Interview #61 - Bryan Argueta

Bryan Argueta is a 23 year old professional soccer player for the Maryland Bobcats of the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). Argueta is a talented, crafty, free-kick maestro who has represented El Salvador on the international level. Read the interview to learn more about him!

Interview By Chris Dailey

Founder, The Sports Court

The Bryan Argueta Interview

     1.Born in El Salvador, what was your youth career like?
I was born in the US with Salvadoran parents. During my youth I played with Olney until I was 12 years old and then played with Calverton until I graduated high school.

     2. You trained with the D.C. United first team, playing alongside the likes of Acosta and Rooney, what was your biggest takeaway after playing with the first team?
It was a big experience, definitely one I’ll never forget. It was a big jump going from the u23s to the first team but I realized the level I have to be at in order to be there one day god willing.

     3. You’ve represented the El Salvador u23s, describe what it means to put on your nation's kit and represent your country.
Putting on your nation's jersey and representing a country is a different feeling. You come into the game with a different energy and a different pressure after listening to the national anthem you know it means business. 

     4. You spent time in Spain, playing in the third division. How was the level of play over in Spain and what did you learn about yourself while in a new country? Playing in Spain you had to be at a really high level technically and have a high IQ of football. Personally, I struggled because I had to be mentally strong and there was a lot of dsicrimination by coaches and players because they preferred the local players and didn’t want any foreigners coming to take their spot so I had to have a lot of patience. 

     5. How were you noticed by the Bobcats? I used to play against the Bobcats when they were in the UPSL when I played for Germantown City and we always gave them a tough game so they had seen me play before. But I played against two of the players before the season in an indoor league and they told me to come and pick up with the players in the team, which is where coach Paul saw me play and wanted to bring me on board!

     6. Due to COVID, the past two seasons have been crazy. How is the NISA doing at handling the COVID pandemic? I think NISA is doing a great job with COVID, they make sure every player who isn’t vaccinated is tested weekly to keep everyone safe, which also motivated a lot of players to get vaccinated that way you don’t have to get tested weekly so I’d say they’ve been smart about it all. 

     7. Who’s your biggest role model and why? I think my biggest role model in life and soccer has always been my dad. Just always having love for the game, the passion he has for the game and the support he’s always given me, also I grew up watching him play and he was one heck of a player so I definitely always wanted to play like him and learned a lot from watching him. He’s honestly kept me motivated to keep playing at my lowest moments in soccer.

     8. What’s your biggest advice for youngsters aspiring to go pro? I would tell young players to not lose hope and believe in their talent. I went through many moments in my career where I was ready to give up. I doubted myself many times and lost lots of hope in becoming a pro soccer player. When I was almost ready to give up is when the contract came around, and I knew then to never give up and keep working at my dreams.

     9. In three words, describe the way you play. Explosive, smart, vision.

     10. What’s the biggest difference between semi-pro and pro? There’s a big difference, the amount of mistakes is a lot less than semi-pro. You can’t afford to make mistakes because it’s almost guaranteed a goal, so you always have to be on your A game and be mentally focused and locked in. 

     11. You’ve been one of the best players in the NISA this season, scoring a beautiful free-kick and getting goals upon goals. How do you think this season is going? Thankfully I’ve had a good first season. I think we started off really poor at the beginning and the last 6 games is when we picked it up and showed our real potential. We ended those 5 games undefeated so I am really excited to see what we’ll be able to do. 

     12. What are your goals for your career in the future? For right now I am focused on the Bobcats. I just started so I’m focusing on being consistent and playing well game to game, but the goal is definitely to eventually play in the USL or MLS and hopefully eventually get another call up to the El Salvador National Team. 

      13. Favorite quote? Has to be from the Bible Chronicles 15:7 “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” This is what keeps me working and staying focused. 

      14. Any last words for the readers?     Just want to thank you for taking your time to interview me, this is special for me let’s me know that I’m doing something right and keeps me motivated for what’s to come, I hope all of you guys enjoyed, make sure you guys keep supporting Chris Dailey and The Sports Court he’s doing something big and giving everyone the recognition they deserve not just the the top athletes but also those up and coming from the lower leagues. Thank you again.

Big shoutout to Bryan for the amazing interview, had a blast talking to him and I appreciate all the kind words! All the best with everything and make sure to follow all of his social medias and mine ( @the.sportscourt ;)