Why my favorite football player is Jorge Villafana

My favorite player for the Timbers has always been 26-year-old Jorge Villafana, commonly called “El Sueno” – more on that later.

There are many reasons why he is one of my favorites and it’s not to say that he is the best player. So many people I feel idolize Messi, or Ronaldo, but why? To me, all of them play spectacular, so a character that I look up to has to have more reasons than just stardom for me to look up to them as a role model.

I was happy to be informed that Villafana was honored yesterday with a bio published on the MLS website, mlssoccer.com. It helped ease the pain of the news last year in December, that Portland had sold him to Santos Laguna of Liga MX (Mexican league). This is disappointing for a plethora of reasons, but mostly because Villafana, according to MLS, has had his greatest career success playing for the Timbers in 2015.

I do have a hard time with Portland cutting one of our most valuable players from last year. I’d much rather be one step closer to a second star above the axe (for winning the MLS Cup) than $1 million for players that are great (Villafina’s sales price) but are not growing exponentially like I believe Villafana is. That’s just how the game is played, and run.

But I also see that there’s more to the his game than just what goes on during the match, or the money aspects.

I tend to like Villafana’s play the most because of how choppy he is. He looks almost unprepared for anything that happens on the field, but to me it looks he’s putting in 100 percent effort for whatever comes his way.

I have always tended to play the same way: I never know what to expect when it happens. When I see that the attacker has my baby, I’m at ’em. Give me my baby back, or else! Villafana has that same passion. He may always look to be caught off-guard, but he never lets up when presented a challenge. He told ESPN once that he noticed how different that La Liga plays than the MLS. Naturally, the MLS is more direct and physical, while La Liga is more tactical. Decisions are made with precision in the Latino league. I do believe he adapted well to the MLS style, which is why I’m curious as to how successful he will be transferring to Santos Laguna.

In my opinion, that’s what makes Villafana a beautiful player. I think this also applies to his life story, as well.

Villafana was born in the United States, but grew up in Mexico. There he learned to play soccer. He moved back to the U.S. when he was 15.

Back to the “El Sueno” part of the story – “the dream” in Spanish, literally.

Villafana’s dream was to play pro. When he first tried out for Chivas USA, another MLS team in Los Angeles, he was cut, at age 17. His family persisted in its encouragement, however, and pushed him to try out for Chivas a second time – via a Mexican national TV reality show, “El Sueno.” With his second chance, he beat out 2,000 contestants to score a roster spot with Chivas’ second squad – and his career was on its way.

So, to me he represents not might or popularity or wealth, but sheer mental perseverance.

The most powerful reason why Villafana resonates with me mostly is how his mother, as a single parent, played both mother-father roles to support his dreams and instill in him his values.

Watching his mother’s testimony to his passion on YouTube brought tears to my eyes. Growing up in foster care, I have always recognized the value of family and mentors – without them, nothing is possible. And if dreams do come true, it feels all-for-nothing without the people you love there to congratulate you, and for you to thank.