By Ashlea Hellmann
If you told sophomore midfielder Othaniel Yanez that he might be the next big thing in soccer at the University of Louisville, he’d probably tell you that you were crazy.
“I never try to be the superstar. I just try to do what’s best for my team,” said Yanez.
Yanez would much rather brag about the rest of his team, all of whom he considers all-stars. “Everyone who steps onto the field is an all-star for us,” said Yanez.
In fact, Yanez looks up to a few of his teammates a great deal. Yanez says that besides looking up to professionals like Zidane, Ronaldinho, and Kaká, he also looks up to teammates junior Aaron Clapham, sophomore Phil Edington, and freshman Kenney Walker.
“They’ve played in bigger games than I have on their Nationals team. They have that bigger game experience,” said Yanez.
That modesty doesn’t mean that Yanez doesn’t plan on working hard to be the best he can be. He claims it is through good coaching and the chance to be able to practice with teammates everyday that has given him the opportunity to improve.
There are still parts of his game though that Yanez hopes to improve on.
“I’ve got to work on my left foot. I am also going to try to step up and be a leader on and off the field,” said Yanez.
His teammates have seen a great deal of improvement though since Yanez’ arrival to UofL.
“He has gotten a lot better. He is developing into a better player and learning new skills every day,” said sophomore teammate Gerardo Chavez.
While he may have things to work on, Yanez’ statistics from this past season show that the sophomore has already put up some impressive numbers. Yanez was fifth on the team in number of goals, third in shot percentage, and first in number of game winning goals.
Chavez claims that fans should look for Yanez to “control the game in the middle” next season. It is Yanez’ cool, level headed attitude is what Chavez says helps him keep his composure on the field.
Yanez especially hopes though that he can improve more than just his game. Yanez said he hopes he can help lead the seven new players that the team recently signed. “I really want to try to be a leader and a role model for them.”
His teammates all consider him a good role model. “He is outgoing and always in a good mood,” said Chavez.
Despite all of the compliments on his game and attitude Yanez remains faithful to the idea that he will never be as good as his team as a whole. “I don’t know how well I would do if it was eleven versus one,” said Yanez.
