For Kaku, the new season on the horizon is an opportunity to produce his best stats since he arrived at the club in 2018. Head Coach Chris Armas tells him “to be a bit more of a protagonist,” he says. He also wants him to help out the young players more. Red Bulls’ no. 10 played his first preseason minutes in the 3-0 win over D.C. United. In this interview, the Paraguayan international shares details about how his love for the sport started, and what he hopes to achieve this year:

Question: Did you want to be a no. 10 since you were a kid?

Kaku: I don’t know if I wanted to be no. 10, but I did want to be a soccer player. It’s what I liked the most when I was a kid, and as time passed, I leaned more toward no. 10.

Q: Who inspired you to play soccer?

Kaku: I think that because my dad was a player, my grandfather as well, we just have it in the blood. Since I was little, they made us play.

Q: What does Huracán represent to you?

Kaku: A lot because I was there since I was ten. They gave me a place to stay, food and made me sign my first contract. I also was able to play in First Division, and my mom saw me play, for me that was beautiful.

Q: How was it growing up in Buenos Aires, immersed in the soccer world?

Kaku: I think that when you’re a kid, you’re only thinking about enjoying and playing. You don’t think too much on what’s going to happen next. There are a lot of players, so you have to be constant and professional, that’s what grants you the chance to have a shot with the First Team.

Q: In Buenos Aires, do they always bring up soccer in a conversation?

Kaku: Everywhere. At a restaurant, at, I don’t know, how can I say it to you, at a zoo, they’ll talk about soccer. They’ll be looking at the animals, but they’ll be talking about soccer. The truth is that Argentina is very passionate, that’s why you see new players coming up every time. There’s always a good soccer player, waiting to be discovered.

Q: Tell me about youth coaches in Argentina, how important are they in the players’ development?

Kaku: I think they are the most important, those that develop, the ones who show you the road to take. They tell you what you have to do since you’re a kid, so when you get to the First Team, you already know what to do. All that is very important for the young players.

Q: Arriving to New York, what did that represent to you? And also, how was it learning new terms like ‘Designated Player’?

Kaku: I don’t really think of myself as a ‘Designated Player’, but to arrive to Red Bulls changed my life. That’s how it is, it changed my life, my family. I formed my family in New York. My daughter hadn’t been born yet, so we finished forming our family here. We’re together, so New York makes me happy. It made me form a family, and that’s the most beautiful thing that I take from my time in New York so far.

Q: In this team you have to be one of the leaders, ¿how do you see this responsibility?

Kaku: Calm. I like it, Chris [Armas] tells me to take on that role, to be a little more of a protagonist and to help out the young players. This is going to be my third year. I already know the Red Bulls philosophy, how we want to play. My plan is to teach the young players, so when they go out to play, they can be calm and execute it.

Q: What do you take from the two weeks in Florida?

Kaku: I take it like another preseason, in which I can learn because I want to keep doing so. Even if someone is 30-years-old, you can always learn something.

Q: We know that the unity in the team is very important, but what other things do you think that the team has to improve in the next weeks?

Kaku: I think teaching the new and young players how we play, how we press, that’s going to be very important. Then we have to stick together, even if things don’t go our way, being together will be key, as will be pushing for the same goal. All these actions will help Red Bulls go far.

Q: In 2018, you got 14 assists in the regular season and one assist in the playoffs. If you surpass the 15 assists, will you consider that a fantastic season?

Kaku: I think that if I prepare mentally, I can get more than 14. I’ve had ups and downs, and also it’s not easy in the playoffs because opponents tend to close up spaces. Everything changes because games are tighter, but I’m going to enjoy this year.

Q: The most important teachings soccer has given you, what are they?

Kaku: Respect and to help my teammates, that’s what it has taught me about life. If a teammate is working hard, I’ll have to work hard and help him. If you work that way, people will remember you forever.

Q: It’s a new year, you’ve mentioned your club objectives, but with your national team, there’s World Cup qualifiers and Copa América, what do you visualize with La Albirroja?

Kaku: I’m not thinking so much long term right now; I want to just focus on Red Bulls. First, I want to do a great preseason, which will help me give good games with the club. So they’ll be observing, and hopefully I can get a chance in the qualifiers, and of course, I do think of the Copa América. That’s what I’m visualizing right now, and what I want, but I’m not in a hurry. Enjoying every moment will be important for me.

To listen the interview in Spanish, press play: