the Raising Anchor Soccer Show with 00:00:21.230 --> 00:00:24.289 Matt Entrigan and Jason Carey. Your home for 00:00:24.289 --> 00:00:26.929 news, analysis, and everything Rhode Island FC. 00:00:27.789 --> 00:00:30.089 Each week they take you inside the locker room, 00:00:30.410 --> 00:00:32.609 inside the tactics, and inside the storyline 00:00:32.609 --> 00:00:38.969 shaping RISC. Here's Matt and Jason. Here for 00:00:38.969 --> 00:00:41.990 a special edition, a special treat of the Raising 00:00:41.990 --> 00:00:44.390 Anchor Soccer Show. We once again get to sit 00:00:44.390 --> 00:00:46.789 down with some of the most important people within 00:00:46.789 --> 00:00:48.649 the Rhode Island FC community. And of course, 00:00:48.850 --> 00:00:51.210 that is the players themselves. Happy to get 00:00:51.210 --> 00:00:53.810 to introduce and talk today with none other than 00:00:53.810 --> 00:00:57.630 Leo Afonso, Rhode Island FC attacker. Leo, welcome 00:00:57.630 --> 00:00:59.829 to the show. Hey, Matt. Thank you for having 00:00:59.829 --> 00:01:03.070 me. Really appreciate it. The pleasure is all 00:01:03.070 --> 00:01:05.310 mine. I look forward to these moments more than 00:01:05.310 --> 00:01:07.890 just about anything because it allows us, it 00:01:07.890 --> 00:01:11.010 allows listeners to get a sneak peek behind the 00:01:11.010 --> 00:01:14.030 scenes and understand who's the human inside 00:01:14.030 --> 00:01:15.810 that jersey, you know, more than just the number, 00:01:15.989 --> 00:01:18.209 more than the statistics, who is that person 00:01:18.209 --> 00:01:20.890 on an individual level. So I want to start things 00:01:20.890 --> 00:01:24.010 off and kind of get people set on a baseline. 00:01:24.409 --> 00:01:27.150 My favorite conversation that we've had so far 00:01:27.150 --> 00:01:29.609 is actually the very first one and I'll never 00:01:29.609 --> 00:01:31.890 forget it because a reporter came up to you and 00:01:31.890 --> 00:01:34.329 started assuming that you spoke Spanish. You 00:01:34.329 --> 00:01:37.010 then fired back that you spoke Portuguese and 00:01:37.010 --> 00:01:38.730 then they assumed that you were from Portugal. 00:01:39.049 --> 00:01:42.849 it was very evident in that very first, let's 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:45.569 call it meet and greet, that you had a very strong 00:01:45.569 --> 00:01:47.930 pride and connection to your Brazilian roots. 00:01:48.230 --> 00:01:50.469 So I want to ask, I know that you're born in 00:01:50.469 --> 00:01:53.030 São Paulo, but I also know then that you moved 00:01:53.030 --> 00:01:55.810 to Florida at a young age. Talk us through those. 00:01:55.870 --> 00:01:57.989 Was it too young? Was it too early for you to 00:01:57.989 --> 00:02:00.810 have Brazilian roots and memories and something 00:02:00.810 --> 00:02:03.230 that came later? Or did you get time down in 00:02:03.230 --> 00:02:05.549 São Paulo to kind of get that early Brazilian 00:02:05.549 --> 00:02:09.409 vibe? Yeah, no. I was born and raised in Brazil 00:02:09.409 --> 00:02:13.270 in São Paulo. I lived there for 14 years. So 00:02:13.270 --> 00:02:17.389 it was, my roots are in Brazil, born and raised 00:02:17.389 --> 00:02:19.650 there. And then I came to the US to Florida when 00:02:19.650 --> 00:02:23.590 I was 14, right during the World Cup was happening 00:02:23.590 --> 00:02:25.289 in Brazil. So I'm still kind of upset at my dad 00:02:25.289 --> 00:02:29.949 about that. But yeah, I have a lot of pride in 00:02:29.949 --> 00:02:34.360 my upbringing and where I'm from. So as a Brazilian 00:02:34.360 --> 00:02:36.919 then what is it like when we talk about the football 00:02:36.919 --> 00:02:38.879 culture because you've seen it here in America 00:02:38.879 --> 00:02:41.379 And it's you know, it's a fourth -tier sport. 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:43.900 It's adoption. There's there's some fanatics, 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:46.680 but it hasn't taken a hold of the country Maybe 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:49.120 this World Cup cycle we could see that but from 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:52.460 a Brazilian mindset. What is that cultural edge? 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:54.360 What is that cultural difference if you had to 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:56.620 compare it when you were growing up in Sao Paulo? 00:02:57.479 --> 00:03:00.900 Yeah football in Brazil is just it's life Uh, 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:03.139 people have their jobs. They have everything. 00:03:03.259 --> 00:03:06.259 But football is the one thing that everyone has 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:08.659 equal is like everyone likes the same amount. 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:11.120 Everyone stops whatever they're doing when their 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:13.000 team is playing on the weekend and they watch 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:18.139 the game. Um, it's just our life is around football 00:03:18.139 --> 00:03:21.340 in Brazil outside. Careful about saying football 00:03:21.340 --> 00:03:23.360 is life. You're going to potentially play against 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:26.060 the Danny Rojas and El Paso locomotive at some 00:03:26.060 --> 00:03:28.979 point in the near future, but you talk about 00:03:28.979 --> 00:03:32.460 it. It grounds you. It's your identity as a kid, 00:03:32.740 --> 00:03:35.120 especially in Brazil. Who were the greats that 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:38.280 you idolized? Was it Brazilian Nationals at that 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:40.939 point or was it players in the wide variety of 00:03:40.939 --> 00:03:44.919 leagues across the planet? For me, it was Brazilian 00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:48.280 Nationals. I loved watching Kaka when I was really 00:03:48.280 --> 00:03:51.400 young. Neymar is the biggest in Brazil when I 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:54.780 was growing up. It's, yeah, Brazilian players 00:03:54.780 --> 00:03:58.199 outside. Are you even allowed to say Kaka as 00:03:58.199 --> 00:04:00.740 he was an Orlando player and you come from Inter 00:04:00.740 --> 00:04:02.879 Miami? Is that still allowed to be said in this 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:07.819 day and age? I'll allow it. You didn't run into 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:09.719 him, right? He was already out of MLS when you 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:13.099 entered. Yeah, he was already out. That's a shame, 00:04:13.180 --> 00:04:14.979 that's a shame. All right, well then, if that's 00:04:14.979 --> 00:04:17.139 being the case, we're talking the national stage, 00:04:17.220 --> 00:04:19.600 at least the national team. What about the local 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:21.639 teams? What about the leagues within Brazil? 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:24.459 Is there a team that you are deeply committed 00:04:24.459 --> 00:04:28.139 to in that case? And if so, who is it? Yeah, 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:31.300 Palmeiras, which luckily I got to play against 00:04:31.300 --> 00:04:33.420 them, the Club World Cup with Miami. So that 00:04:33.420 --> 00:04:37.199 was a pretty cool experience. Just my mom's side, 00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:41.699 or my grandpa, my mom. big Brazilian big Palmeiras 00:04:41.699 --> 00:04:46.279 supporters So that's what I was born into All 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:48.000 right, and then talking about you know, you're 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:49.860 in your youth. You're developing your skills 00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:52.579 clearly There's a desire beyond this being a 00:04:52.579 --> 00:04:55.000 casual thing Like you said football is life want 00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:57.500 to talk about youth Academy youth development 00:04:57.500 --> 00:05:01.120 at least starting in the the Sao Paulo community 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:04.620 aspect of it How did that like I imagine everyone 00:05:04.620 --> 00:05:07.139 down there has insane amounts of talent. How 00:05:07.139 --> 00:05:09.699 do you differentiate yourself in academies down 00:05:09.699 --> 00:05:12.579 in Brazil and especially like in America? And 00:05:12.579 --> 00:05:14.060 I'm sure you probably saw a little bit of this, 00:05:14.060 --> 00:05:17.259 but it was a later age. You know, kids, they 00:05:17.259 --> 00:05:18.660 all want to be the striker. They all want to 00:05:18.660 --> 00:05:21.139 be the one that scores the goals. But then. the 00:05:21.139 --> 00:05:23.019 skills develop, you get to a certain height and 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:25.519 suddenly you're a defender or a goalkeeper. How 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:27.600 did you stay on the front foot of being an attacker 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:29.939 through your youth journey before we even get 00:05:29.939 --> 00:05:32.160 to the collegiate or your time as a professional? 