Ronald Matarrita
Ronald Matarrita, the 22-year-old top-notch player that flees to the lights of Times Square
The story of the Tico, Ronald Matarrita, is like that of many Latino immigrants in the United States: without the unconditional support of his family he would not have gotten to where he is.
He can take the train from his home in White Plans and reach Times Square, in the heart of New York City, in forty minutes. However, Ronald Matarrita rarely goes to town. His obsession with improving every day has taken him away from every distraction and luminous sign. If at 22, the left back is already a key piece of New York City FC’s Patrick Vieira and Costa Rica’s Óscar Ramírez, it is thanks to his ability to concentrate, set goals and meet them quickly.
Sharing a dressing room, moments and experiences with people who are so successful is something that I would never change, I am taking advantage of every moment with them.
As a child, he played with kids up to four years his senior and did not expect anything to be handed to him, nor did he expect to be pitied or receive consideration, so he is accustomed to giving everything and more. "I grew up with my cousins, four years older than me. I played with them and their friends, so from kindergarten on, I got used to playing with everything. I think that my passion for football was born then. From that age I played up to three matches a day.”
There were times when the support of his mother, Vilma, and his paternal grandparents, Sherley and Álvaro, meant everything to him. Among the three of them, they sacrificed themselves to buy football clothes and accompany him to training. "My mom and my grandmother are my lungs, my eyes, my everything. They are the two most important people in my life. I really would die for them. Also my grandfather. I think I'll never be able to pay them back for everything they did for me. They took care of me when I was little and they are responsible for me being here in New York living this dream." Today his grandfather is not with us, which hurts for Ronald, but his mother and his grandmother are still here, and he considers them his engine. Everything he does is for them.
So, with so much support, so much talent and so much desire, it isn’t unexpected that the left back was discovered at such a young age, when he tried out among 200 young people in San Ramón, his hometown. Soon after that, he was chosen to be part of the Under-15 team and that, and at 16, he was signed by Alajuelense after barely three days of trainings and matches.
He debuted first at 18, at 19 he was crowned champion of his country and at 21 he debuted with the senior team against Brazil. In that opportunity, he confesses, he cried out of emotion although his team lost 1-0, because it was a dream fulfilled (another one).
The game was held in New Jersey at the home of the New York Red Bulls, rivals of New York City FC, which was somewhat of a premonition, because a few months later Ronald made the leap to the MLS to join Frank Lampard, David Villa, Andrea Pirlo and Patrick Vieira and play for New York City FC. Nerves? Definitely. Fear? A little bit. It’s true that Ronald had only ever seen New York City in photos and that, in his dreams, he had never thought about getting there, but at the same time he did not feel like he was incapable of rising to the challenge. Playing in a foreign league was what he had always wanted, but he never imagined was that it would happen so fast.
Thus, 2016 was a year of adaptation for Ronald. That four legends of world football welcomed him and treated him as an equal certainly helped, but his willpower was what made everything good happen. "Sharing a dressing room, moments and experiences with people who are so successful is something that I would never change, I am taking advantage of every moment with them to learn as much as I can both on and on the field, they are incredible people." In terms of football, he had no major problems, and even though he was far from home, he soon discovered that even if he was far away, in New York and its surroundings, everything could be found. Now not only do his grandmother and his mother visit him periodically, but he is always in contact with an uncle who lives nearby and works in construction. He lives in Summit, New Jersey, just over an hour from New York. Not only was Meryl Streep born there, but there is also a whole Costa Rican colony.
I grew up with my cousins, four years older than me. I played with them and with their friends, so from kindergarten I got used to playing with everything
| His face transforms when he talks about his family, his beginnings and his country. |
That is why, whenever he can, Ronald escapes to the East Side Deli restaurant, founded 18 years ago, where there are many Costa Rican products that help him return to his country for a while. Tamales, empanadas, cookies, soda, the inevitable Lizano sauce and even medicines, everything reminds him of home. And there are also the typical dishes: the “chuleta”, the “casado”, and Ronald’s favorite, the “gallopinto”, as well as fried cheese, eggs, banana, rice with beans and “picadillo”. It’s nothing like the dishes prepared by his mother and grandmother, but while they aren’t in New York, the ones in New Jersey will do just fine for Ronald.
He is the #22 for New York City FC, the MLS club that plays in Yankee Stadium, but Ronald is a sentimental man and does not hide it. His face transforms when he talks about his family, his beginnings and his country. Today, he’s far away in distance but he’s close at heart. His days are split between mornings in the club's sporting club gym and in gym sessions, match days, visits to Summit in New Jersey or quiet time at home.
New York City FC also features Matarrita’s compatriot Rodney Wallace and the Panamanian Miguel Camargo, who are his closest companions. And though any young man of his age would be tempted by the closeness of New York and all it has to offer, Ronald only visits the city if he has someone to show it to. "Those special moments are better if you have someone to share them with," he says.
Qualifying for the World Cup in Russia is just around the corner for Costa Rica, as well as the Gold Cup, where they are in a group with Canada, Honduras and French Guiana. Ronald was scheduled for both commitments, but an injury just five days before the start of the tournament forced him to leave the Gold Cup team. It is a heavy loss for the group led by Óscar Ramírez, the same coach who gave Matarrita his debut with Alajuelense years ago.
Despite its early success, it has its feet on the ground and, to confirm it, an anecdote: after the workouts lends itself to the photos no matter how long the line.
Sometimes there are visitors from Costa Rica, sometimes schools in the city that go to see the players, other times casual fans and almost always a mixture of the three. Ronald poses and smiles with each of them despite the difficulty and duration of his workouts, and at the end asks loudly if anyone else wants a photo or an autograph. Any other footballer would do the minimum necessary and then would get out of there, but not Matarrita. And we already know that he is not an average player.
With over ten years of a career ahead of him, the possibilities are endless. When asked about his dreams, he is silent, but then he answers without hesitation: play for FC Barcelona.
As for his favorite left back, he points to Marcelo, the Brazilian left-back for Real Madrid, who Matarrita faced in that match of September 2015 where he debuted for the Costa Rican senior team. Nobody has an idea of what the future holds for Ronald, but there is one certainty: if it goes on like this, the next train he rides on will not stop in Times Square. It’ll be in Europe.
