by DAVE MARTINEZ

Former EoS staff member Mike Vallo passed away this Sunday.

Personally, it’s been a struggle for me to come to grips with that reality. Knowing Mike the way I did, it just seems unfair.

He was 27-years-old at the time of his passing. The reason for his passing remains unclear.

But to say his death was untimely is a major understatement.

Quite frankly, I am not qualified to be the scribe to his obituary. Writing one and presenting myself as an authority on his life would be disingenuous — and if you know Mike, you know he valued truth over bluster any day of the week.

What I can share, however, are our experiences — many which continue to shape EoS to this day.

We knew each other through Empire of Soccer. In fact, he was the very first staff member I hired in the build up of this site, setting a bar of excellence that has been behind each and every hire I’ve made to this day.

Mikey was an incredibly intelligent human being; a lover of truth, honesty and integrity. He was socially conscious, trumpeting the needs of the downtrodden, raising awareness to those who needed help.

He was also a passionate and loyal person; a combination that led him to become the perfect leader for the Red Bull Out movement.

Of course, “passionate and loyal” may be descriptions that do not jive with Red Bull fans at odds with the RBO cause, but when you scratch beneath the surface, that is exactly why the movement came to being. It was Vallo’s love for the team that pushed him to want the best from their ownership group.

In fact, I looked at RBO as a microcosm for the Mike that I knew. He identified Red Bull ownership and their treatment of fans as an issue and saw that no one was holding the organization to any standard. In that vacuum, Vallo donned the cape of justice to fight for those who couldn’t — or wouldn’t — fight back.

That was Mike. Always the hero — even when it wasn’t popular to be so.

On EoS, he conducted a highly popular weekly column; “Sucka Free Soccer.” He picked that title for his editorials — a cheeky, fun label for a typically sharp and insightful column. In many ways, that was Mike as well; fun loving, honest, biting, and above all else, real.

I have a paternal pride for Mike Vallo, the man, and Mike Vallo, the writer. I was proud of him when he was with EoS. I was proud of him when he left. While we would never look eye to eye on politics or other related topics, Mike’s judgment, character, integrity and loyalty allowed me to simply give this gifted human being free reign to write what he desires. In fact, I was a fan of his work! I awaited with great anticipation each and every week to see what SFS would bring to the table — and he never disappointed with his offerings. He would counter guest editorials. He would restore hope to a beaten Red Bull fanbase. Hell — he even wrote a piece on Hans Backe in a Wizard of Oz spoof … one of my favorite EoS pieces to this day.

When Mike told me he would be moving on to Barron’s Magazine and leaving EoS behind, my heart swelled with pride. While he would leave a sizable and irreplaceable gap in our coverage, his growth as a human being, as a writer, as a man — that was more important to me than any lapse in our coverage. I was proud of him as a person and thankful that I could give him a platform to improve his life. In turn, I truly believe that he helped us set a standard for excellence on these pages that continues to serve as the measuring stick for all staffers who have proceeded him.

And to illustrate just how much I valued Mikey … I continued to keep him on the EoS assignment lists for the following two years — just in case I could lure him back into the fold (sorry for the spam, pal!).

I wasn’t Mikey’s best friend. Acquaintance is probably a better term. Nevertheless, the impact Vallo had on my life and in the establishment of EoS is something I will always cherish.

Today, I can say I am a better person for knowing Mike. And that isn’t a cliche — that is the truth.

Just the way Mikey would like it.

From the EoS family, our thoughts and prayers are with the Vallo family in this time of pain and suffering. May God bless you in these trying times.