"Men are what their mothers made them."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
When professional athletes reach the top of their field, they are often asked who inspired them to reach such heights. The depth chart often goes: 1) God or faith, 2) Mom.
A mother can offer advice, support, and a concrete example of hard work becoming success or joy. Philadelphia Union midfielder Jamiro Monteiro knows this well. His mother introduced him to the game he now plays and loves.
“She was a soccer player when I was little,” Monteiro smiles, and reveals that many of the women in his family planted seeds from which his love of soccer grew.
“I had a lot of aunties who were also playing soccer,” he explains. “My mom’s three sisters all played together on a team and when I was little I would go to her training and her games”.
This ‘League of Their Own’ was organized by a large group of Cape Verdeans who, like the Monteiros, had emigrated to The Netherlands. Men’s and Women’s amateur leagues provided an outlet for this community to bond, but it also connected them to their homeland with a unique competitive structure. “They had teams from different [Cape Verdean] Islands...they made a competition so that all Cape Verdeans could play against each other. My mother was from Santiago. She played for what we called the Beddia Boys, for her was the Beddia Girls”.
When it came time for young Jamiro to lace them up and start playing, his mom made the seamless transition from role model to support system. “She brought me a lot of times to the games, she was always there. But sometimes because the game was on Saturday my mom was working so she could not be there, but I always had friends and family.”
Now a Designated Player for the Union, more people than ever are turning up and tuning in to watch Miro play. But with many games on Saturday and Sunday nights, the time difference is unkind for those watching in Europe. “Now it’s difficult...I know sometimes she looks at my games because my little brother is always looking at my games the next day. But it’s difficult with the time.”
When his mother does watch Miro play for the Union, she likely the same thing as fans in the stadium: Tenacity, stamina, an endless desire to push forward and track back – and don’t forget the occasional bomb from 30 yards out. Rare are the games when Miro isn’t heavily involved in everything the Union do.
Ever wonder where he learned to play like that? Now you know.