00:05:33.060 --> 00:05:36.319 Yeah, I mean, I always loved scoring goals and 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:39.500 I was good at it. I played a little bit as a 00:05:39.500 --> 00:05:42.240 10 when I was a little younger, played on the 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:44.220 left, played on the right side. I played kind 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:46.439 of every single position you can think of as 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:49.540 a forward. And I think that really, really helped 00:05:49.540 --> 00:05:52.860 me. Now I have that experience from back then 00:05:52.860 --> 00:05:54.720 and I know how to play multiple positions and 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:58.319 I think it's Something that maybe more kids should 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:01.040 try when they're young Explore different positions 00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:04.720 and be versatile because you never know So if 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:07.439 you coach one day whether it's at the pro level 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:09.800 or the youth Academy level Is that is that the 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:11.800 X factor? We need to start talking about is be 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:14.420 a little experimental and find out where your 00:06:14.420 --> 00:06:17.060 comfort zones are and where you excel Yeah, I 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:20.279 mean it only gives you more uh in your back pocket 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:22.319 if you know what i mean it's just if you can 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:23.800 play on the right and then you go on the left 00:06:23.800 --> 00:06:25.379 and then you can play up top and you can play 00:06:25.379 --> 00:06:29.680 in the midfield it's you're gonna play you're 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:32.220 just more comfortable in four different positions 00:06:32.220 --> 00:06:35.980 than just one it just opens up your your ability 00:06:35.980 --> 00:06:40.490 to get on the field and play So we're gonna talk 00:06:40.490 --> 00:06:42.370 about your particular skill set and ability a 00:06:42.370 --> 00:06:44.449 little later here But want to get into then the 00:06:44.449 --> 00:06:46.990 transition you come to the United States now 00:06:46.990 --> 00:06:49.269 I didn't know this it sounds like it was at the 00:06:49.269 --> 00:06:51.629 worst time possible in the middle of World Cup 00:06:51.629 --> 00:06:55.009 while it's in Brazil How difficult beyond the 00:06:55.009 --> 00:06:57.689 soccer part was that transition or was it pretty 00:06:57.689 --> 00:07:01.250 seamless coming to the states? It was a little 00:07:01.250 --> 00:07:04.110 difficult. I mean the first three to six months 00:07:04.110 --> 00:07:07.730 I didn't speak English and then But I got lucky 00:07:07.730 --> 00:07:09.889 that my school had a soccer team and I got on 00:07:09.889 --> 00:07:12.209 the team and people were just like, the Brazilian 00:07:12.209 --> 00:07:13.829 kid doesn't speak in English, but you can play 00:07:13.829 --> 00:07:17.769 soccer. So people immediately started asking 00:07:17.769 --> 00:07:20.689 me questions and being intrigued about who I 00:07:20.689 --> 00:07:23.689 was and where I'm from. So after those three 00:07:23.689 --> 00:07:25.930 to six months, I'd say it was an easy transition. 00:07:27.029 --> 00:07:29.709 Does the skill set that you had And the fact 00:07:29.709 --> 00:07:32.069 that you were Brazilian put a target on you as 00:07:32.069 --> 00:07:35.089 you're trying to kind of grow your brand within 00:07:35.089 --> 00:07:37.470 the youth systems. Like, does everyone go, oh, 00:07:37.470 --> 00:07:39.189 we got to take the Brazilian out or watch out 00:07:39.189 --> 00:07:40.949 for the Brazilian when it came time to play? 00:07:41.529 --> 00:07:43.129 Yeah, it was always every time I stepped on the 00:07:43.129 --> 00:07:45.069 field. Oh, he's Brazilian, Brazilian, Brazilian 00:07:45.069 --> 00:07:49.029 this Brazilian that does that. Did that make 00:07:49.029 --> 00:07:51.110 you feel included or did that make you feel like, 00:07:51.189 --> 00:07:52.490 all right, I'm going to show you what Brazil 00:07:52.490 --> 00:07:55.310 is all about? I was like, whatever, let's play. 00:07:56.839 --> 00:07:59.639 Fair enough. All right, so then you go, you spend 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:02.519 time with Boca United and you go then through 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:04.220 a couple of different academy systems, it looks 00:08:04.220 --> 00:08:06.540 like, beyond that. I found out that you had time 00:08:06.540 --> 00:08:08.480 with the Philadelphia Union and of course, Inter 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:10.959 Miami, which we'll talk about, not just as the 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:12.879 academy, but of course then Inter Miami 2 and 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:15.459 then Inter Miami Senior. When you look at each 00:08:15.459 --> 00:08:18.300 of the stops along your way, did they all offer 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:21.319 you different pieces of your skill set or was 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:23.699 it just more refining what you already had as 00:08:23.699 --> 00:08:27.139 you went along your soccer journey? I would say 00:08:27.139 --> 00:08:31.639 it was both. For example, Philadelphia, I went 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:33.919 to Philadelphia because there was no MLS Academy 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:37.500 near my house besides Orlando. And Philadelphia 00:08:37.500 --> 00:08:40.200 had a great program with the YSC Academy, which 00:08:40.200 --> 00:08:43.419 is a school for the players. That was always 00:08:43.419 --> 00:08:45.200 something that was important to me and my parents 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:49.559 was soccer and education. So Philadelphia was 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:51.759 a good choice for me. And after spending a year 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:56.100 there, I feel like I developed a lot of that 00:08:56.100 --> 00:08:59.100 hard work mentality, kind of more worked on my 00:08:59.100 --> 00:09:02.340 physical aspect of the game. And then coming 00:09:02.340 --> 00:09:05.019 back to Miami for the Academy was was a great 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:06.840 feeling because I was coming back home, back 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:13.320 home to my family. But yeah. In terms of Inter 00:09:13.320 --> 00:09:16.200 Miami's Academy. Was it a net new? Like, we've 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:17.860 talked to previous players that have been with 00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:20.080 the club where they've been a part of it as an 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:22.120 expansion program. The senior team may have been 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:24.659 online for a minute or two, but the Academy is 00:09:24.659 --> 00:09:27.019 always that, like, you start things off and you're 00:09:27.019 --> 00:09:30.000 really designing shape and culture and what you 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:32.720 want to see come to fruition in three, five, 00:09:32.759 --> 00:09:36.259 and 10 years even. Was it kind of the wild, wild, 00:09:36.259 --> 00:09:38.980 I guess, East, not West at that time as the Academy 00:09:38.980 --> 00:09:44.000 was coming online itself? Yeah. It was a pretty... 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:47.440 surreal feeling to be playing for a team that 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:49.799 you knew was gonna be huge in Miami. Like even 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:52.320 back then, we were training at a college campus 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:54.399 and there was no first team facilities, there 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:56.620 was no stadium, but you just had a feeling back 00:09:56.620 --> 00:09:58.340 then that this was gonna be something huge. And 00:09:58.340 --> 00:10:00.779 to be a part of that since day one is something 00:10:00.779 --> 00:10:02.960 I take a lot of pride in and very happy about. 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:06.200 You weren't training at Pitbull Stadium back 00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:08.990 in the day, were you? No, we were in Broward 00:10:08.990 --> 00:10:12.450 College. It was a college before. Because that 00:10:12.450 --> 00:10:15.070 would have been ironic since now, you know, Miami 00:10:15.070 --> 00:10:18.690 FC and whatnot. Having talked about that then, 00:10:19.129 --> 00:10:21.769 I want to ask, you know, Miami is the last stop 00:10:21.769 --> 00:10:24.610 for you in the Academy element of your development. 00:10:25.149 --> 00:10:28.159 How important were those final instances before 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:30.820 you then go off for the University of Virginia. 00:10:31.419 --> 00:10:32.940 And there's a little bit of going between, right? 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:34.960 There's a little bit of reshuffling there. But 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:37.059 how important were those Academy moments to prep 00:10:37.059 --> 00:10:39.259 you for your time at the University of Virginia? 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:43.320 It was a great experience. I mean, you're traveling 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:46.139 and you're living the life of a young pro at 00:10:46.139 --> 00:10:49.860 that point. U -19 level, it's pretty high competitive. 00:10:51.340 --> 00:10:54.820 It gave me the opportunity to play against people 00:10:54.820 --> 00:10:58.480 from all over the U .S. So it helped me a lot 00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:02.000 develop, I think. As a Brazilian, knowing that 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.000 you had already seen a version of the system 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:07.279 at your time in Brazil coming in where, you know, 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:09.919 as Americans, we introduced this collegiate programming 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:12.559 instead of having just dedicated academies that 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:15.019 get you all the way to, you know, the moment 00:11:15.019 --> 00:11:18.320 of trial by fire, if you will. Was it a was it 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:21.679 an interesting conversion to watch? this go from 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:23.399 a structure that you were already familiar with 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:27.860 into this brand new idea of college soccer? Yeah, 00:11:27.860 --> 00:11:30.179 I mean, for me, it was always it was the weirdest 00:11:30.179 --> 00:11:33.580 thing was the short season that we had in college. 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:35.639 But for me, it was always just about playing. 