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Restrepo Blessed by Opportunity with SAFC

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 11/20/17, 7:11PM EST

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Veteran goalkeeper grasped chance with both hands to record standout season


Photo courtesy Steven Christy / OKC Energy FC

SAN ANTONIO – As the clock ticked down toward the beginning of the 2017 season, Diego Restrepo was sitting at a crossroads.

Despite a solid professional career that had seen him compete in the top flights of both Colombia and Venezuela and in the lower divisions in the United States, an opportunity to continue his career wasn’t immediately forthcoming and a college coaching position that was on offer was looking like the way he’d remain in the game.

Then came a call from San Antonio FC Head Coach Darren Powell, offering a trial to add to the club’s goalkeeping depth behind established starter Matt Cardone. Nine months later, the 2017 USL Goalkeeper of the Year award in hand, the journey is one that’s proven to a blessing to the 29-year-old goalkeeper. 

“I was working my butt off every day with a personal youth coach in Tampa, he helped me a lot – Kevin Clinton, he works for the [Clearwater] Chargers,” said Restrepo recently. “He told me ‘don’t give up, man. You can really be the best goalkeeper at that level.’

“I just listened to him, and he went out with me and kicked balls and kicked balls and tried to make me tougher, mentally stronger. It’s a pretty unique story, to be fair, from almost retiring to winning this award, I have to be very thankful to God, because he helped me achieve this.”

Ordinarily, going on trial in preseason isn’t conventional for a player with Restrepo’s experience, but the fact that it was a chance to be part of the club Spurs Sports & Entertainment was putting together at a venue like Toyota Field made it an enticing opportunity. Restrepo quickly earned his spot, the veteran back-up, but five weeks in, an injury to Cardone in SAFC’s opening game of a three-game road trip to Cascadia pushed him into the lineup.

His first start, a 3-2 victory against Seattle Sounders FC 2, saw Restrepo find his feet quickly, but that was followed by an eight-game shutout streak that threatened the USL record. From there, the former College Cup-winner with the University of Virginia was firmly entrenched in the lineup.

“It’s like riding a bike,” said Restrepo. “You come in, you don’t forget, you start pedaling, and then as the minutes go by, you gain confidence, and that was really what it was. Obviously, I had a great team in front of me that completely helped me feel very comfortable and get me adjusted very quickly. A lot of credit goes to them, and I knew I had the backing of the coaches and I just took it game by game, minute by minute. 

“That’s one thing I never take for granted. After tearing my Achilles in Tampa, every minute that I get to play, I enjoy it and embrace it because you never know. At any second, your career can be gone.”

Restrepo’s ability to play out of the back and distribute accurately quickly meshed into San Antonio’s already-sturdy defense. While not the biggest goalkeeper, the experience he gained playing for America de Cali in Colombia and Metropolitanos FC in Veneuzuela brought a calmness to his back line, as his reliability in the penalty area and as an outlet allowed San Antonio to thrive.

“I think he’s one of the best in the league with his feet,” said SAFC defender Sebastien Ibeagha. “Overall, as a goalkeeper, he’s great, but knowing that as a defender, and knowing the goalkeeper behind you has great feet, you know that if you’re in a jam, you can pass him the ball and he’ll do well. That experience with him just knowing and being confident in his own self, knowing that if this happens, I will be here, so you do this, I think none of us had to ever second-guess his decision, and it became a habit. I think that’s what led us throughout the year. Nothing we had to do we had to think twice about, it became if Diego does this, I’m going to do this.”

Going from winning the College Cup to Colombia to start his professional career remains a key touchstone for Restrepo.

“Coming straight from UVA, and then three months later, playing in front of 30,000 people, you’re like, wow, I’m in the real world,” said Restrepo. “Just a few months before, I was in Charlottesville playing in front of 3,000 people, and I got to play really quick, a couple of games, and that really helped me mature.

“Soccer down there is life – it’s a religion – so you have to either keep up or get left behind. I was very fortunate to be part of that team, that made me grow a lot.”

Restrepo finished the 2017 USL season with a league-high 12 shutouts and the respect of all who faced him in the league over the course of the season. Set to turn 30 next February and in an ideal situation in the Alamo City, Restrepo hopes to be part of something that will continue to grow year by year at Toyota Field.

“Hopefully, I’ll just keep getting better and better,” said Restrepo. “I feel comfortable in San Antonio, hopefully I’ll get to stay many years to come. Goalkeepers can play a little bit longer, so my goal is to play until I’m at least 35, 36, and goalkeepers get better like fine wine. As you get older, you get better because you see so many situations that you try to solve before they come through.”


Photo courtesy Darren Abate / San Antonio FC

After the disappointment of the club’s elimination in a penalty shootout to OKC Energy FC in the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs, there’s still much to like about where San Antonio will be in the future. For his part, Restrepo believes there are still higher levels he can achieve as a goalkeeper, news that in equal parts is good for SAFC and its fans and bad for opposing attackers.

“Consistency,” he said. “That’s very important as a player to have. They say a good goalkeeper has an error maybe one in eight games, a great goalkeeper has a blooper one in every 15 games. That’s my goal, to be consistent and minimize those errors as a player.”

But the chance he took heading to San Antonio to continue his career has clearly paid off for Restrepo, both on and off the field.

“It’s a soccer city, everywhere you go,” he said. “People know about the team, you can go anywhere and people will be, ‘hey, how you doing?’ So it’s great – it’s a great feeling to have knowing the community is behind you. I know the team’s goal is to sell out every game, and I think we’re very close to doing that, and of course, having that support helps you elevate your game and work hard.

“I just embrace every minute I get to play and try to do my best game by game.”

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