MONTREAL – It’s a good time to be a Tico in MLS.
Through their time in North America, the likes of Jairo Arrieta, Alvaro Saborio and Kendall Waston have won fans and teammates over, just as the pura vida of their home country of Costa Rica charms visitors.
Johan Venegas is aiming for just that in Montreal, and he’s halfway there already. Just 10 days into Venegas’ stay, he’s played three games with his new teammates, and the calling of his name at Stade Saputo produces some of the loudest cheers.
“The Tico player has the right mindset to adapt to any situation,” Venegas told MLSsoccer.com. “It goes for players such as [Roy] Miller, Saborio, Arrieta, Rodney Wallace, Kendall Waston. They took their time to settle here and felt safe here. They saw that this is a well-organized league. They liked the cities they ended up in. It’s attractive enough for them that they stay here for a long time. It could be the case for me as well and, God willing, I could be successful here.”
His arrival was understated, what with the Didier Drogba mayhem that has swept over Montreal. But the Impact made a big investment in Venegas, too. They used Targeted Allocation Money to land him from Costa Rica’s Alajuelense on Aug. 3.
Venegas signed after taking part in all four of Costa Rica’s 2015 Gold Cup games, including the heartbreaking quarterfinal loss against Mexico. In between caps for his country, he grilled some teammates – Miller, Saborio, former Columbus Crew SC defender Giancarlo Gonzalez – on MLS.
“They said good things about the league,” Venegas says. “It made my choice to come to Montreal easier.”
Johan was not named after famous Dutch player johan Cruyff – “My parents just liked the name,” he says – but they enjoy some of the same things. Venegas is potent in front of goal, but he roams deep, looking to unsettle opponents with a dribble or deliver a killer pass.
His displays against the Impact for Alajuelense in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League semifinals opened the door to the Impact, his first professional venture outside of his home country. He’s settled quickly in his new city, where he’ll live with his wife; he also has a son from a previous relationship.
“The city’s very nice,” Venegas says. “It’s tidy, clean, safe. Factors such as these influence your decision. You want a safe place for the family, but you also want to enjoy your soccer.”
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The growth of MLS, Venegas says, isn’t going unnoticed in Costa Rica.
“[Frank] Lampard, [Andrea] Pirlo, [Sebastian] Giovinco, Kaka… the league is attractive for all of those players,” Venegas says. “It’s a very well-organized league that provides stability for you and for your family. It plays a big part in the decision. The level of soccer is good, too. It’s closer to the European leagues, so I think it’ll help me improve some more.”
This fall, Venegas will turn 27. He’s not a kid anymore, but he still has some upside left. Like most soccer players, Venegas wouldn’t say no to a European experience. But he’s focused on not just playing, but also winning in Montreal first.
“I was a champion of Costa Rica, and that was a great experience,” Venegas says. “I’d like to experience the same here, in Montreal and in MLS. We’ll work for that. If it happens, eyes will be on Montreal, on a championship team. It can open the doors to European soccer, but the most important is to play well in Montreal, make the playoffs and fight for a championship.”
And, of course, win the Amway Canadian Championship for a chance to return to CCL with a different jersey. Venegas started and played the full 90 in Montreal’s 2-2 draw Wednesday in the first leg of the Canadian Championship final against the Vancouver Whitecaps; before the match he said he was relishing a chance to face off against Waston, who he knows from their time Costa Rican youth leagues.
“It’s a trophy we want to win,” Venegas says. “We like soccer because we have the opportunity to achieve something. We have a good opportunity to win the cup and return to CCL. We’ll work hard to get it.”
Work hard he did. Venegas suffered three fouls in the first quarter-hour alone. Two of those were committed by Waston.