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:38.460 And I love the sport and I just anywhere I could 00:11:38.460 --> 00:11:41.259 play out play. So going into college for me was 00:11:41.259 --> 00:11:43.940 no different. I went in with the same mindset 00:11:43.940 --> 00:11:47.879 as I was still in a young pro academy to doing 00:11:47.879 --> 00:11:50.289 the same thing in college. So. wasn't that bad 00:11:50.289 --> 00:11:52.730 of a transition outside. What are your thoughts 00:11:52.730 --> 00:11:55.750 on the NCAA expanding it to a longer format? 00:11:55.809 --> 00:11:57.570 I think that just actually got announced a couple 00:11:57.570 --> 00:11:59.830 of weeks ago. Is that going to be good for the 00:11:59.830 --> 00:12:01.990 players in the game, or do you see adjustments 00:12:01.990 --> 00:12:05.610 that could maybe change or at least redirect 00:12:05.610 --> 00:12:08.409 the attitudes and mindsets of college players 00:12:08.409 --> 00:12:10.850 today? Yeah, I saw that. I think the biggest 00:12:10.850 --> 00:12:13.409 issue colleges are going to face, like for example, 00:12:13.409 --> 00:12:16.230 Virginia, we shared the stadium with the lacrosse 00:12:16.230 --> 00:12:19.080 team, which their season's in the spring. So 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:21.500 kind of be interesting to see how that dynamic 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:23.940 is gonna work, but I think it's fantastic for 00:12:23.940 --> 00:12:27.559 players that want to play the next level. If 00:12:27.559 --> 00:12:29.720 I could go back in college and we played a year 00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:33.639 round, I would love that. I mean, yeah, I think 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:36.620 the USL2 system's probably the most at risk right 00:12:36.620 --> 00:12:38.840 now because that was kind of the offset. Did 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:41.200 you ever get time with the USL2 team? I know 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:43.899 a lot of your colleagues on the squad have, like, 00:12:43.980 --> 00:12:45.960 they played Flint City, but did you ever get 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:48.240 a chance at a USL2 look or wasn't part of your 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:52.679 journey? No, I didn't play us L2 I usually every 00:12:52.679 --> 00:12:54.779 summer I would come home from from college and 00:12:54.779 --> 00:12:57.000 I would go train with Miami second team I was 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:58.639 close to the coach at the time and he was like 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:00.820 hey Leo you want to come train? So it was a great 00:13:00.820 --> 00:13:03.500 way to stay fit and keep my name at the door 00:13:03.500 --> 00:13:07.159 No, that's that's incredible. So want to kind 00:13:07.159 --> 00:13:09.940 of finish off here on your time with your Virginia 00:13:09.940 --> 00:13:13.980 career 22 goals Is there a moment in there that 00:13:13.980 --> 00:13:16.279 stands out? I talked to Omidy last week, and 00:13:16.279 --> 00:13:19.059 he reminded me that his favorite moment of his 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:21.399 life was putting Nick Scardina in a very sad 00:13:21.399 --> 00:13:24.440 state in a final, a championship final. Do you 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:27.299 have a goal? Do you have a moment at your time 00:13:27.299 --> 00:13:29.779 with the University of Virginia that rises above 00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:34.299 all others? I have two moments. I'll do one, 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:38.639 which is mine. I think I scored, I can't remember 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:40.200 which game it was, but I think it was my third 00:13:40.200 --> 00:13:42.940 year in college. I scored against Syracuse and 00:13:42.940 --> 00:13:44.480 I think they were unbeaten at the time. We were 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:48.019 ranked number one and we scored in the last five 00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:51.159 minutes. So I think that's my favorite goal in 00:13:51.159 --> 00:13:54.200 college. Then my second moment was when I played 00:13:54.200 --> 00:13:55.980 against Hamadi and he got a red card against 00:13:55.980 --> 00:14:00.419 us. Do you so how many tells us all the time 00:14:00.419 --> 00:14:03.059 that he reminds Nick on a constant basis? Do 00:14:03.059 --> 00:14:05.379 you ever go into the well? And if you need to 00:14:05.379 --> 00:14:07.059 check Omidy in any way, do you just remind him 00:14:07.059 --> 00:14:09.159 of that moment? Yeah, we talk about a couple 00:14:09.159 --> 00:14:13.500 of times a week No love lost when you're on the 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:15.700 wrong side of the competition Well, we got to 00:14:15.700 --> 00:14:17.519 go to break and when we return we've got more 00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:21.019 with Leo Afonso all here on the raising anchor 00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:26.779 soccer show Thank you for listening to tonight's 00:14:26.779 --> 00:14:29.440 broadcast powered by Sprout Coworking. For all 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:32.700 your business needs, large or small, visit sproutcoworking 00:14:32.700 --> 00:14:37.700 .com. Powering 990 WBOB, that's sproutcoworking 00:14:37.700 --> 00:14:40.419 .com. Now let's get back to the Racing Anchor 00:14:40.419 --> 00:14:44.360 Soccer Show on 990 WBOB with Matt Entrickett 00:14:44.360 --> 00:14:48.350 and Jason Carey. All right here with Rhode Island 00:14:48.350 --> 00:14:52.409 FC attacker Leo Afonso Leo We just finished talking 00:14:52.409 --> 00:14:54.350 in the first segment all the way up through your 00:14:54.350 --> 00:14:56.470 time at University of Virginia But I want to 00:14:56.470 --> 00:14:59.250 take a step back now and kind of look back at 00:14:59.250 --> 00:15:01.110 everything you have done up until this moment 00:15:01.110 --> 00:15:04.009 a lot of the times People or players will tell 00:15:04.009 --> 00:15:06.549 me it's certain individuals. It's certain moments 00:15:06.549 --> 00:15:09.370 that shaped their soccer career It shaped their 00:15:09.370 --> 00:15:12.029 personality. It shaped their mentality if you 00:15:12.029 --> 00:15:15.250 had to give homage to you know, the three most 00:15:15.250 --> 00:15:18.370 important people that helped you along to be 00:15:18.370 --> 00:15:20.710 the player you are today. Who are we giving flowers 00:15:20.710 --> 00:15:26.950 to? Oh, and by the way, your mother and father, 00:15:26.950 --> 00:15:28.970 when I met them, told me that if you don't answer 00:15:28.970 --> 00:15:31.110 them, they're going to have strong words with 00:15:31.110 --> 00:15:33.789 you. So be careful here. I was going there. My 00:15:33.789 --> 00:15:37.509 parents, my dad always helped me train, taught 00:15:37.509 --> 00:15:39.649 me a lot of things. So my dad, for sure, number 00:15:39.649 --> 00:15:46.090 one. I think my coach when I was at Miami Academy, 00:15:46.330 --> 00:15:48.730 Darren Powell. I think he's at Nashville now. 00:15:49.590 --> 00:15:53.769 He was very high on how I played and always helped 00:15:53.769 --> 00:15:57.929 me and looked to give me advice. And yeah. And 00:15:57.929 --> 00:16:01.029 then I think my coach at UVA also, he was George 00:16:01.029 --> 00:16:03.690 Gionovach, was a big influential in my career 00:16:03.690 --> 00:16:07.070 growth. If you had to quote them, what's the 00:16:07.070 --> 00:16:08.710 most profound thing you remember them telling 00:16:08.710 --> 00:16:18.100 you? Not to put you on the spot. I can't remember 00:16:18.100 --> 00:16:19.700 exactly one thing they said, but they always 00:16:19.700 --> 00:16:21.460 told me to keep working hard and keep my head 00:16:21.460 --> 00:16:24.980 down and everything else will happen. Fair enough. 00:16:25.799 --> 00:16:28.039 I want to then get into a little bit more about 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:30.220 your leadership. So something that I don't think 00:16:30.220 --> 00:16:32.639 fans necessarily know is that at that time at 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:35.019 the University of Virginia, you were both a captain 00:16:35.019 --> 00:16:38.220 and leader for the program. We're going to talk 00:16:38.220 --> 00:16:40.580 at length about Inter Miami and now here at Rhode 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:43.799 Island in your first year. Do the qualities of 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:47.360 being a leader, do they go away when you aren't 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:49.720 wearing the armband? And if not, and I think 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:53.299 they don't, but want to hear it from you, how 00:16:53.299 --> 00:16:55.120 do you make sure that in those moments you do 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:56.700 step up as a leader when you're supposed to, 00:16:56.740 --> 00:16:59.340 and then when there's another captain on the 00:16:59.340 --> 00:17:01.759 squad on the field, how do you make sure that 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:03.740 you differentiate so that that person can be 00:17:03.740 --> 00:17:07.500 a leader in their own way? Yeah, I think there's 00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:10.819 different types of leaders in every aspect of 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:14.619 life. I'm more of a Not gonna see me talking 00:17:14.619 --> 00:17:16.779 too much, but I'll show my actions. I'm kind 00:17:16.779 --> 00:17:22.059 of like Look, this is how you do it So sometimes 00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:23.880 you're seeing games. I'm not talking much. I'm 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:28.299 not yelling much but I'm Doing everything I can 00:17:28.299 --> 00:17:31.480 my head's down and I'm working hard So I think 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:35.880 that's my best leadership skill And I also think 00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:39.319 sometimes captains and people, they see one thing 00:17:39.319 --> 00:17:41.940 and someone else sees something a different way. 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:45.720 So if you always have open floor to put your 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:48.279 input and things, and sometimes if our captain 00:17:48.279 --> 00:17:50.579 misses something, then I'll tune in and say something. 