[colored_box color=”green”]Beloved New York Cosmos midfielder and Villarreal legend Marcos Senna is counting down the days to the end of his illustrious career.

As the countdown continues, Empire of Soccer will chronicle his time in New York with the ‘Marcos Senna, Retrospective’ series — a look at Senna’s Cosmos career through the eyes of the player, based on exclusive one-on-one interviews with EoS.



This week, we pick up where we left off, with Senna making his first steps into the United States and getting to know the Cosmos organization.[/colored_box]

by DAVE MARTINEZ

Marcos Senna refused to leave Villarreal after the club’s descent into the Spanish second division. As the team captain and a club folkhero, the Brazilian born midfielder felt an obligation to help his team back into La Liga before looking towards the next phase of his career.

Well, he did just that, playing the entire season in the Spanish second division and helping to lift Villarreal back to prominence.

Now, his American dream could begin — no strings attached.

Conversations with New York Cosmos coach Giovanni Savarese began in early 2013. Both sides agreed on a provisional deal to bring the Villarreal legend to New York by the summer. At that point, financials were not hammered out, but the intent on both sides was clear; this union would happen by NASL’s 2013 Fall season.

“Before I even spoke to Gio, I was convinced I wanted to go to the US. I wanted to live that experience no matter what. I think that facilitated everything,” Senna told EoS. “Gio spoke to me, I expressed my hopes of coming to the States, not just to get to know the country, but to show my desire for winning, to keep competing. Gio noticed that, was interested in my arrival and also felt that I wanted to come.

“It was a perfect connection,” he said. “He felt it. I felt they wanted me to come like crazy. It wasn’t a hard decision.”

Senna received a faxed copy of a contract while in Spain — one he waited until the end of the Villarreal season to sign. Once paperwork was cleared, the veteran midfielder began to turn his focus on the future.

“I had high hopes about getting to know the country, the culture, and while I am there, the leagues of the United States,” he recalled. “I knew the differences between the MLS or NASL, but I still wanted to come! I knew soccer was growing, many players were going there.

“To me, in every way, it was important to come for the experience, for knowing the country, for my family, maybe even to learn a little English — though I still haven’t gotten that one down yet,” he laughs. “At least I have learned enough not to go hungry, that is for sure.”

Once in the United States — the first time in country for the well-traveled footballer — Senna finally met the faces behind the voices that wooed him from Europe. Amongst them were club COO Erik Stover, his new coach Savarese and manager of team operations, Jack Gaeta.

The move was a big one for Senna. This was a dive into the unknown in every way imaginable. An unknown league. Unknown teammates. Unknown technical staff. Unexplored country.

Likewise, his arrival was a major statement moment for the Cosmos. The club was trying to resurrect the brand into the professional ranks after nearly four decades in dormancy. With that brand came lofty expectations — the kind that would drive a second division club to make first division signings in a largely nascent American soccer league.

While the team focused on building a “true club” on the field, they also set a lofty standard for themselves off field. The Cosmos did not want to portray themselves as anything other than first class — no matter what their divisional designation would indicate. That meant making sure that their prize catch had everything he needed to be happy in the United States.

“The Cosmos facilitated everything,” Senna said. “They put everything on a silver platter. We didn’t have to worry about a thing. That helps adapting.

“I would say that is the right way to do it if you are a club bringing in a player,” he continued. “The player should only worry about soccer, not worry about all the extra stuff, so one can achieve what they want at the club level.”

How far did the Cosmos go to placate Senna? They helped him secure a car. They recommended schooling options for his children. They set up bank accounts for their star player. They provided for some sightseeing events.

They even took him house hunting.

In fact, that was one of the first things the Cosmos did once Senna arrived in New York. Anticipating the needs and wants of a star international player, New York zeroed in on some of the richer areas in Long Island for Senna to consider. “We had houses picked out in Port Washington and Glen Cove,” Gaeta recalled.

But the high-life was not what Senna envisioned.

“I remember when I got here, one of the first things we did was go house hunting. Jack (Gaeta) took me around Long Island, showing me houses by the water front, beautiful homes. But it didn’t convince me,” Senna said. “I wanted something closer to the club, where there were more people”

That is when a chance-car ride through Uniondale presented a more ideal setting. “When we were returning to Mitchel Field, we passed by a housing complex nearby and I asked him ‘why not here?’ He looked at me and said ‘this is what you like?’ Absolutely, I said. It is closer to everything — supermarkets, shopping centers, training — it was perfect.”

The housing complex was a more modest fit for the player — and one the Cosmos did not anticipate. In fact, several of Senna’s teammates also lived in a neighboring complex, bringing him even closer to the club. With the move in place, Senna was just five minutes from the Cosmos training facility, with access to public transportation and a slew of shopping outlets for his family to choose from.

The accommodations were central in Senna’s plan. Living the normal life was also part of the appeal in Senna’s move Stateside. If he were to live that desire, Senna wanted to keep a modest profile to match that ambition. Anonymity was a foreign concept at Villarreal, but his move to Long Island, away from the bright lights of New York City or the mini mansions of the north shore, offered him something he hasn’t enjoyed in some time — a normal life.

