�Թ�tv

Legendary Brazilian professional footballer Pelé characterized the game he loved best as joga bonito,  translated from Portuguese, “the beautiful game.” 

There is something about the feeling of the ball at your feet that indeed makes soccer such a beautiful game, the purest of sports that combines strength, individual skills, teamwork,  intensity, tactics and imagination, without 30 pounds of equipment but with immeasurable heart.  It is a spectacular game to play, and an exceedingly difficult game to play really well.

�Թ�tv senior outside back Angel Lavastida '24, the middle child of Mexican immigrants Angel and Magda Lavastida who settled in Naples, Florida, would say it in his native tongue as el hermoso juego.  Introduced to the game by his father at age 10, Lavastida played competitively throughout South Florida in youth tournaments and in high school, before accepting a scholarship offer at �Թ�tv. Already in love with the game, he fell in love with Philadelphia and had found his niche.

Then in January of his freshman year while playing on indoor turf, Lavastida planted and cut one way, and his foot got caught.

“I went straight to the ground, but we didn’t think it was anything major,” he said. “I did some physical therapy, and a few weeks later, we went to Father Judge, and I was doing passing drills before our scrimmage perfectly fine.  At the end of the scrimmage, we had a shooting drill.  When I planted to shoot, I just completely fell over my leg.”

The torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) required surgery in April of 2021.  It was the last time Lavastida ever played without pain.

“The rehab was tough, and it was also mentally tough, because it was the first time that I wasn’t physically playing soccer,” he said.  “I just didn’t feel like myself for so long.  I am not happy that it happened, but tearing my ACL was a good thing in that it taught me to not take things for granted.”

Lavastida returned by February the following year and did his best to regain not only his physical form but also his mental preparedness.

“If you play with fear, something is bound to happen,” he said, “so, I went out there and tried to play like I never tore it. I always told myself, ‘I didn’t hurt my knee. I’m fine.’ I didn’t even want to use that as an excuse.  ‘Yeah, I’ll be sore, so I will just rest up,’ but I always had pain playing after that.”

Lavastida tries to not to dwell on what might have been.  He saw time sporadically in his sophomore and junior seasons, when the Tigers made it to the league semifinals. He created lasting bonds with his teammates and coaches. His parents, who have always been supportive and have enjoyed watching competitive soccer, made several trips to campus and were at senior day this year when Angel’s collegiate career ended.

Still, Lavistida has done his best to stay around soccer.  A sports management marketing major, he is completing an internship with the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS) where he has been involved in marketing special and community events, assisting with game-day operations and leading kids in games on the field at halftime.  He has met with some of the Union’s leadership, members of the corporate marketing team and will meet the team athletes in the coming weeks.

“It’s been fun being able to be around soccer,” Lavastida said.  “It’s funny because a lot of people kind of talk down about the MLS, as compared to the European league, but I can tell you that the average Joe or a college player couldn’t just walk out there and play.  It’s still super impressive.”

Lavastida is hoping to leverage all of the skills that he learned on the pitch - his competitive fire, his team mindset, goal-setting and preparation - into a number of interviews that he has lined up with other professional sports teams in Philadelphia, if something permanent doesn’t turn up with the Union or if he is lucky enough to land a gig with the FIFA host city for the 2026 World Cup.

“I would personally love to stay here,”  he said, “but I am open to anything. There are so many opportunities in sales and marketing in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.  I think having been in college athletics, I know the ins and outs of sports, not only as a player but as a fan.  I know how important it is to get fans out to home games and matches.  I also have the benefit of being bilingual and have a diverse cultural background. I think I am collaborative and work well with other people. I am an outgoing person.  I like to meet new people, to get to know where they are from.  I think I need to get some experience, get my name out there, show people how competitive I can be in a sales or marketing role and then hopefully someday return to soccer in some sort of professional capacity.”

That dream opportunity would be un final hermoso – a truly beautiful ending - for Angel Lavastida.