Soccer helps keep family together despite distances

Pitt against Ohio State is not normally considered a special game – particularly when one is… Pitt against Ohio State is not normally considered a special game – particularly when one is talking about collegiate soccer. Although, on Oct. 24, both teams competed, and the game was special for at least one player – Pitt midfielder Marco Carrizales.

It was special for him because, when heading out of the locker room at halftime, Carrizales turned around and looked up to the upper deck level of the building aside of Founders Field, where fans can get a great view of the game. He smiled and threw up a hand.

On the other side of this warm gesture was Andrew Carrizales, or, as Marco would call him, Dad.

Andrew had just flown in to Pittsburgh from Texas to see his son play soccer at Founders Field for the first time. He sat there with his camera in hand, flashing pictures of Marco every chance he got. Decked in Pitt sportswear, which included a baseball cap and winter coat, he cheered his son on. The winter coat, which featured a large Panther logo on the back, was definitely not a part of his normal attire.

“It’s 90 degrees in Houston. I got off the plane [in Pittsburgh] and it’s 27 degrees,” Andrew said with an added laugh.

Before halftime, during a scoreless first period, Marco was tripped up by an Ohio State player. Andrew stood up, and the soccer coach inside him came out. He began yelling in favor of Pitt and in protection of his son. It made it clear where Marco’s love for the game of soccer came from.

Marco has played in front of his father as a Pitt Panther once before. Two years ago, during his freshman year, Pitt competed in the University of Alabama-Birmingham Tournament in Alabama. Marco’s parents made the road trip from his hometown of Missouri City, Tex., to see him play.

His father is very supportive of his son playing soccer. Andrew was his coach when Marco was younger and has been a soccer coach for a youth team since Marco was 11 years old.

“He’s always with me, even if he’s not [here],” Marco said.

When Marco is on the soccer field, he thinks about all the things his father taught him.

“He was always with me as a child. He always went to the games, him and my mom and my whole family,” Marco said.

On that day, he had half of his immediate family in attendance. His brother was on the other side of the field videotaping the game, like he does every game.

His brother is a senior and came to Pitt because of Marco.

Marco persuaded him to transfer from the University of Houston to Pitt. They now share an apartment and spend time with each other, engaging in various activities.

“[My brother and I] do all the same things,” Marco said. “It’s kind of like having a family close, [since] we’re so far away from home.”

Marco was persuaded to come to Pitt because of the school’s reputation for excellence.

“Pitt’s a prestigious school. It’s great to graduate from,” he said. He knows all about prestige, having been valedictorian of his high school class.

He looked at many schools in North Carolina and Florida, but made the ultimate decision to come to Pitt because it is a member of the Big East Conference.

“It’s the best soccer conference there is. It’s great to have a good soccer team,” Marco said, in reference to Pitt’s 2000 soccer team, which went 13-5 overall and 7-4 in the Big East.

Pitt has yet to get back to that level of success, but Marco feels they can get there. They are a young team and have many players, including himself, returning for next year.

Soccer has taken Marco to places in the world that many people can only dream about having the chance to visit.

“He’s always wanted to go to Brazil,” Andrew said.

And after many years of waiting, Marco, at age 17, traveled to Brazil, the summer before his freshman year at Pitt, to train with a club.

Brazil wasn’t the first foreign country that Marco traveled to for soccer purposes. At ages 14 and 15, he went to Bolivia for the Copa Mundalito – a competition where teams from different nations travel in to play in a “mini world cup.”

The first year he was there his team came in third place, but the following year they did not do as well and, like most others, Marco dislikes losing.

“This year has been rough,” Marco said. “It’s tough not winning [and] it’s tough not scoring. You put so much effort into practicing, and when you lose it’s kind of like all that work went out the window.”

It has been rough. When he came to Pitt, Marco immediately made an impact on the team. He started all 35 games of his first two years at Pitt registering 12 goals and two assists.

This year he has started 16 of 18 games and only scored one goal, but he runs on the field with the energy of a World Cup champion.

It’s the love of the game that allows him to run out onto the field with a smile, even with a losing record. It’s the love of the game that brings his family to the sidelines during a season in which Pitt is under-achieving. And it’s the love of the game that allows his father to stand proud after a 1-0 loss and applaud his son’s effort.