“It was exactly what I was looking for. In the way I live life, living in anonymity is better. I can go out when I want. There aren’t any issues,” Senna recalled. “This isn’t to be unjust to the people of Villarreal. The love they have for me is incredible. One would go out to the city, the love was there, there was no disrespect. People just wanted to say ‘hey Marcos! How are you! Can I get a photo?’ The love was immense.

“But there were days where I didn’t want that,” he continued. “I just wanted to pass by the sidewalk, go to a movie, a restaurant. Here, no one knew me. No one knows me! I live here like I have always wanted. I go somewhere, no one knows me, I am just another person. If I get along with someone or don’t, it is because of Marcos Senna the person, not the footballer. Sometimes you get treated well just for being well known. It is best living equally to everyone, where you make real friends, and you know people love you because they love you — because of the person you are, not because of what you do.”

His new-found love of anonymity also applied towards media, where the spotlight was significantly turned down from his days in La Liga. While the Cosmos became one of the biggest stories in New York soccer during the summer of 2013, the media glare still paled in comparison to the constant scrutiny of the European game. “Let’s say one day, you are eating and you drop your spoon, everyone looks at you,” he explained. “‘Look, Marcos dropped his spoon,’ or if you have a beer ‘Look, Marcos is having a beer’ — just as an example.

“Here, it is different. You can come to practice in pajamas and no one will say a word!”

As he settled into his new home, enjoying a new, pedestrian lifestyle, Senna began to focus his attention on the field. There, the highly decorated and celebrated midfielder would encounter a new challenge; playing on a team of complete strangers under the guidance of a rookie coach.

Senna put ego aside and gave the experience a go. In retrospect, it is difficult to imagine that scenario. In MLS, the introduction of Designated Players — a tag used for performers of a higher price tag and notoriety than their teammates — yielded different results amongst several different clubs. In the case of the LA Galaxy, David Beckham’s arrival caused several rifts in the lockerroom, be it due to his high profile or the disparity in salary and treatment between him and his teammates. On other occasions, DPs found a seamless transition into the United States. The arrival of Guillermo Barros Schelotto with the Columbus Crew comes to mind.

Senna’s impact and influence was more akin to the latter than the former. Senna came to experience the United States — but always with a mind on winning championships. That drive to win in NASL quickly earned him respect throughout the club and front office.

With an open mind and high hopes guiding the way, Senna came out of his first few training sessions impressed by the fiery Savarese and his driven teammates. In Savarese, Senna found a coach who looked at football much like he did — with a desire of playing the ball on the ground, quick touches and passes, elaborate schematics.

“I told Gio I loved his training methods. He does what the players want,” he said. “If you ask players ‘would you like to do two halves of soccer, 30 minutes each’ or ‘do you want to do 30 minutes of jogging,’ you will always choose football because it is football that we want. We will work so much harder playing than jogging. You have fun, and it is far more realistic. It is something you will actually utilize in a match.

“The trainings were very similar to that in Spain,” he continued. “A lot of football, without a lot of physical, off ball training. Nowadays it is like that — on the ball, on the ball, on the ball.”

And Savarese wasn’t the only pleasant surprise Senna encountered. Despite a vast difference in experience, talent and income with several of his teammates, Senna immediately found a kinship with the Cosmos players.

“The players were all so happy to see me,” he recalled of his first camp with the club. “They weren’t used to a player outside of their era coming to camp. Now, they are more used to it. But from the first day, I felt at home. On the one hand, it was great because everyone speaks Spanish. On the other hand, it hasn’t helped my English! I felt like I was in Spain!”

One would assume that the players — some of whom were American journeymen — would be the nervous ones meeting Senna for the first time. However, it was Senna who was jitttery about the entire situation, entering camp with a desire to prove himself to the rest of the group.

“For all the experience you have, we are human, and you have hopes and curiosity about what is to come. I was definitely anxious,” he said. “The first year we were all hopeful and anxious to see how this would play out. We all had a lot of desire to show what we had, to win.

“The hunger was, for me, something new, different. It is in my blood to compete like it was my rookie year, like my first professional club. I was driven to show them that ‘Marcos’ wasn’t here on vacation.”

That summer, Senna did not make the team’s first scrimmage with the Newtown Pride. However, he did join the club traveling to England for training prior to the Fall season. There, the former Villarreal captain put his intentions into practice, demonstrating to his lesser-experienced comrades that his place in the team would be no larger nor more important than anyone else.

Senna earned the start against Old Carthusians in London, netting a PK goal against the club. He played 90 minutes in a losing effort against Leyton Orient. With his fitness at a proper level, he sat out the Gillingham match. However, his place was already clear. Senna proved, in short time, that he would be an important part of the Cosmos’ debut season both on and off the field.

The first true test of that standard would come in mere days, starting with the club’s big debut match against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.

“If you ask me what was the negative in all of this, I would say nothing. The cold bothered me a bit, but that has nothing to do with the club. But the rest? Everything was perfect. I love training to this day, the way Gio sets up for a match. I can’t complain!” said Senna. “It was a perfect matrimony. They wanted it. I wanted it. Outside of the club, everything was provided for, and on the pitch, we worked on being champions — which we eventually were.”

[colored_box color=”green”]The ‘Marcos Senna, Retrospective’ series continues next week, when we delve into the 2013 Soccer Bowl winning season.

For the first part of the series, click this link: http://www.empireofsoccer.com/marcos-retrospective-joined-…/

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