When Columbus Crew SC faces Valencia CF for its first international friendly against a Spanish side on May 27, the match will be particularly special for one member of the Black & Gold family.
Crew SC Director of Methodology Nico Estevez was born in Valencia and spent eight years of his career with the club he supported growing up. Having worked in Valencia’s youth academy and having coached the reserve team, Estevez’ most memorable moment at the club came when he assumed the interim head coach role and nearly upset La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Estevez talked with ColumbusCrewSC.com about that experience and what it means to him to face his former club at MAPFRE Stadium.
Q.: How special is it to you to face your hometown club at MAPFRE Stadium?
A.: It’s very special because it’s the city where I was born and the club I grew up supporting and where I worked for many years. It’s very exciting and I look forward to seeing some of my friends at the club again.
It’s kind of incredible that the first year I work for Crew SC we are playing them in a friendly. I look forward to being an ambassador to Valencia and showing off this fantastic country, its amazing people and our club.
What does soccer and the club itself mean to the people of Valencia?
Valencia has a lot of history. The club is 96 years old. It’s one of the top five clubs in Spain with 14 national trophies – six championships in La Liga, seven Copa Reys and one Supercup of Spain. So, Valencia is a household name in all of Europe.
The new owner Peter Lim and President Amadeo Salvo want Valencia to be recognized in all countries. I think that’s one of the reasons for our friendly. They are working very hard to expand Valencia’s brand around the world.
The most important thing Valencia has is its supporters. They are the best supporters in Spain. Before every match they wait for the players to arrive at the stadium, singing and supporting the team. They are Valencia’s most important legacy.
It’s sounds like the club is a big part of peoples’ lives in Valencia…
Yes, it’s special. Sometimes 2,000 to 3,000 people go to watch a training session when the club opens its doors. The club is doing a good job to stay close to the supporters and to bring in new supporters.
What was it like growing up a Valencia supporter and then having the chance to work for the club?
To grow up in Valencia, be a supporter, work in the academy with young players, train the reserve team, and then arrive at the first team was great for me, my family and my friends. I am very proud that in 2013 I had the opportunity to coach the team at the Mestalla against Real Madrid in front of our supporters. It was a dream to live this moment.
What was that moment like?
In the moment, you are so focused on your job and you can’t really enjoy it. But there was one moment in the match -- when we scored the equalizer and the team tried to score the third and the supporters started singing – that was the moment where I thought, “Wow, I’m at the Mestalla.”
Unfortunately, you lost that match, 3-2…
Yes, we lost in the final minutes but we were very proud of the match and our players. In previous years, every time Real Madrid played at the Mestalla they won easily. I think we did a good job and the supporters knew this.
The relationship between the supporters and the players was fantastic and it was an amazing moment. We played a very good match and had chances to win. Of course, when you play Real Madrid you can lose. The most important thing was that we fought to the last minute.
It was an important moment for the club because the circumstances at the time weren’t good. The most important thing for me was not to win but to create a great atmosphere with the supporters and the team.
How would you describe the club culture and how does it compare to Crew SC?
The club is changing under the new owner and president, and the vision is different. They want to change many things to grow the brand. Another important focus is to put more resources towards the academy and turn it into one of the best academies in the world. They are working hard on this.
It’s not that different from Columbus Crew SC. We have a new, young owner, a great coach in Gregg Berhalter and a new president in Andy Loughnane. There’s a lot of movement and they are changing a lot of things. They are working very hard to expand the brand and improve the academy here, too.
What excited you the most about coming to Columbus?
Gregg Berhalter. He is a very intelligent person and he has very clear ideas. He wants to introduce his own soccer philosophy. He has a lot of experience playing in Europe and he has studied many clubs. He has his own way of playing. I am very excited about this opportunity.
So now you are facing your former club with your new club. Are you hoping for a friendly draw?
[Laughs] No, I want to win every time. I am very proud to have been part of Valencia’s history, but I now work here and want to win with the team I work for, but the most important thing is we can show everyone our own philosophy.
I think this match will be a great opportunity for our supporters to see a team like Valencia. They can be proud of the club to play this match. We need our supporters here, we need a full stadium to show a European team that our supporters can create a fantastic atmosphere.
Crew SC’s friendly against Valencia is classified as Special Match A for Full Season Ticket Members and is included in their membership.
Group tickets begin at just $16 and individual tickets are set to go on sale tomorrow, May 9 at 10 a.m. at the MAPFRE Stadium Box Office, all Central Ohio Ticketmaster retail locations, over the phone at 614-447-2739 and online viawww.ColumbusCrewSC.com. Full Season Ticket Members have the opportunity to purchase additional tickets in advance, beginning now with a special presale.
