San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Cristian Espinoza has played at many different levels across the world, from Club Huracan in Argentina to playing for Argentina’s U-20 side during the 2015 U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. Now at only 24 years old he is adding another challenge to his journey: playing in Major League Soccer.
Acquired from Spain’s Villarreal on a season-long loan on Jan. 2, 2019, Espinoza promises to give his all during his time with the Quakes.
“The first objective for the group and for myself is to have a good season,” explained the Argentine through a translator last week. “To be able to make it to the playoffs, I think that’s the main objective. Then the second objective, if we make the playoffs, is to go for it all.”
Since the start of the season, Espinoza has been a key contributor on offense. Through nine matches, he has already tallied two goals and two assists and been involved in a handful of others. He is a legitimate threat to be the first Quakes player with 10+ goals and assists since Ronald Cerritos in 1998.
Even his teammates are noticing the skill that Espinoza brings to the team. After the match against Seattle Sounders FC on April 24, fellow midfielder Shea Salinas noted, “Cristian has been unbelievable getting to the end-line and sending balls across.”
Espinoza does admit that there are obstacles he faces while playing in a new country, one being his inability to speak English. He is determined to learn the new language soon so he can communicate more effectively on the field.
“The language of soccer is the same. Obviously, everyone has their own languages but whenever I enter the field, I want to have good communication with everyone. Like I said, since I don’t know English, it has been a bit difficult, but at least I know a few words I can use on the field like ‘right’ and ‘left’. Whenever we are going back, I always tell the defenders to talk to me. I ask them to say to me ‘Cristian right, Cristian left, Cristian back.’ ”
He admits that even before arriving in San Jose, he noticed a few things about MLS.
“I knew about the level of the league, about the physical expectation. I was able to watch some of the matches because [in Argentina] they showed some of the matches, mainly the playoffs.
“It’s a league where you do a lot of running, a lot of going back and forth on the field, a lot of strong players. One has to be ready to combat for 90 minutes.”
One thing is for certain, Espinoza is enjoying his time in San Jose.
“I’ve been very happy since my first day here when I arrived at the stadium and went on the field. The atmosphere has been amazing everywhere from the people in the office to the fans. My teammates have received me warmly.”
