IMAGE, MATT KREMKAU FOR EMPIRE OF SOCCER
by DAVE MARTINEZ
As the New York Red Bulls continue to ease Gonzalo Veron into their roster, the young Argentine dynamo is easing into life in the United States.
The 25-year-old Moreno, Buenos Aires native has traveled to New York alone, and has found his first taste of football outside of Argentina a bit difficult — at least on the personal side of things. “It’s not easy,” Veron tells EoS. “I am in a different country, a different culture, a different life. It isn’t easy being alone here. But this team is a family and they try to make me feel the most comfortable possible.”
Part of finding his comfort has been finding a place within the Red Bulls. So far, Veron has only featured as a late match sub, spelling either Mike Grella or Lloyd Sam in the regular rotation. To this point, Veron has earned six appearances, scoring a goal in just 91 minutes. That has been enough a taste of Major League Soccer action for him to draw a few poignant conclusions over the style of play here and his native Argentina.
“The biggest difference is the physical aspect of it,” Veron notes. Unlike what most would imagine, he doesn’t mean ‘physical’ in the way Americans may be used to. Most foreign players who use that label usually refer to the reckless tackes and challenges of the league.
However, the physical game Veron references is in the conditioning.
“This football is much more dynamic,” he explains. “It is attack upon attack. In Argentina, that doesn’t exist. If anything, we hold on to the ball, we rest the ball. Here, it is post to post all game.
“For me, that is positive since I try to beat people with my speed and in counter attacking situations. However, you also have to be in great physical shape to play like that.”
And as Veron gets to know MLS more and more, he hopes to give the fans a better idea of the player he is. After all, opinion has been split. Is he the forward San Lorenzo made him out to be? Or is he something more? Something different?
“I am not a goalscorer. I have never been,” Veron clarifies. “I have always been an assist man, assisting my teammates, and taking advantage of my speed.”
Whether he features to that end with the Red Bulls remains to be seen. However, he is hopeful that his acclimation process is short lived — and his impact will begin to show on a week to week basis. “After a month and a half here, I think I am adjusting well,” he said. “The team is scoring goals, we are doing the best we can, we all support each other, and those on the bench push them to do more.”