The dream of every soccer player in America is to eventually hit the professional league, or Major League Soccer (MLS). That dream, however, is one that is highly improbable. About 1.9 percent of NCAA seniors get drafted to the MLS. Despite this, UCR men’s soccer star Michael Salazar has achieved that improbability by recently being the fourth pick in the second round for the Montreal Impact. Hailing from a country that has about the same population as Riverside alone, this Belizean soccer player has made waves in the intercollegiate soccer league and is now looking to carry that success to the professional level.
After transferring from Cal Baptist University, Salazar accrued a record of 12 goals and four assists to his name in the 2014 and 2015 seasons at UCR. Not to mention his previous accolades, which consist of garnering second team All-American honors as well as leading his team to become the NCAA Division I national champions in 2011 and 2012, Salazar’s career as a striker is one full of triumph. His next step in his professional career begins now and we had a chance to speak with the man himself to discuss the next step in his career. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Jumping right into it, why soccer? What drew you to this sport rather than any other?
Well, you know, I come from a household where soccer is the main sport that we watch, so I think it was just natural for me to go into that sport. My uncle, who was a player that played for international clubs, was also a big part of why I got into the sport. They were all very supportive of me going into the sport so it was an easy choice.
You’ve stated that your mother was your biggest athletic influence, why would you consider her to be so integral in your career?
Ever since the first day, you know, she would always be the one to take me to all the games, she would always take care of me if I ever needed help or anything like that. My mother was really the one pushing me to strive for more and be a better person in general. All the gear I ever needed was bought by her and I just think that she wanted me to strive to become a better person and player in general and I am very thankful to her for everything she has done for me.
How have your favorite athletes, mainly Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, impacted you and the way you play?
With Ronaldinho, every time you see him playing or whenever he’s off the field, he always has a smile on his face and I think that’s very much like me. You know, no matter the situation, whether we’re losing or something is going wrong, I always like to have a smile on my face, because you know it is a game and we’re there to have fun. With Cristiano, I think he’s the most hard working soccer player there is and it really reminds me to do my best whenever I’m in a game or in practice.
What do you hope to accomplish in Montreal now that you’re at the national level?
I think for me, I just want to be a competitive player at the national level and obviously since I just got here, I am one of the rookies and I’m looking to prove myself, to show that I am worthy of being on this team and to hopefully win a championship while I’m here. I just hope to have great experience here and to learn as much as possible from the older guys and hopefully use that experience to become a better player.
I’ve heard that you also stepped up for the Belize national team. What was it like playing at that level and how does it compare to the intercollegiate level?
Well I mean it’s very different in that I was around much older players and I think they taught me a lot while I played with them. It definitely gave me a confidence boost when I played for the colleges here and it allowed me to take that experience and make me a better player.
What career goals do you have and was MLS one of those goals?
Definitely. MLS was always a dream to get into and I just think that my goals are to just be the best player I can be and to prove myself at the professional level.
I know that you grew up in Belize so I was just wondering how was it playing in your home country and transitioning to America?
Well I think soccer is the same no matter where you go. Playing in Belize was the same as over here except I think it’s a little more organized over here. There’s not much structure over there so it becomes a little crazy but it’s pretty much the same. And growing up for 18 years in Belize, it was very different coming over here but I planned to do the same thing. I think that over here, it’s a lot more competitive as well.
You played for Cal Baptist before coming to UCR. Why did you want to make the switch to Riverside?
I enjoyed my time at CBU and the program there was a very good one, but I wanted to reach higher as I was playing Division II and I know that UCR was a Division I school so I wanted to transfer there and play at a higher level. It was very to switch out though, because the coaches really wanted me to stay so they had me sit out for a year.
A year? Really? So you didn’t play for a whole year?
Yeah, it was very hard to not be able to compete at all for a year, and I think it was very detrimental to me as a player but I was still out there everyday, practicing as hard as I could. The coaches wanted me to stay that bad so they told me if I wanted to transfer that I would have to sit out and I did.
Do you regret it at all?
No, I think I did the right thing and I believe everything that has happened is perfect. I wanted to play in a Division I school and I got to do that so I think it was right for me to take that offer to achieve my goals.
What did soccer mean for you growing up as a kid and has it changed after all this time?
I think for me, it was a place to forget about everything else. I would just go out there and have fun scoring goals. Even now I always feel like a kid stepping on the field because I just see it as a stress reliever and I have total freedom while playing. I enjoy every moment I am on the field.
So why a striker out of all the positions? Why not a CB or a midfielder or anything else?
I love to score goals. It always feels good getting the ball into the back of the net so I wanted to pick the position that would allow me to do that the most. I also have very good build to run fast so I think it was just natural to take that position.
I just had to ask, being a soccer fan myself. My favorite team is Manchester City so I was wondering what your favorite team is.
(laughs), obviously my favorite team is the Montreal Impact but if I had to pick any international teams I would have to say Manchester United.
Well it looks like we have a little bit of a problem then, haha.
(laughs), I mean Manchester City is a great team and I would say that all the fans should enjoy getting Guardiola as a manger. I think he’ll do a lot of great things for you guys so enjoy it while you can.
