Backpass: Out of Many, One
HTHL spoke to Nicolas Mezquida and Keegan Rosenberry about leadership on the 2021 Rapids. The key to their success: there's a little leadership coming from everywhere.
Writers often like to boil things down to a simple narrative; usually one that fits the preconceived notion in their heads. And thus, the standard major metropolitan newspaper sports section piece on ‘leadership’ is usually focused on one player. The star player. The team captain. Or maybe the salty veteran.
But all of us know that this narrative is oversimplified. There are times in life where the senior executive is the leader. And there are times when the shop foreman, the receptionist, the duty nurse, or the assistant bookkeeper does or says something that leads. A soccer team might rely on one player for much of the formal leadership. But leadership is demonstrated in dozens of ways throughout the season, and from dozens of players.
The Colorado Rapids are getting their leadership from all over: in formal ways and informal ways. On the field and in the locker room. In English, Spanish, and Portuguese. With serious kick-you-in-the-ass moments, and with jokes.
Captain Jack
There’s no doubt that the formal title of leader on a soccer team goes to the player that wears the armband every week. And for the past two years, that player for Colorado has been Jack Price.1
The midfielder’s exceptional deadball skills, tenacious defending, and passing acumen on the field are only part of what makes him a leader. It’s also his ability to direct, encourage, and inspire as well. Defender Keegan Rosenberry explained some of that role, saying, “Jack’s the guy that's the voice for us, and the guy that we look to in times to give us some sort of encouragement. I would say specifically for Jack he's just a calming and comfortable presence to have. He’s very very positive. He's very encouraging. He makes everyone around him feel comfortable - feel confident - whether that's in the game or in the locker room.”
Formally, of course, the captain is the one player on the team that can speak to the referee on behalf of the team, which is probably convenient for Jack, since he’s been either first or second on the team in Yellow Cards accumulated since he joined the Rapids. If he weren’t the captain, he might be earning a lot more second yellows for dissent.
But both Price’s play and his words set the tone for his teammates. Rosenberry says “You know, there's some captains like in Philadelphia that lead a little bit more by example and aren't as vocal. I think Jack does a really good job of doing both of those things.”
Midfielder Nicolas Mezquida has been a professional footballer since 2008, an MLS player since 2014, and a member of the Colorado Rapids since 2019. He knows when a team has good chemistry and a good locker room culture. He defines Jack Price’s contribution succinctly: “I like that Jack is professional. The captain must show a good example for everyone. Price is this guy. He always takes care of everyone.”
A word you don’t always associate with ‘leader’ is friend, but Rosenberry contends that’s one of things that makes Price successful, too. “I've been I've been really, really happy with him as a captain and teammate, and he's good friend as well, so it's been fun to play with him.”
It’s clearly not all serious moments and barking at referees for Captain Jack. Brevity is, apparently, a part of the job as well.
The Helping Hand
Sometimes sports leadership is simply stepping in to help out the new guy.
Acculturating a new player into the locker room, into a new city, and into our strange American culture is essential to achieving success. No matter how talented a soccer player one is, that homesick kid far from home or bewildered foreigner is not gonna play well if they are miserable.
Rosenberry thinks this aspect of leadership is something he himself values and demonstrates.
“For me, it was one of the things I first talked about when I got drafted in Philadelphia. I was familiar with that place growing up playing the academy there: comfortability inspires confidence and because I knew the stadium and where to go each day and familiar faces, it gave me a sense of confidence. Like I belonged.”
“So that's my goal for people when they're new. I try and make them feel comfortable, and hopefully that can help them and lend them a hand in playing better performing.”
You certainly can’t settle into a new locker room if you don’t understand what the hell is going on. And so leadership and helpfulness is also simple language translation sometimes too.
A couple players on the team haven’t mastered English yet, and so they rely on their teammates to explain a drill or a video or just to help get around in Denver. Brazilian defender Lucas Esteves speaks only Portuguese, but fellow Brazilian Andre Shinyashiki has been a leader in helping integrate and translate for him.
