CHICAGO ? Edgar Rivera is a busy guy, but it comes with the territory of being a rookie playing professional soccer. The Western Michigan graduate and former Bronco student-athlete practices with his team, the Chicago Storm of the Major Indoor Soccer League, five days a week from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The MISL is the top level of indoor soccer in the United States and is sanctioned by F?d?ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), and the United States Soccer Federation. Indoor soccer seems like more of a combination of basketball, soccer, and hockey, rather than traditional soccer. Substitutions are done on the fly by jumping on and off the bench like in hockey. There are only six players per team on the field, the goal is 14 feet wide and eight feet high, and the playing surface is roughly the size of a hockey rink. There is a three-point arc and fouls can cause hockey style power-plays.
Nine teams make up the MISL, eight in the United States and one, Monterrey La Raza, in Mexico. The season consists of 20 games, from the end of October to the beginning of April. From there, the top six teams advance to the playoffs. Rivera comes to a team that lost in the semifinals last year after finishing second overall in the regular season.
“I got an invite tryout from head coach Steve Morris,” said Rivera. “It started out with 30 guys, including their draft picks. It was a battle. They just kept making cuts and I was still there.
“My speed and tenacity help me as a professional,” explained Rivera. “Ball control is a big part of the indoor game because of the lack of space.”
Rivera has speed and skill, like many professional soccer players do. But Edgar's passion and understanding for the game helped him get where he is. A passion that almost went to waste when he first entered college, by no fault of his own.
After high school, Rivera wanted to play Division I soccer but received no scholarship interest, so he went to Marquette University and tried to make the team as a walk on. He was cut because he was 'too small' to make it at the Division I level, so the Wheeling, Ill., native went to Hillsdale College, a Division II school in Michigan.
The first time Western Michigan men's soccer head coach Chris Karwoski saw Rivera play was when WMU and Hillsdale had a preseason exhibition match in 2002.
“Edgar had a great game against us,” recalled coach Karwoski. “I went up to him afterwards and congratulated him on his game.”
Edgar would remember this a year later when Hillsdale dropped its men's soccer program. In just one year, one program had turned him down and the other had abandoned him. Rivera still desired to play the game he loved so much. He had the skills and the passion for soccer; he just needed a place to showcase it. It was then that Rivera contacted Karwoski and wanted to talk about playing for WMU.
“Edgar came into my office with his whole family,” said Karwoski. “I told them what the program was about and that I couldn't offer him a scholarship, but would take him as a walk-on.”
Rivera wasn't concerned about scholarships, he just wanted to play. And he did. Rivera's first season with Western Michigan was arguably the greatest in program history. The Broncos won a school record 12 games, capturing the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship, and gaining its first ever birth in the NCAA College Cup. Rivera was a big part of the team, starting every game.
Rivera eventually got his scholarship, but it wasn't an athletic one. Edgar earned an academic scholarship from WMU's Health, Physical Education and Recreation program. In 2004 the Broncos returned to the MAC Championship game but ended up losing. Rivera was named Second Team All-MAC and was also named Academic All-MAC. He followed that season earning conference academic honors again and landed a spot on the MAC All-Tournament team in 2005.
Following his time at WMU, Rivera spent a brief period of time with Leon Esmeraldas of the Mexican Primera A League.
“It is a different world down there. The teammates are your friends, but they are trying to put food on their plate.”
After his brief time in Mexico, Rivera returned to Kalamazoo where he helped out as a coach for the Portage Lightning. He then moved on to coach the Under-13 Boys team for the Kalamazoo Kingdom.
“I have a degree in teaching and a passion to teach, but I was unable to find a teaching job. So I thought about using my teaching passion to coach. I love working with kids and would love to teach them the skills I had to learn on my own as a kid.”
Rivera was bit by the coaching bug and it led him back to WMU, where he was set to be a volunteer assistant coach for the men's soccer program prior to this season. However, Rivera had his chance to play professionally and took it. Despite his busy professional schedule, he still follows Bronco soccer, often speaking with coach Karwoski over the phone or sending encouraging emails. But coaching will always be an option for Rivera.
“He'll have a time to coach,” said Karwoski. “I hope he does come back, he'll bring that passion and intensity back that he had as a player to coaching."
Putting coaching on hold for the time being and following his dreams, Rivera has earned a starting spot as a defender for the Storm. The youngest member of his team, he also steps into a role as a second forward or midfielder. The MISL recently struck a television deal with Fox Soccer Channel, where 20 games will be shown live or tape delayed.
For more information on Rivera and the Chicago Storm, please visit www.chicagostorm.net.