00:17:51.859 --> 00:17:55.299 I love that. Wanted to now talk you through college. 00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:57.640 It's the MLS Superdraft. And this is probably 00:17:57.640 --> 00:18:00.859 the most common question I ask every player that's 00:18:00.859 --> 00:18:03.640 gone through it is that some players will say 00:18:03.640 --> 00:18:05.440 that they didn't know where they were going, 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:07.759 they didn't know if they were going anywhere, 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:11.319 and others have told me that coaches are having 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:13.900 conversations, agents are setting things up behind 00:18:13.900 --> 00:18:16.859 the scenes, and maybe the draft pick number is 00:18:16.859 --> 00:18:19.700 not what they thought, but it's the intended 00:18:19.700 --> 00:18:22.279 result at the end. Want to walk through your 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:25.140 super draft, you return to Inner Miami, what 00:18:25.140 --> 00:18:27.160 was that like? Was it expected? Because you just 00:18:27.160 --> 00:18:28.700 said a second ago you already had such a great 00:18:28.700 --> 00:18:30.859 standing relationship during the summers with 00:18:30.859 --> 00:18:33.630 the Inner Miami Academy system. Was it kind of 00:18:33.630 --> 00:18:35.529 a known variant that you were going to be going 00:18:35.529 --> 00:18:38.829 back to in Miami? To be honest, no, I had no 00:18:38.829 --> 00:18:41.910 idea. My senior year in college, I got hurt. 00:18:42.049 --> 00:18:44.869 I had a high ankle sprain, so I was out for I 00:18:44.869 --> 00:18:46.910 think I played four games, five games that season, 00:18:47.109 --> 00:18:50.269 which is the most important season. And if you 00:18:50.269 --> 00:18:53.529 want to get drafted, so I didn't have any expectations 00:18:53.529 --> 00:18:56.710 going into the draft. And after the round one 00:18:56.710 --> 00:18:58.970 finished, I remember turning my TV off at home 00:18:58.970 --> 00:19:00.809 and I was like, I'm not watching this anymore. 00:19:00.809 --> 00:19:03.089 I can't. And I go up and I'm taking a shower 00:19:03.089 --> 00:19:05.269 and my mom comes banging on my room door and 00:19:05.269 --> 00:19:09.970 she's like, Leo, Leo Miami picked you. And yeah, 00:19:09.970 --> 00:19:12.730 after that, it was just crazy. Just a dream. 00:19:14.130 --> 00:19:16.809 Want to talk about the injury for a second. I 00:19:16.809 --> 00:19:19.109 know that you missed a lot of the season. And 00:19:19.109 --> 00:19:21.410 when you know that that's something that could 00:19:21.410 --> 00:19:23.329 have potentially set you back, but you have to 00:19:23.329 --> 00:19:26.369 get back into it. What is the mental reset look 00:19:26.369 --> 00:19:29.940 like in those critical moments? Because it. I 00:19:29.940 --> 00:19:32.380 feel like it can be incredibly disparaging and 00:19:32.380 --> 00:19:34.420 devastating and understand it can be like, hey, 00:19:34.460 --> 00:19:36.740 I want to prove to myself that I can rise above 00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:38.799 this. How do you go through that, especially 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:42.980 when there's that much at stake? Well, it was 00:19:42.980 --> 00:19:44.940 it was pretty hard. I'm not going to lie. Like 00:19:44.940 --> 00:19:47.480 I thought I was like, this is done. I'm not going 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:49.680 to get picked on the draft. Like everything I 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:54.119 did this past three years is gone. But I got 00:19:54.119 --> 00:19:56.339 lucky when I came back and I played a few good 00:19:56.339 --> 00:19:59.109 games and scored and. everything ended up working 00:19:59.109 --> 00:20:02.329 out. But I think just when the pressure is on, 00:20:02.509 --> 00:20:04.990 that's when you really know yourself. So I think 00:20:04.990 --> 00:20:09.190 that's the biggest thing I live by. When you're 00:20:09.190 --> 00:20:11.210 injured and you're in rehab, do you constantly 00:20:11.210 --> 00:20:13.569 relive that moment where the injury happened 00:20:13.569 --> 00:20:15.970 or do you try not to think about it and just 00:20:15.970 --> 00:20:18.589 focus on getting healthy, getting back to 100 00:20:18.589 --> 00:20:21.049 % like for me, I feel like that's that moment 00:20:21.049 --> 00:20:22.329 where I'd be like, all right, if I hadn't done 00:20:22.329 --> 00:20:24.849 this or if I just position myself in a different 00:20:24.849 --> 00:20:26.799 way. maybe things would have been different. 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:28.880 Do you live in that moment for an extended period 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:32.380 of time? Yeah. So I had to wear a cast, I think, 00:20:32.660 --> 00:20:35.059 for about a month. I was on crutches for two 00:20:35.059 --> 00:20:37.339 weeks. And I think those two weeks on crutches, 00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:39.440 I was rewatching the play and I was like, oh, 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:41.819 come on, don't do it. What are you doing? But 00:20:41.819 --> 00:20:43.420 then once I got off the crutches, I was like, 00:20:43.539 --> 00:20:47.099 oh, OK. Just constantly looking. It's like an 00:20:47.099 --> 00:20:48.980 out -of -body experience almost at that point. 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:51.940 All right. Then let's get into Inter Miami, specifically 00:20:51.940 --> 00:20:55.940 starting here with Inter Miami 2. want to ask 00:20:55.940 --> 00:20:59.599 how good did it feel that Inner Miami first selected 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:01.640 you and then knowing that you kind of already 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:04.400 have a leg up where at least you know some of 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:06.440 the technical staff, some of the administration, 00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:09.839 did it feel like this was the only place you 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:12.720 could have landed because of all of the relationships 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:14.420 you had already built earlier in your career? 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:19.480 Yeah, so when I got there it was I think three, 00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:21.759 four months after Messi or no, Messi got there 00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:24.039 in June. It was after Messi got there. So they 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:26.019 changed the whole staff and I didn't know any 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:28.180 one of the club. So that's why I was a little 00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:30.519 surprised. Wait, I thought they only changed 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:32.859 like the senior technical coaching staff. Are 00:21:32.859 --> 00:21:34.920 you like they cleaned house all the way down 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:37.440 to the Academy? I'm not sure about the Academy, 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:40.259 but the second team staff was was different than 00:21:40.259 --> 00:21:44.119 when I was there. Fede Higuain was the coach 00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:46.460 when I got there and I think He might have been 00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:48.859 there one summer when I went to train. I can't 00:21:48.859 --> 00:21:51.559 really remember. But yeah, they changed. They 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:54.859 changed a lot of people. So that doesn't give 00:21:54.859 --> 00:21:57.140 you any leg up. It sounds like it resets it for 00:21:57.140 --> 00:21:59.559 everybody. I'll switch the question around then. 00:21:59.559 --> 00:22:01.819 How do you differentiate yourself in an early 00:22:01.819 --> 00:22:04.859 marking? I know in your early time with two, 00:22:05.259 --> 00:22:07.119 you scored four goals in your first, I think 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:09.950 it was two matches. Yeah. Did that just kind 00:22:09.950 --> 00:22:12.210 of give you the catapult? I know there's a couple 00:22:12.210 --> 00:22:13.829 of things we'll talk about around like these 00:22:13.829 --> 00:22:16.170 temporary loans that you had assigned to you. 00:22:16.230 --> 00:22:18.349 But did that just give you the ammunition to 00:22:18.349 --> 00:22:20.470 propel yourself amongst the top ranks within 00:22:20.470 --> 00:22:23.470 Inter Miami 2 at the time? Yeah, I mean, I think 00:22:23.470 --> 00:22:26.289 it was kind of the same mindset of my last three 00:22:26.289 --> 00:22:28.250 games in college that I was like, I have to score 00:22:28.250 --> 00:22:31.470 if I want to get drafted. So I went into preseason. 00:22:31.650 --> 00:22:34.490 I was like, I'm just I'm going to do my best 00:22:34.490 --> 00:22:36.950 and see what happens. Didn't expect much from 00:22:36.950 --> 00:22:41.210 it. Went in with the goal and and yeah, I got 00:22:41.210 --> 00:22:44.549 got lucky some will say that I scored a lot of 00:22:44.549 --> 00:22:48.789 goals in the beginning and yeah When does a player 00:22:48.789 --> 00:22:51.789 in the two system or the reserve side? When do 00:22:51.789 --> 00:22:54.309 you feel comfortable enough to say that you belong? 