The MLS season is over. In which New York City took the title after beating Portland Timbers on penalties, all the players began their vacations until 2022. One of the teams that failed to enter the knockout stages to bid for the title was the Houston Dynamo, which even finished last in the Western Conference and hopes to improve its performance for next season.
In an exclusive interview for 90min, we spoke with Maximiliano Urruti, Argentine striker for the Texas team who finished his ninth season in the United States league. His first year in Houston and his goals for 2022, his love for Newell’s, the references that marked him and his help in adapting to MLS with Diego Valeri.
How was your arrival at the Dynamo?
With my family we needed to go back to the United States, although I was playing in the MLS, it was in Montreal and we wanted to go back. I was able to go to Houston, I had colleagues who had spoken very well to me, the coach explained the ideas that were there and convinced me. It was not a positive year, several things happened, but I had an incredible group throughout the year.
You wanted to go back to the United States. What is the difference between teams from Canada and from the United States?
It’s the same, the only thing that changes is where you live, because you’re constantly playing against the United States. Today Canadian football is very strong, even the national team is releasing good material and speaks well of those teams. When it was my turn to leave Newell’s, it went to Toronto and then Portland. More than anything, the issue of travel became heavy because from Canada to the United States, the fact of entering is different.
You noted that it was not a positive year. What things should Houston improve for next season?
Personally, you always want to win, I played these in several MLS teams and in most of them I have won titles and that fills you a lot. It was a complicated year in every way, I started in the best way, then I had COVID and that was strong for me, it was not pretty and it was difficult for me to return because it took me two or three months. Then I faced the situation in the best way, to go ahead and see if we could achieve something. The club is growing like the league, they are betting a lot on young people, who used to take bigger players to promote it and today they are looking the other way around, which allows them to watch from European football.
One of the good things about 2021 was your volley goal against the Seattle Sounders. Was that play ready?
During the week we talked a lot with Darwin Quintero and I said to him “don’t you dare instead of making the same move that we make another one?” and he told me to bite him behind the barrier. I had seen the bow from before and I just grabbed it fully. We hugged because we planned it between the two of us and we carried the ‘teacher’ who prepares the standing balls because he inflated his chest and had nothing to do with it, heh.
The Argentine forward arrived in MLS in August 2013 to play for Toronto FC. Interestingly, his time in the Canadian cast lasted less than a month, despite having debuted. In September of that year, the Portland Timbers acquired the player in an abnormal context for those who do not follow the movements of the United States league, starting with the Draft. He remained there until the end of 2015 having won the MLS Cup.
For the following year, Dallas chose him in the pre-season selection and he played three years at the institution. For December 2018 it was the same situation: he was transferred to the Montreal Impact where he had a football legend like Thierry Henry as a coach. After his second stint in Canada, he returned to the United States to play for the Houston Dynamo.
Within weeks of arriving at Toronto FC you go to Portland Timbers. How was that fleeting transfer?
It was very strange because it was the first time that I was leaving the country. I was always at Newell’s and it was a difficult situation personally, because when I arrived in Toronto, not knowing the language, another culture and many changes in the club, such as the manager who had taken me, led to an agreement with Portland for a player exchange. I was not aware of the situation and when we went to play a game in Portland, in a 3 to 0 it was strange that the coach did not put me and I went angry to the bus.
At that moment the manager goes up and takes me down. So I said “bye, he didn’t like how I acted”, that was my thought. Instantly I see Diego Valeri in the middle of the court and that seemed strange to me. I say “Diego, what is it?” and he answers me “come here and I’m going to translate for you.” When we got to the dressing room they told me that they had exchanged me for another player and I stayed there. I had to call my family to let me know that I was staying in Portland, they wouldn’t let me look for my clothes and it was weird. Diego took me home, he behaved like a phenomenon. Today we have an incredible relationship and I always tell him that if it hadn’t been for him, I don’t know what would have happened.
That was something that marked me as an anecdote, because luckily later we were able to win the MLS Cup and I was able to meet many people like Paparatto or ‘La Gata’ Fernández and that team leaves me many memories.
How was that experience in Portland?
When they told me to stay at the club, before going to training I told Diego Valeri to go eat something. He told me that the squad was free but they wanted to try me. They wanted to see how he was physically and we went to train on time. They made me do the yo-yo test, I was dizzy because we had eaten a giant pasta dish and I ended up training. It was for the weekend to play as a starter, but I told the coach that I did not want to start badly with my teammates, but he put me anyway. I debuted and scored a goal against Los Angeles. It was one of the best clubs in terms of fans and in which I had to live. It brings back very good memories and I always talk to the guys so I wish them well.
