Sioux City coach talks about his childhood match with football great Lionel Messi

“I played Messi in his home country of Peru in 1997,” explained Saenz, a physiotherapist at Mercy One and an assistant football coach at Morningside University. , I was 9. Even then, he was phenomenal and had my team hooked.”

Saenz, of course, was talking about Lionel Messi, who dominated the 2022 FIFA World Cup and gave Argentina its third victory.

At 35, Messi is already considered football’s greatest athlete of all time.

But Saenz remembered that he was just a boy who was always juggling soccer balls with his feet.

“When other kids were socializing, Messi was into football,” he said. “You need that level of commitment to excel.”

Saenz knows something about his commitment to sports.

From the ages of 7 to 16, he attended a football academy in Lima, Peru, and played semi-professional football in his teens. This experience allowed him to travel to tournaments in Spain, Chile and Mexico before moving to the United States at the age of 17.

Saenz has since completed a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Mount Marty College in Yankton, SD and a Master of Health Care Administration from Briar Cliff College in Sioux City.

Yet football remains his passion.

That’s exactly what Saenz did when he coached the Siouxland Diablos, a team of teenage soccer players from Sioux City and South Sioux City.

“The Diablos had talent, but they were a team that needed explosive confidence,” he explained. Then they got that confidence.”

Remembering how traveling the world has improved his football playing, Saenz wanted Diablos to have the same experience.

“Traveling to another country allows you to step out of your comfort zone and be exposed to a new level of sportsmanship. increase.”

When the Diablos returned from their European adventures, they began beating the local teams for the greater community.

“Omaha football clubs were less intimidating after playing against top teams in international tournaments,” Saenz said.

The Diablos have also tasted the madness of soccer.

“In America, athletes can play all kinds of sports,” explained Saenz. “But in other parts of the world, football is by far the dominant sport to play and watch.”

This has never been more true than during the World Cup.

“It was like the whole world was watching football,” Saenz said.

And they marveled at the talent of an athlete like Messi.

“Messi did not come from a privileged background, but he had a passion for football. It was a passion he had as a child and now he is most famous in the sport.”

Incredibly, Saenz has a photo of him and Messi from over 25 years ago.

More importantly, Saenz’s former coach gifted him five DVDs with photos and videotapes from his nine years at the Peruvian football academy.

Saenz said he plans to share the footage with soccer students he coaches at Morningside and young athletes training at URU High Performance.

“At URU, we combine conditioning and technical skills to hone our players’ individual skills,” he explained. “This is high intensity training.”

Hopefully, a commitment to track and field will lead to confidence and a good work ethic that can be applied to any profession.

However, soccer is a sport that can be played at both amateur and professional levels.

So does Saenz want to coach the next Lionel Messi?

“That’s nice, but you never know,” he replied with a laugh.

Saenz is happy to be on the same football field as the future World Cup prodigy.

“Messi is a superstar,” Saenz said. “He has inspired many people to play football.”