00:22:54.779 --> 00:22:57.400 Is it only until you get that senior contract 00:22:57.400 --> 00:22:59.799 because you're fighting for every goal, every 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.740 minute, every look to eventually advance? Or 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:05.400 is there a moment where you can still feel comfortable 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:07.680 enough to say, like, I belong here now on this 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:11.960 team? I'm not sure. For me, my goal is always 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:14.859 to be on the first team and to get playing time 00:23:14.859 --> 00:23:18.500 and to be regular playing time. So when I was 00:23:18.500 --> 00:23:22.140 in the twos, this is just a warm up for when 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:26.339 I get to the senior team. a speed bump along 00:23:26.339 --> 00:23:28.500 the way. Want to talk about the senior team and 00:23:28.500 --> 00:23:32.220 specifically your debut, top three moment in 00:23:32.220 --> 00:23:34.740 your life. How was it? Could you describe, could 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:37.140 you walk us through the experience of being able 00:23:37.140 --> 00:23:41.279 to play for Inter Miami first team? Yes. So I 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:44.519 remember when I made my debut, it was, um, we 00:23:44.519 --> 00:23:47.740 played rebels away. Um, and I remember the game 00:23:47.740 --> 00:23:49.599 was like, I think on a Saturday they told me 00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:52.299 Thursday, Oh, you're traveling with the, with 00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:54.670 the senior team. We had some guys on international 00:23:54.670 --> 00:23:56.430 duty and I was like, Oh, okay. Like I'll be on 00:23:56.430 --> 00:23:58.849 the bench. Like this is super cool. Uh, and they're 00:23:58.849 --> 00:24:00.730 like, Oh, and Sunday, like you play with the 00:24:00.730 --> 00:24:03.410 second team there too. Cause they were in, um, 00:24:03.410 --> 00:24:07.670 they were in Jersey as well. Um, and we went 00:24:07.670 --> 00:24:10.170 to the game and I remember, I think it was 70 00:24:10.170 --> 00:24:12.269 minutes in that that calls me over and he's like, 00:24:12.309 --> 00:24:14.809 Leo, you're going in. I was like, Oh, I trained 00:24:14.809 --> 00:24:18.130 with these guys for like two days. Uh, I was 00:24:18.130 --> 00:24:20.839 like, okay, let's see. and I went in and I played 00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:23.640 a good game and then after that it was just everything 00:24:23.640 --> 00:24:27.980 happened really fast. If you have to go back 00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:30.599 to that moment especially away because players 00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:33.599 have told me the debut away is different from 00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:36.220 a debut at home like your first is always your 00:24:36.220 --> 00:24:39.599 first. What was that sight? What was that smell? 00:24:39.859 --> 00:24:42.619 What was that one thing that stood out amongst 00:24:42.619 --> 00:24:44.500 all of the different things going on as you find 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:48.579 out that you're going to take the pitch? I think 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:50.299 you just think back to everything you've done 00:24:50.299 --> 00:24:53.019 and it gives you confidence to to step in the 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:55.299 field and once I stepped in you kind of forget 00:24:55.299 --> 00:24:57.500 everything else that's going on and it's just 00:24:57.500 --> 00:25:02.039 a game. You're just playing 11 versus 11 and 00:25:02.039 --> 00:25:03.779 you're running around and it's all that matters 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:06.339 at that moment. All right well we're going to 00:25:06.339 --> 00:25:08.980 talk more Inter Miami FC, the rest of your MLS 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:11.700 time so far and of course everything with Island 00:25:11.700 --> 00:25:14.619 FC when we get back but we've got to go to break 00:25:14.619 --> 00:25:20.430 here on the Raising Anchor Soccer Show. Fans, 00:25:20.690 --> 00:25:22.569 as the weather becomes more and more unpredictable, 00:25:22.869 --> 00:25:26.049 be sure to check out 990 WBOB's weather page 00:25:26.049 --> 00:25:28.829 for all your temperature, storm, and travel info. 00:25:29.309 --> 00:25:31.430 Stay prepared for whatever Mother Nature has 00:25:31.430 --> 00:25:36.250 in store with the 990 WBOB weather page. Now, 00:25:36.329 --> 00:25:38.430 let's get back to the Racing Anchor Soccer Show 00:25:38.430 --> 00:25:43.109 on 990 WBOB with Matt Entrickett and Jason Carey. 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:47.460 Here with Rhode Island FC attacker Leo Afonso 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:50.299 as we are going through his soccer journey his 00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:53.220 soccer life and The last segment we pick up from 00:25:53.220 --> 00:25:56.480 his time at Inter Miami Leo I want to make this 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:58.880 show about you But I would be doing a disservice 00:25:58.880 --> 00:26:01.880 to fans across the world if we didn't bring up 00:26:01.880 --> 00:26:04.859 a certain player Maybe a certain set of players 00:26:04.859 --> 00:26:08.740 at your time down in Inter Miami Want to ask 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:11.140 you first question. There's there's these signings 00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:15.670 that happen how do you go from coming from Inter 00:26:15.670 --> 00:26:18.490 Miami 2 to now signing and playing in the first 00:26:18.490 --> 00:26:20.650 team where there are all these legends that show 00:26:20.650 --> 00:26:25.390 up like Lionel Messi, Busquets, Alba, Suarez, 00:26:25.750 --> 00:26:28.289 how do you go from that surreal moment and now 00:26:28.289 --> 00:26:30.329 you're playing on the pitch alongside these individuals? 00:26:31.730 --> 00:26:34.730 Yeah, I mean, I think anyone that says that it's 00:26:34.730 --> 00:26:36.490 not intimidating in the beginning, they'll be 00:26:36.490 --> 00:26:39.009 lying. In the beginning, I was a little intimidated, 00:26:39.009 --> 00:26:42.950 but they're really good guys and they just Busquets, 00:26:43.130 --> 00:26:44.869 Jordy, they took me under their wing a little 00:26:44.869 --> 00:26:48.809 bit and just show me that it's okay to make mistakes 00:26:48.809 --> 00:26:51.970 and it's okay to try your things and give you 00:26:51.970 --> 00:26:54.269 tips here and there. And watching these guys 00:26:54.269 --> 00:26:59.750 train every day, you just see firsthand how good 00:26:59.750 --> 00:27:02.170 they are and how high their level is. So you 00:27:02.170 --> 00:27:06.339 learn a lot. Does their soccer IQ do their abilities 00:27:06.339 --> 00:27:08.579 and skills does it transfer pretty seamlessly 00:27:08.579 --> 00:27:11.440 like would you say arguably that you became a 00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:14.299 much better player by playing with them or were 00:27:14.299 --> 00:27:17.759 they at a place that It's almost like there's 00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:19.859 a distance. There's a distance between the skill 00:27:19.859 --> 00:27:21.700 sets and I'm not insulting you or anyone but 00:27:21.700 --> 00:27:24.619 obviously players are at one level or another 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:27.839 do you quickly elevate your own game to players 00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:30.779 like that or is it just like Okay, what whatever 00:27:30.779 --> 00:27:32.640 I can learn from you in the time I get to be 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:35.240 around you. That's that's all it's gonna be Yeah, 00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:37.500 I mean being around those guys that elevate to 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:40.660 100 % just because you see how well they're doing 00:27:40.660 --> 00:27:42.960 things and you're like, okay I have to do it 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:47.059 try to do it as well as they are Or when you 00:27:47.059 --> 00:27:49.059 know exactly where Messi's gonna put the ball 00:27:49.059 --> 00:27:51.019 when when he gets it in this spot of the field 00:27:51.019 --> 00:27:52.420 You're like I'm gonna run here because I know 00:27:52.420 --> 00:27:55.519 he's gonna put it there where Jordy, he's crossing 00:27:55.519 --> 00:27:57.400 the ball, he likes to cross it back. So you're 00:27:57.400 --> 00:27:59.339 like, I'm going to position myself here because 00:27:59.339 --> 00:28:02.400 I know he's going to play that ball. So I think 00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:04.740 the biggest thing playing with them that I learned 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:09.019 was just being one step ahead of everyone else. 00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:13.759 Yeah. Has it made your life significantly more 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:16.019 difficult when you don't have the level of service? 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:18.559 or the defenders behind you so that you can be 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:21.359 a little braver. You can take on more risk. Has 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:23.200 it changed the way you've played your game? Because 00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:24.819 once you've played with that level, you get a 00:28:24.819 --> 00:28:27.579 taste for it, right? Obviously, Atlanta, Rhode 00:28:27.579 --> 00:28:29.700 Island, I see no disrespect again, but they're 00:28:29.700 --> 00:28:32.140 not going to offer necessarily the same level 00:28:32.140 --> 00:28:34.859 of skill. Is it almost like you've seen the best 00:28:34.859 --> 00:28:36.680 and you might not ever get to see that again 00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:40.680 in terms of teammates? Yeah. I mean, when you're 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:42.880 speaking about arguably one of the best in history, 00:28:44.750 --> 00:28:47.230 So, when you have Messi playing you through balls 00:28:47.230 --> 00:28:49.490 or Jordi Alba playing you through balls, it's 00:28:49.490 --> 00:28:53.349 definitely a lot higher level than other teammates. 00:28:53.490 --> 00:28:56.210 No disrespect to any teammate. Of course, of 00:28:56.210 --> 00:28:58.349 course. I think Clay Holstead will agree. He's, 00:28:58.349 --> 00:29:01.390 you know, he's no Bousquets. But we can ask him. 00:29:04.359 --> 00:29:06.740 I do want to ask one final question though about 00:29:06.740 --> 00:29:10.339 Messi alongside you. We made the joke when you 00:29:10.339 --> 00:29:12.940 first got announced that we were getting a Leo 00:29:12.940 --> 00:29:17.039 from Inner Miami. There's two Leos on this team. 