So far, things are going well for me and for the team. We haven’t lost this season and we want to continue this stretch as long as possible. The biggest difference here, compared to last year with the Rochester Raging Rhinos, is the system established by Nick De Santis, our head coach. This system helps me a lot and I know that things will improve as the season progresses. I have a bigger role with the team this year and Nick believes in me. In 2005, he didn’t know me as well. I’m working hard during practice to get better and keep my place on the line-up. Also, we have great team chemistry this year.
Being 6’2 and 210 lbs, you don’t have the conventional physique of a soccer player. Is it helping you on the field?
Yes, very much in my style of play. I’m a strong player and I use a lot my body, my arms and my reach to keep possession of the ball, and then to give it back to the midfielders or to the wings. The attention is often on me, even with two defenders, so it’s easier for small players like Martin (Fabro) and Leonardo (Di Lorenzo).
I have a bigger role with the team this year and Nick believes in me.
You played with a few teams in the USL First Division but also in France, Brazil and Denmark. Is there a career goal that you have not reached so far?
I have never played an international game with the Ivory Coast and I would love to be selected one day to play for my country of origin. Even if I’m 29, I think that it’s never too late to play for your country, especially if you are having good moments. So I hope that a good season with the Impact will help me in reaching that goal. It would be a dream come true if I would score a goal during an international game.
You have traveled a lot during your career but each year you make a special stop ion South America?
Every winter, I spend three months in Brazil, in the State of Paraná. I usually stay in the city of Curitiba to help less fortunate children and youth with drug problems. Due to the popularity of soccer in Brazil, kids in the schools listen to me attentively. It makes me happy to help people who are in need. I think that a kid’s smile is the greatest gift you could ever receive.
Would you like to work in this field after your soccer career?
Yes. I took a brief theology class on the web but I wish to study seriously in this domain, because I would really like to work in a mission, a church or a humanitarian organization like the UNICEF. I’m a spiritual man. This is what keeps me balanced in life. When I come to the field and things are not going the way I’d like them to, it helps me a lot. I think that there’s a reason behind everything that happens to each of us.