Do they welcome you every time you go with another team to play against a club you passed through?
When I leave Portland and come back, people sing my name and clap for me. In Dallas I had an incredible reception and people were waiting for me. And Montreal did not touch me, because it is from the other area and it was played on the last date with the kids, but whenever I went they received me in the best way and that fills it up. You want to be a good person, football can give you things or not, but as a person it is the most important thing and what I always look for.
How is your experience with the MLS draft?
It is difficult but after the first experience I updated myself with my lawyer and with people in the league because I did not want something similar to happen to me in Toronto with Portland. More than anything also for the family because we had a 7-hour difference by plane. It’s like the NBA, you have to block 11 players and then you put the others on the eligible list. If you are on the list, pay attention to know what your next team will be.
Urruti debuted in 2011 with Newell’s and scored his first goals. For 2012, he began to have more filming and in the Clausura he played all the games of the championship, scoring 6 goals in 19 matches. For the second semester of 2012, Nacho Scocco returned to ‘La Lepra’, who had been one of the great figures of the group that became champion with ‘Tolo’ Gallego in 2004 and returned to be the starter, which led Urruti to wait for his chance. Already with Gerardo Martino since the beginning of 2012 and having achieved second place in the 2012 Initial Tournament, Newell’s would be Argentine soccer champion in the 2013 Final, Urruti being the first replacement up front.
You had to make your debut at Newell’s at a good time for the institution and you were part of the champion team of ‘Tata’ Martino. What did it mean to you?
It was the most beautiful thing that happened to me as a player because I did the inferiors there. It was incredible to see so many figures arrive that returned to the club because I saw them on the Play, in Europe, on TV and I had great friends and we were able to achieve what we all wanted, which was to win a title with Newell’s.
What was special about the ‘Tata’?
When he spoke to you, he already gave you that respect whoever you are, he handled the situation in a different way and you knew that a very important person for the club was speaking to you. I have an anecdote with him at a time when I was about to go to Switzerland and I remember that I was in a garage with my old man and he called me. I couldn’t believe it, because I already had everything to go and he told me he was going to take Newell’s. When Gerardo Martino told me I said “wow, something important is coming at this club”. He told me that no one had the job secured and he was counting on me. I canceled everything and told my old man that I was not going to regret the decision because I felt it was going to be important. So it was and I had to play a lot with him.
When Nacho Scocco arrived I learned a lot, I looked at him as a great and that is what the team had. He was not envious, the one who entered left his life, the one who did not support the maximum, the training sessions were divine. I always say that when there is a good group, things happen. Then came the ‘Gringo’ Heinze who was the total plus and that was the clean and jerk to be champions.
Heinze is said to have a particular character …
I have a lot of respect and he is an incredible person. He talked to everyone and when it was time to play he had a concentration of 1000%. I would sit up front in the locker room and every time we played a game I would watch it and have incredible concentration. He had won everything, he played for the biggest teams in Europe and he was there as if they were going to play the first games of his career and he dedicated himself to the maximum. That leads one to be more responsible and to continue giving the best. I saw him prepared at all times and that marked us a lot for the young people.
Maxi RodrÃguez announced his retirement from soccer. What made you decide?
I just had to go to the court. When he scored the goal, I was in the box and he took off his shirt. There I say to my friends: “Maxi, if he writes or records a movie, they are all beautiful things that happened to him.” Tell me the top 10 goals that were shouted the most from Argentina and there he is. Everywhere that was marked something and as a person he is incredible, a phenomenon.
I sent him a message saying that since he is going to be free we can meet for coffee. He is a person who on the court and outside marked me a lot and I am grateful to those players because they made the club bigger. I know that he is qualified for what is coming, because it is not easy to hang up his boots, but as he is seen as a person, he will do it in the best way.
You talk a lot about post-race … How much desire do you have left to give? Do you plan to return to Newell’s?
You win I have a lot. I am not a player that when I do not give up I will try to continue because I do not see it well for anyone. I will try to give my all as far as I can. I have been training with retirement and I see it as something positive. Having knowledge of things fills you up and today I put it into practice. The return to Rosario is always there even though the family is very adapted to the United States. It is not only one who has to think and must do so with the head, because if it had been for the heart, Newell’s would never have left me.
Is it difficult to return to Argentine football because of how you live in the country?
Yes, it’s nothing to do with when I left. The pandemic moved the times a lot and affected many. Also one has the family in Argentina and it makes you think. Luckily I have the support when I am down because it is not easy to be outside and one tries to push forward.
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