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:19.779 What was the name differentiation during practices 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:22.359 or even on the pitch? Were you both just allowed 00:29:22.359 --> 00:29:25.980 to be Leo or how did it work out? This is actually 00:29:25.980 --> 00:29:28.960 funny. So there was three Leos when we were at 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:32.480 Miami. Oh, Campagna. Leo Campana, Leo Messi and 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:37.019 me. And then it was Leo, it was Messi. Campana 00:29:37.019 --> 00:29:39.319 was, they called him Campana and me was Afonso. 00:29:39.420 --> 00:29:42.019 Afonso, Afonso. But it was funny because they 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:43.480 would say Leo and then all three of us would 00:29:43.480 --> 00:29:47.720 look at each other like, who is it? Oh, I love 00:29:47.720 --> 00:29:51.740 that. I want to end things in Miami before you 00:29:51.740 --> 00:29:55.380 get traded onto Atlanta. Is there a key moment 00:29:55.380 --> 00:29:59.400 that's just, you know, is the is the core memory 00:29:59.400 --> 00:30:01.000 you'll have. Maybe it's something on the pitch. 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:02.920 Maybe it's something off the pitch. I feel like 00:30:02.920 --> 00:30:05.019 it's going to be that incredible goal you scored, 00:30:05.019 --> 00:30:08.039 but I want to ask and let you you do the talking 00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:10.000 here. What is that key moment for you at your 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:12.880 time with Inter Miami? I would say I would say 00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:15.819 that Philly goal against Philadelphia. It was 00:30:15.819 --> 00:30:19.039 just two men down. I don't know 10 minutes left. 00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:22.619 It was just crazy stuff. I think that was a top 00:30:22.619 --> 00:30:25.859 10 Sports Center moment for her. I want to say 00:30:25.859 --> 00:30:28.579 it was almost a contender for year. of the like 00:30:28.579 --> 00:30:31.220 the top year moment as well. That was an incredible, 00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:33.059 incredible goal. How did you feel after that 00:30:33.059 --> 00:30:34.660 game, knowing what you accomplished on the night? 00:30:35.160 --> 00:30:36.900 It was pretty crazy because the game ended and 00:30:36.900 --> 00:30:40.740 I was like, oh, OK, whatever we won. And then 00:30:40.740 --> 00:30:42.740 talking to people on the field and then I go 00:30:42.740 --> 00:30:44.480 into the locker room, I call my parents, I call 00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:47.980 my girlfriend. I just scored. And they're like, 00:30:48.059 --> 00:30:50.839 yeah, we know it's all over the Internet. I'm 00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:52.700 like, oh, I haven't even checked. I'm not a big 00:30:52.700 --> 00:30:56.460 Instagram guy or Twitter. I'm just I'm like, 00:30:56.720 --> 00:31:02.470 whatever. So you're on this high, you're doing 00:31:02.470 --> 00:31:05.069 all the things you're supposed to do as a left 00:31:05.069 --> 00:31:09.049 winger, an inverted winger. And then you get 00:31:09.049 --> 00:31:10.849 the call and you find out you're getting traded 00:31:10.849 --> 00:31:13.869 to Atlanta United. How devastating was it to 00:31:13.869 --> 00:31:16.289 know that you were working hard for this level 00:31:16.289 --> 00:31:18.369 of success? You're being integrated in this team. 00:31:18.750 --> 00:31:21.690 Miami's doing well at the time. And you find 00:31:21.690 --> 00:31:24.190 out that your services are being sent to Atlanta. 00:31:24.609 --> 00:31:26.690 What's the honest emotional reaction as a human 00:31:26.690 --> 00:31:28.529 being that you have to go through knowing that 00:31:28.529 --> 00:31:33.490 your time in Florida is over? For me, it wasn't 00:31:33.490 --> 00:31:35.990 too bad. I mean, I was more sad that I was leaving 00:31:35.990 --> 00:31:38.509 home. I actually asked for the trade because 00:31:38.509 --> 00:31:41.410 I wanted to play more. I wasn't getting a lot 00:31:41.410 --> 00:31:43.250 of minutes, so I asked for the trade to Atlanta 00:31:43.250 --> 00:31:46.109 and I need the GM over there, Chris Henderson, 00:31:46.589 --> 00:31:52.349 because he was at Miami before. So it was It 00:31:52.349 --> 00:31:54.690 was sad leaving and wishing things could have 00:31:54.690 --> 00:31:57.089 been different, but I was happy to try a new 00:31:57.089 --> 00:31:59.250 adventure and see what else was out there for 00:31:59.250 --> 00:32:01.869 me. What did your experience in your time with 00:32:01.869 --> 00:32:06.430 Atlanta give to you? Obviously, not as many probably 00:32:06.430 --> 00:32:08.069 touches that I think you would have wanted, especially 00:32:08.069 --> 00:32:10.029 coming off of some of the success that you saw 00:32:10.029 --> 00:32:12.990 with Inter. Did you get what you wanted to out 00:32:12.990 --> 00:32:15.369 of that journey in that time, or what were those 00:32:15.369 --> 00:32:18.230 lasting impressions with Atlanta? Yeah, I mean, 00:32:18.289 --> 00:32:21.319 it was... quick. I was there for, I think, only 00:32:21.319 --> 00:32:24.200 three months of the season. Did not get what 00:32:24.200 --> 00:32:28.920 I expected, but that's life. You never get everything 00:32:28.920 --> 00:32:33.720 you want and hope for. So, yeah. Do you equivalent 00:32:33.720 --> 00:32:36.539 that as the resiliency similar to an injury or 00:32:36.539 --> 00:32:39.200 a setback of that kind? Obviously, those are 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:42.339 moments that are unpredictable. How do you walk 00:32:42.339 --> 00:32:45.200 through that when you're trying to put your brand 00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:47.900 out there, develop yourself? How do you adjust 00:32:47.900 --> 00:32:51.339 to those kinds of circumstances? You just you 00:32:51.339 --> 00:32:53.920 just have to keep going on about life and just 00:32:53.920 --> 00:32:57.480 do your best every day and Whatever happens happens. 00:32:57.480 --> 00:32:59.519 You can't really control it. You can control 00:32:59.519 --> 00:33:01.579 the work you put in every day. You can control 00:33:01.579 --> 00:33:05.519 how you react to things So yeah, I think just 00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:08.480 moving on and keep doing what you're doing and 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:11.099 Things will work out. We'll talk about Rhode 00:33:11.099 --> 00:33:13.460 Island here in a second. But looking at this 00:33:13.460 --> 00:33:17.970 moment you're in MLS do you still think about 00:33:17.970 --> 00:33:21.329 where that ceiling is for you? Obviously, we're 00:33:21.329 --> 00:33:23.829 going to talk about now in championship play, 00:33:24.289 --> 00:33:26.650 but you've played amongst the best. You've been 00:33:26.650 --> 00:33:29.230 one of the best in that group. When you look 00:33:29.230 --> 00:33:31.509 at the ceiling for yourself and you specifically 00:33:31.509 --> 00:33:34.470 focus on MLS for a second, is there more in that 00:33:34.470 --> 00:33:37.329 story that you want to go after? Is there more 00:33:37.329 --> 00:33:39.849 to be said about your time and your impact that 00:33:39.849 --> 00:33:42.769 you left in Major League Soccer? Yeah, I mean, 00:33:42.769 --> 00:33:47.869 I think I think things are not finished with 00:33:47.869 --> 00:33:50.670 MLS. I think my biggest goal coming here was 00:33:50.670 --> 00:33:55.069 to being in a team that has a clear identity, 00:33:55.150 --> 00:33:58.170 a team that has a good setup, that wants to win, 00:33:59.049 --> 00:34:02.190 has a great fan base, the coaches have a vision, 00:34:02.789 --> 00:34:05.650 everyone here has a vision and aspire for more. 00:34:06.450 --> 00:34:09.190 So I think coming here was a good move for my 00:34:09.190 --> 00:34:13.440 career and we'll see what else happens. All right. 00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:15.059 Well, we're going to go to our final break and 00:34:15.059 --> 00:34:17.079 when we return, we're going to talk all things 00:34:17.079 --> 00:34:19.559 Rhode Island FC. Don't go anywhere. It's the 00:34:19.559 --> 00:34:21.760 Raising Anchor Soccer Show. Now let's get back 00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:25.519 to the Raising Anchor Soccer Show on 990 WBOB 00:34:25.519 --> 00:34:29.750 with Matt Entrickett and Jason Carey. All right 00:34:29.750 --> 00:34:32.550 here with Rhode Island F .C. attacker Leo Afonso 00:34:32.550 --> 00:34:34.570 and we're getting to the most important part 00:34:34.570 --> 00:34:37.150 where listeners want to know and that's everything 00:34:37.150 --> 00:34:40.210 about you joining the amber and blue. So I want 00:34:40.210 --> 00:34:42.210 to ask you know we learned in the last segment 00:34:42.210 --> 00:34:44.889 that you had initiated the transfer to Atlanta. 00:34:45.110 --> 00:34:47.809 How did you get connected with Rhode Island F 00:34:47.809 --> 00:34:50.429 .C. as a club and what's the origin story that 00:34:50.429 --> 00:34:56.699 got you here playing in the Ocean State? Let's 00:34:56.699 --> 00:34:59.380 see. So my agent is friends with Kano. He knows 00:34:59.380 --> 00:35:03.159 Kano well and I actually met Kano at the MLS 00:35:03.159 --> 00:35:04.880 Cup final. I was there for that game and Kano 00:35:04.880 --> 00:35:07.099 was there too. So I spoke to him for a little 00:35:07.099 --> 00:35:11.039 bit briefly and he expressed his interest and 00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:14.699 yeah, things from there just took a good path 00:35:14.699 --> 00:35:17.480 and I like the vision that he had, that the team 00:35:17.480 --> 00:35:21.699 had, the club had. So here I am. I want to talk 00:35:21.699 --> 00:35:23.920 a little bit about the vision and the opportunity. 