And some of the Spanish speaking players need a hand too.
Mezquida explains:“For translating Spanish and English, Diego is really important. Right now in the team we have Lucas (Esteves) in the team, he doesn’t speak English. Michael (Barrios) is here for a while, but his English isn’t strong. And Braian (Galván). So Diego and me, we try to help. They use us sometimes in training as translators.”
Nico has been grateful that the coaches have been working on their language skills too. He says “Robin speaks Spanish, and it’s good now! Much better than my first year here. He was taking classes. It’s impressive. [Assistant Coach] Wolde (Harris) too, he knows many words, so he tries to speak Spanish in training.”
The Salty Veteran
Drew Moor has logged 33,459 minutes in MLS, and 16,660 minutes as a member of the Colorado Rapids - only Pablo Mastroeni himself has more minutes on the field in burgundy.3 This year though, the 37-year-old centerback has played just 168 minutes so far. Doesn’t matter. Dude is still essential.
“Drew is very vocal, he's a great voice in the locker room, because everybody respects him” says Rosenberry. “And I think it says a lot about your career and your character, your voice and your words, and he just as much as guys that are playing.”
Moor’s not on the field much, but his impact is felt because everyone on the ballclub knows he’s seen it all and done it all.
Rosenberry thinks Drew is also the one player everyone listens too when guys are unfocused or off their game, or perhaps a little unmotivated.
“But I think even more so when things aren't going well when we need a little kick in the butt and somebody to kind of wake us up a little bit. Drew's usually he's got his head tight. And he knows what the team needs. So I think that's a really important piece.”
Mezquida not only respects the Rapids veterans - he feels privileged to have these specific guys around him. “I’m lucky. I’m so proud to be in a group where everyone supports each other. Drew is an example of a leader because he has a lot of experience in the league and is one of the senior players. Other guys too, like at mealtime before the game, they motivate us, like Drew, (Steven) Beitashour, Diego (Rubio).”
El Chistoso
You can’t be anxious and uptight as a sports team all the time. There’s got to be guys that keep things light around the locker room too.
Mezquida thinks that’s his critical role to play.
“My role was the same like in Vancouver. The way how I am. I’m a guy, I make jokes. I’m a guy who is always smiling around the training room. When I come onto the field, I try to push the team forward, and this is the same in the locker room. I’m funny, but on game day, I’m serious.”
Due to the accent, and also the overall sense of the man, I couldn’t help but think that Nico is this team’s Danny Rojas - a player that believes in ‘mucho mucho joy.’
The Team is the Star
This team does not have just one leader. When folks need a nudge, there’s a symbiotic trust and relationship built up that allows anybody to encourage, or correct, as necessary. Rosenberry says “What's nice about our team is that it doesn't always have to come from Jack. You want accountability from your teammates and I think we do a really good job of that across the board. Everybody has that mutual respect where it's not personal but at the same time, yeah, we expect a certain standard and level from each other day in and day out.”
Everyone pushing towards the same goal is something that certainly comes from many places - the captain and the coaches. But also the comfort with one’s teammates that means a correction or a criticism is seen as helpful and constructive.
And the success is also in being greater than the su of its parts, and a motley collection of styles and personalities. This 2021 Rapids team isn’t comprised of 28 hardasses or 28 veterans or 28 noobs or 28 budding superstar wannabees. Even Mezquida, the lighthearted chistoso (joker) isn’t the only joker on the club.
“There a couple of guys like me, too.”
There’s no one grand leader, and also no lack of leadership. It’s all fallen neatly in place, somehow, due to the efforts of many.
“We are a group,” Mezquida says. “This is one of the keys to why this team is working well on the field.”
He wore the captain’s armband at times in 2019 and even 2018, but the official Rapids websites declares that he was named captain in 2020.
Someday I would very much like to know the mystery of the phrase ‘roly poly dinky doodle.’ Someday.
and blue. Also blue and black. And yellow. White. And green if you go way way back.