From spectator to Sueño contender

By Steve Hunt / MLSnet.com Staff

After emerging from the waiting list, Rodrigo Barrientos impressed the Sueno coaches on hand. (FC Dallas)

Rodrigo Barrientos wasn't even registered to compete in this year's event. Yet before leaving for Frisco for the first weekend of tryouts, the 17-year-old midfielder packed his bag with some equipment.

But after watching only a few minutes, he learned he could put his name on a waiting list should any places open up to try out. Now he finds himself among the final 18 and with a legitimate shot of advancing further in the competition.

"I remember putting my cleats in my bag along with my socks and shin guards," Barrientos said. "My brother took me with him and I told him the bag was full of water. He started playing and I was sitting down outside of the gates watching and wanting to play.

"I didn't know there was a waiting list. So, I got on that list. I wasn't expecting to play but after the first game, they called me back. The guy asked me if I had signed up. I said no and that the only reason I wanted to play was because I didn't want to sit outside and watch my brother play. It was unexpected how I went from 2,000 to 60 and now to 18. I just wanted to play."

Ironically enough, it was his older brother who introduced him to the game when he was five or six.

"When I used to live in El Salvador with my parents, my dad had a soccer team there," Barrientos recalled. "My older brother used to play for that team and I used to ask my dad if I could play. My dad wouldn't let me because all the kids were bigger than me and I was five or six. I remember sitting down in sand, which the fields were built on."

However, after the games, his older brother would give him some pointers and offer words of encouragement. "After games, my brother would take me to the side and tell me not to get discouraged because one day, I would make it big," Barrientos said. "I just learned from him while he was playing."

Currently a junior at Newman Smith H.S. in Dallas-area suburb Carrollton, Barrientos has played on his school's varsity soccer team for the last three seasons.

"I play right back for my high school team but I like to go up a lot and run," he said. "On defense, I can't do much of that. I like to get the ball and if I can find free space, just go at it. That's what I like about playing right mid, is that I can find tons of space to run."

Having gone from the wait list to the final 18 in Sueno, Barrientos is excited to say the least. "I'm so excited just to go to the next stage," he said. "I want to see how my talent compares with the other guys in the top 18, who are all amazing soccer players."

Born in Los Angeles, his parents are from El Salvador and he lived there with them for about three years before returning stateside in 1996. A big fan of English Premier League side Manchester United, his favorite player is a legend from his parents' homeland.

"My favorite player is Jorge "El Magico" Gonzalez who played for the Salvadoran national team in the 1980s," he said. "My dad always made me watch videos of him. He was the best player ever for that team and was one of the best players ever to play soccer."

While Barrientos is pleased with how far he's come thus far, he knows that to be one of the three finalists, he needs to step up his game even further.

"I think it's going to take an all-out effort for me," he said. "I want to do this because it's my dream to play in MLS and be a professional. This chance might come only once in a lifetime. If I really want to do this, then I need to put all of my effort into it and trust God that he will be with me in all these stages."

Still, he can't help but think what it would be like to continue his great run.

"That would just be amazing," Barrientos said. "I would be thankful for God to give me that opportunity. I'll just give it to God because he's the one that gave me the skills to play soccer."

Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.