00:35:24.340 --> 00:35:26.320 You know, when you get to Rhode Island, and I 00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:28.400 know that the first moments that we met, it was 00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:30.840 training in that offsite indoor facility. It 00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:33.519 wasn't necessarily yet in Centerville Bank Stadium, 00:35:33.579 --> 00:35:35.820 especially in front of fans. But what were those 00:35:35.820 --> 00:35:38.880 initial impressions and opportunities that kind 00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:41.099 of exposed themselves to you as you started to 00:35:41.099 --> 00:35:43.019 really digest Rhode Island FC after you had signed 00:35:43.019 --> 00:35:47.619 with us? Yeah, I mean, I already knew all about 00:35:47.619 --> 00:35:50.920 the setup. I knew the stadium, the fans. It was 00:35:50.920 --> 00:35:53.480 an environment I wanted to be in, an environment 00:35:53.480 --> 00:35:57.280 I felt like I could grow, apply a lot of things 00:35:57.280 --> 00:36:01.539 that I learned over my two years in MLS. But 00:36:01.539 --> 00:36:05.280 yeah, the snow I was not prepared for, the climate 00:36:05.280 --> 00:36:09.820 change. It doesn't snow in Sao Paulo? No, in 00:36:09.820 --> 00:36:14.639 Florida, neither. You talk about the environment, 00:36:14.699 --> 00:36:17.550 you talk about the conditions. Rhode Island FC 00:36:17.550 --> 00:36:19.329 is considered one of the crown jewels in the 00:36:19.329 --> 00:36:21.650 league right now, both because it's a newer team, 00:36:21.650 --> 00:36:24.150 but also there's just a really strong implementation 00:36:24.150 --> 00:36:27.869 and investment around facilities, amenities, 00:36:28.190 --> 00:36:30.989 culture, everything. You've now played enough 00:36:30.989 --> 00:36:33.070 games across the league that you've seen other 00:36:33.070 --> 00:36:37.110 teams. If Rhode Island hadn't been a destination 00:36:37.110 --> 00:36:39.010 for you, could you have seen yourself going to 00:36:39.010 --> 00:36:41.130 one of these other organizations that, you know, 00:36:41.150 --> 00:36:43.730 like, we can talk about Hearts of Pine, no disrespect, 00:36:43.789 --> 00:36:46.349 but they play on a track field. And I think you 00:36:46.349 --> 00:36:48.710 guys were changing in cargo containers on that 00:36:48.710 --> 00:36:51.630 weekend. So when you look at what that is for 00:36:51.630 --> 00:36:53.550 Rhode Island, how critical is it for a player 00:36:53.550 --> 00:36:56.409 of your caliber to see those amenities, to see 00:36:56.409 --> 00:36:59.090 that investment in the resourcing of player development? 00:36:59.510 --> 00:37:03.329 And is it just a must for you? For me, yes. I 00:37:03.329 --> 00:37:05.949 mean, I like to be in the gym. I take recovery 00:37:05.949 --> 00:37:09.429 serious. There's a lot of things that needs to 00:37:09.429 --> 00:37:11.409 be at a high level for you to perform at a high 00:37:11.409 --> 00:37:15.420 level. So having those. resources. It's something 00:37:15.420 --> 00:37:19.639 I don't really negotiate on. If the team doesn't 00:37:19.639 --> 00:37:22.239 have a good setup, then I can't perform my best 00:37:22.239 --> 00:37:25.789 and that's not in my best interest. Speaking 00:37:25.789 --> 00:37:28.250 of your best, when I first met you, I asked you 00:37:28.250 --> 00:37:30.050 if you had had an early identity. I think you 00:37:30.050 --> 00:37:32.829 were week two into your time with Rhode Island. 00:37:33.050 --> 00:37:34.849 I had seen like, hey, you know, are you going 00:37:34.849 --> 00:37:36.590 to be someone that is implemented on the left 00:37:36.590 --> 00:37:38.909 wing? At the time, we didn't know who our right 00:37:38.909 --> 00:37:41.409 winger solution would be. And you said, you know, 00:37:41.409 --> 00:37:43.809 I'll play wherever coach wants me to play, but 00:37:43.809 --> 00:37:46.869 I prefer the left. I know that rings true, but 00:37:46.869 --> 00:37:49.449 did Kano give you that sense of knowing where 00:37:49.449 --> 00:37:52.119 you would be in this organization? from the get 00:37:52.119 --> 00:37:54.320 go or was that something you had to earn? Because 00:37:54.320 --> 00:37:56.380 I have a theory that between you and Aldair, 00:37:56.760 --> 00:37:59.420 you forced Jojaya to have to go outright because 00:37:59.420 --> 00:38:01.480 it was something he had not done primarily up 00:38:01.480 --> 00:38:04.099 until this third season with the club. So did 00:38:04.099 --> 00:38:06.000 you prove your case that you were the one that 00:38:06.000 --> 00:38:07.519 was going to be on the left side or was there 00:38:07.519 --> 00:38:09.420 ever a moment where you could have been playing 00:38:09.420 --> 00:38:12.039 the opposite side, similar to kind of what Jojaya 00:38:12.039 --> 00:38:15.619 has now on the other side? Yeah, I mean, I think 00:38:15.619 --> 00:38:18.300 I came in a preseason. I was working in the off 00:38:18.300 --> 00:38:21.809 season, working hard, and I came in fed. And 00:38:21.809 --> 00:38:24.409 I just, I think I showed something that he liked 00:38:24.409 --> 00:38:27.690 and yeah, that's where he put me. And like I 00:38:27.690 --> 00:38:29.929 said, I'll play anywhere the team needs me to. 00:38:30.750 --> 00:38:32.869 I mean, Clay can be our backup goalkeeper. Maybe 00:38:32.869 --> 00:38:34.909 you might have something in the cards to do it 00:38:34.909 --> 00:38:37.769 as well. How good are you with your hands? I 00:38:37.769 --> 00:38:40.989 would need a Peter Czech helmet to protect my 00:38:40.989 --> 00:38:43.469 head now. Especially right now. Listen, I wasn't 00:38:43.469 --> 00:38:45.309 going to bring it up, but I mean, people are 00:38:45.309 --> 00:38:46.630 going to watch this and they're going to be like, 00:38:46.730 --> 00:38:50.789 what happened? Yeah, you have to. do you want 00:38:50.789 --> 00:38:52.409 to go into details or do you want to leave it 00:38:52.409 --> 00:38:54.630 mysterious as to the battle wound that you have 00:38:54.630 --> 00:38:56.989 uh currently on screen right now as we're as 00:38:56.989 --> 00:39:00.130 we're recording this it have been a work work 00:39:00.130 --> 00:39:03.710 incident well i guess it's a good thing the the 00:39:03.710 --> 00:39:06.969 uslpa renegotiated their health insurance contract 00:39:06.969 --> 00:39:11.670 it couldn't have come at a better time So I want 00:39:11.670 --> 00:39:14.510 to get into the conversations about the workplace. 00:39:14.710 --> 00:39:17.570 I want to first ask the locker room, the environment 00:39:17.570 --> 00:39:20.889 right now. We know we've had conversations that 00:39:20.889 --> 00:39:23.130 you've got a friendship, an existing friendship 00:39:23.130 --> 00:39:26.250 with Frank Nodarse. I want to ask, how have you 00:39:26.250 --> 00:39:28.230 gelled with the rest of the team? Who have been 00:39:28.230 --> 00:39:30.090 the go -to guys that have taken you under their 00:39:30.090 --> 00:39:32.690 wing? Or maybe you've taken them under your wing 00:39:32.690 --> 00:39:34.469 as you've come in and integrated with this team. 00:39:35.530 --> 00:39:38.170 Yeah, I mean, I think this is probably one of 00:39:38.170 --> 00:39:42.389 the best locker rooms in terms of um the vibes 00:39:42.389 --> 00:39:46.530 and how everyone is uh i think we everyone bonds 00:39:46.530 --> 00:39:50.389 really well together um but a couple of guys 00:39:50.389 --> 00:39:53.230 that i i came in and i think frank for sure because 00:39:53.230 --> 00:39:58.530 i already know him uh jacob um trying to think 00:39:58.530 --> 00:40:00.550 who else how many i'm always joking around with 00:40:00.550 --> 00:40:06.110 them uh our our head kit manager is nick from 00:40:06.110 --> 00:40:08.369 brazil so i'm always messing around with them 00:40:08.369 --> 00:40:11.260 too and Yeah, everyone in the locker room is 00:40:11.260 --> 00:40:15.260 good vibes and good people. We have a lot of 00:40:15.260 --> 00:40:17.460 different cultures and ethnicities as a melting 00:40:17.460 --> 00:40:19.460 pot, specifically in Pawtucket, but around the 00:40:19.460 --> 00:40:22.039 greater Rhode Island area. Have you found places 00:40:22.039 --> 00:40:24.800 that can remind you of home? We could say Florida 00:40:24.800 --> 00:40:27.280 or we could say Brazil. I know of a few places 00:40:27.280 --> 00:40:29.860 to grab a bite that are Brazilian, but have you 00:40:29.860 --> 00:40:32.380 found niches to carve out so that even when it 00:40:32.380 --> 00:40:35.300 is 10 degrees and freezing or snowing, you can 00:40:35.300 --> 00:40:36.760 find a little piece of home when you need it? 00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:41.260 Yeah, my parents always send me a little sweet 00:40:41.260 --> 00:40:45.800 treat for here and then from Brazil, so I have 00:40:45.800 --> 00:40:48.500 that. There's a Portuguese restaurant I went 00:40:48.500 --> 00:40:51.519 to. I can't remember the name, but that's a place 00:40:51.519 --> 00:40:57.260 I really like. But yeah. Are there things now 00:40:57.260 --> 00:40:59.079 as the weather's getting warmer, we're now into 00:40:59.079 --> 00:41:01.440 the heat, are there things that you're excited 00:41:01.440 --> 00:41:04.079 to get to do on the off days, whether it's sights, 00:41:04.340 --> 00:41:05.780 bites, experiences, is there anything you're 00:41:05.780 --> 00:41:07.400 looking forward to more as you don't have to 00:41:07.400 --> 00:41:09.619 deal with the cold for at least the next four 00:41:09.619 --> 00:41:13.900 -ish months? Yeah, I went to the beach last week 00:41:13.900 --> 00:41:16.059 with my girlfriend and my dog and I almost got 00:41:16.059 --> 00:41:18.989 third degree burns, so that's how I know. That's 00:41:18.989 --> 00:41:23.230 how I know I need more sun. Trump, sunburns. 00:41:23.530 --> 00:41:25.489 Leo, we gotta take care of you. We need you for 00:41:25.489 --> 00:41:30.329 the rest of the season. Yeah. Wanna talk about 00:41:30.329 --> 00:41:32.710 your performance on the pitch, your contribution 00:41:32.710 --> 00:41:35.539 to this team. you've had some of the highest 00:41:35.539 --> 00:41:38.940 shots this year in the across the league not 00:41:38.940 --> 00:41:41.280 always necessarily converting to goals but the 00:41:41.280 --> 00:41:43.619 attack is building up in ways that fans of this 00:41:43.619 --> 00:41:47.260 club have not seen ever right we've been historically 00:41:47.260 --> 00:41:49.780 somewhat stingy sometimes on our goal production 00:41:49.780 --> 00:41:52.619 and yet we see something more from this attack 00:41:52.619 --> 00:41:55.420 that's been an exciting promise it hasn't always 00:41:55.420 --> 00:41:57.639 led to multiple scored goals and we've had a 00:41:57.639 --> 00:42:01.369 couple of nil -nils across the time but As a 00:42:01.369 --> 00:42:03.849 player like yourself that has this high shot 00:42:03.849 --> 00:42:08.429 status, what's the missing click? What's the 00:42:08.429 --> 00:42:10.469 missing thing that you need to start converting 00:42:10.469 --> 00:42:12.869 more goals on the season? Is it an individual 00:42:12.869 --> 00:42:15.449 moment? Is it just more time playing with the 00:42:15.449 --> 00:42:17.510 team? What is it that's going to separate you 00:42:17.510 --> 00:42:20.889 from being a single goal contributor to a double 00:42:20.889 --> 00:42:22.489 digit goal contributor by the end of the season? 00:42:23.809 --> 00:42:25.969 Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of things are going 00:42:25.969 --> 00:42:29.239 to play when you look at Soccer as a whole scoring 00:42:29.239 --> 00:42:32.880 goals is the hardest part of it. I think in the 00:42:32.880 --> 00:42:35.059 beginning of the season I had a lot of chances, 00:42:35.099 --> 00:42:37.400 but they were kind of half chances. I wouldn't 00:42:37.400 --> 00:42:41.500 say I missed many setters. So I think just having 00:42:41.500 --> 00:42:44.800 better quality service and that's something that 00:42:44.800 --> 00:42:47.679 we've been getting better at every game. Being 00:42:47.679 --> 00:42:50.619 a little more patient and taking better shots 00:42:50.619 --> 00:42:53.539 instead of forcing the shot is something I've 00:42:53.539 --> 00:42:56.960 been working on in the past few games. But yeah, 00:42:57.019 --> 00:42:59.199 I think the best is yet to come, and I'm not 00:42:59.199 --> 00:43:02.900 worried about my goals scoring for now. I don't 00:43:02.900 --> 00:43:04.960 think anybody is. We just want to see more and 00:43:04.960 --> 00:43:07.199 more. Rhode Island is a greedy community, and 00:43:07.199 --> 00:43:09.159 they just want to see five goals a game. That's 00:43:09.159 --> 00:43:13.579 not too hard to make happen, right? In terms 00:43:13.579 --> 00:43:15.659 of your time here with Rhode Island, a player 00:43:15.659 --> 00:43:18.800 like you, I think fans are always a bit suspicious 00:43:18.800 --> 00:43:21.719 that, hey, you come from a level of quality and 00:43:21.719 --> 00:43:24.159 talent. You're clearly playing in a different 00:43:24.159 --> 00:43:27.130 level of soccer now. How long do we have a player 00:43:27.130 --> 00:43:30.389 like Leo Alfonso? And so it almost feels selfish 00:43:30.389 --> 00:43:32.730 to ask, but, you know, what's the what is the 00:43:32.730 --> 00:43:34.469 thing you want the most out of this time with 00:43:34.469 --> 00:43:37.010 Rhode Island, whether it be one season, two seasons, 00:43:37.030 --> 00:43:38.710 or we have you for the rest of your life and 00:43:38.710 --> 00:43:40.309 then we build the statue and you hang up the 00:43:40.309 --> 00:43:44.449 boots? I mean, like I said, everything happens 00:43:44.449 --> 00:43:46.889 the way it's supposed to happen. I'm just focused 00:43:46.889 --> 00:43:49.829 on every week and every weekend week out, focus 00:43:49.829 --> 00:43:51.969 on scoring goals and winning games and doing 00:43:51.969 --> 00:43:53.849 the best I can for the team and the community. 00:43:54.949 --> 00:43:57.210 Are there any personal goals that you can share 00:43:57.210 --> 00:43:59.610 for the season that you want to accomplish? It 00:43:59.610 --> 00:44:01.449 doesn't necessarily have to be a stat line goal. 00:44:01.530 --> 00:44:04.110 Is there just something that you've made a promise 00:44:04.110 --> 00:44:06.610 to yourself that you want to see come true by 00:44:06.610 --> 00:44:10.690 the end of the season? Yeah, I think just keep 00:44:10.690 --> 00:44:14.670 enjoying everything I'm doing today. I get to 00:44:14.670 --> 00:44:17.909 play a sport for a living, so I'm blessed. So 00:44:17.909 --> 00:44:20.369 I think just take every day, day by day and just 00:44:20.369 --> 00:44:22.070 enjoy it, not think about the future and not 00:44:22.070 --> 00:44:25.309 think about other things going on in life. And 00:44:25.309 --> 00:44:27.650 speaking of enjoying things, I would be remiss 00:44:27.650 --> 00:44:30.650 if we didn't bring up the World Cup, especially 00:44:30.650 --> 00:44:33.969 as a Brazilian. How important is it for you to 00:44:33.969 --> 00:44:35.989 feel connected in this Cup? You already talked 00:44:35.989 --> 00:44:38.329 about missing some of it when it was in Brazil. 00:44:39.170 --> 00:44:40.929 How important is it for you to experience it 00:44:40.929 --> 00:44:42.449 here in the United States where you now live? 00:44:43.329 --> 00:44:45.409 Yeah, I think it's going to be great for the 00:44:45.409 --> 00:44:47.389 country. I think it's going to bring a lot more 00:44:47.389 --> 00:44:51.090 awareness to the sport. And I think. If we have 00:44:51.090 --> 00:44:53.690 a game on the day that Brazil plays, maybe I 00:44:53.690 --> 00:44:57.030 have a headache. You're going to pull a Neymar? 00:44:58.030 --> 00:45:00.610 Maybe I'll have a headache. No, I'm joking. But 00:45:00.610 --> 00:45:03.329 yeah, very excited to watch and happy that Neymar 00:45:03.329 --> 00:45:07.170 is on the squad. People are going to remember 00:45:07.170 --> 00:45:09.449 this now. And should you not be fit to play in 00:45:09.449 --> 00:45:15.000 a match, you've seen the deal. Is there anything 00:45:15.000 --> 00:45:18.159 specific that you're going to try to do with 00:45:18.159 --> 00:45:20.599 this World Cup cycle? I know that there's one 00:45:20.599 --> 00:45:22.179 away game that's going to take you, I think, 00:45:22.300 --> 00:45:24.500 down to Virginia. It's Loudon. And then there's 00:45:24.500 --> 00:45:28.360 only one other game at home against Orange County 00:45:28.360 --> 00:45:31.639 around the 4th of July. How much, like, am I 00:45:31.639 --> 00:45:33.099 going to see you at the breweries? Am I going 00:45:33.099 --> 00:45:35.460 to see you at the fan zone? Or are you going 00:45:35.460 --> 00:45:37.059 to be trying to go to some of these stadiums? 00:45:37.059 --> 00:45:39.380 I think Brazil plays and like Philly. What is 00:45:39.380 --> 00:45:41.099 your World Cup experience going to look like 00:45:41.099 --> 00:45:44.590 personally for León Alfonso? I would love to 00:45:44.590 --> 00:45:46.929 go to Philly to watch Brazil play, but I think 00:45:46.929 --> 00:45:50.090 they'll be a hard trip to make considering they 00:45:50.090 --> 00:45:52.190 were mid -season. But yeah, I'm definitely going 00:45:52.190 --> 00:45:54.130 to try to find a watch party or something that 00:45:54.130 --> 00:45:57.369 I can go to and experience the atmosphere with 00:45:57.369 --> 00:46:01.989 other people and yeah. What are Brazil's chances 00:46:01.989 --> 00:46:03.710 in winning the whole thing this year? They've 00:46:03.710 --> 00:46:05.869 been I think a top five from what I've heard 00:46:05.869 --> 00:46:08.449 But they haven't necessarily been picked as the 00:46:08.449 --> 00:46:11.409 the number one or two seed to to take it all 00:46:11.409 --> 00:46:13.409 Obviously you're gonna be biased and say they're 00:46:13.409 --> 00:46:15.289 gonna get it But like what's the realistic chances 00:46:15.289 --> 00:46:17.510 from your football from your football knowledge 00:46:17.510 --> 00:46:20.449 since you're a player that knows ball? Realistic 00:46:20.449 --> 00:46:23.849 chances, I think We'll have to see how the outside 00:46:23.849 --> 00:46:26.849 backs do. I know that's a big criticism for Brazil 00:46:26.849 --> 00:46:29.010 right now. It's the outside back positioning 00:46:30.030 --> 00:46:34.030 But again, I think soccer is a sport that anything 00:46:34.030 --> 00:46:39.130 can happen any day. So we'll see. And then my 00:46:39.130 --> 00:46:41.409 favorite question of all time, especially for 00:46:41.409 --> 00:46:44.590 a player of your caliber, is looking at what 00:46:44.590 --> 00:46:46.590 the World Cup, looking at what your professional 00:46:46.590 --> 00:46:50.429 career has been. What is that emotional feeling 00:46:50.429 --> 00:46:53.130 you still get today when you come between the 00:46:53.130 --> 00:46:55.250 two, right? Like it's a job for you at one part, 00:46:55.250 --> 00:46:57.130 but you've got to find the joy in it and then 00:46:57.130 --> 00:47:00.250 you get to see it at the highest stage. How do 00:47:00.250 --> 00:47:02.530 you sum all of that up in an emotional description? 00:47:05.309 --> 00:47:08.389 I think for me it's just, it's kind of, it makes 00:47:08.389 --> 00:47:11.070 summer better. It makes days better. You wake 00:47:11.070 --> 00:47:13.909 up and you have teams playing, nations playing 00:47:13.909 --> 00:47:18.530 and just knowing the joy it brings to the community. 00:47:18.670 --> 00:47:21.619 I think it's something really powerful. Well, 00:47:21.619 --> 00:47:24.380 we shall see how Brazil does in the World Cup, 00:47:24.380 --> 00:47:26.820 and we should also be watching your career to 00:47:26.820 --> 00:47:29.699 see how you do with Rhode Island FC. We expect 00:47:29.699 --> 00:47:31.619 you to get 20 goals by the end of the season, 00:47:31.900 --> 00:47:34.380 Leo. We want it, we need it, and we can't wait 00:47:34.380 --> 00:47:36.559 to see it happen before the end of the season 00:47:36.559 --> 00:47:39.659 in October. Leo, any final thoughts, any final 00:47:39.659 --> 00:47:43.199 words before we let you go? No, all good. I appreciate 00:47:43.199 --> 00:47:45.739 you having me on the podcast again, and happy 00:47:45.739 --> 00:47:48.460 I get to do this and show a little bit of myself 00:47:48.460 --> 00:47:51.659 off the field, so thank you. Thank you, and we 00:47:51.659 --> 00:47:54.119 cannot wait to catch up with you soon. Leo Afonso, 00:47:54.300 --> 00:47:59.340 Rhode Island FC attacker, everyone. You've been 00:47:59.340 --> 00:48:01.300 listening to the Raising Anchor Soccer Show. 00:48:01.900 --> 00:48:04.340 You can follow the show on Twitter, Reds, Blue 00:48:04.340 --> 00:48:08.760 Sky, and TikTok at RISD Podcast and at Raising 00:48:08.760 --> 00:48:10.860 Anchor on Instagram. And be sure to check out 00:48:10.860 --> 00:48:13.980 and subscribe to Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, or 00:48:13.980 --> 00:48:16.340 wherever you listen by searching for Raising 00:48:16.340 --> 00:48:18.949 Anchor. Make sure to check out all of our coverage 00:48:18.949 --> 00:48:21.510 over at The Blazing Musket for all your New England 00:48:21.510 --> 00:48:25.670 soccer coverage, including RAFC news at theblazingmusket 00:48:25.670 --> 00:48:29.309 .com. Fans, we thank you for listening. We ask 00:48:29.309 --> 00:48:31.090 you to be kind and courteous to your neighbors 00:48:31.090 --> 00:48:33.449 as you leave the show. We thank you for joining 00:48:33.449 --> 00:48:36.090 us and look forward to seeing you again. Until 00:48:36.090 --> 00:48:38.570 then, I'm your main man Juju, and on behalf of 00:48:38.570 --> 00:48:41.250 the Racing Anchor crew, goodbye for now. And 00:48:41.250 --> 00:48:44.190 as always, we are Rhode Island FC.