Podcast: Olger Escobar on his journey through the Revolution pathway

Revolution II forward Olger Escobar joined 'The Goal.' (New England Revolution)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is New England Revolution Academy product and current Revolution II forward Olger Escobar (Malden, Mass.).

Escobar is set to embark on his first full professional season with Revolution II, after signing a second team contract last July. After becoming a two-time U-19 MLS NEXT Cup champion, the 17-year-old forward was named the 2022-23 Revolution Academy Player of the Year, an annual award given to the most outstanding amateur player in the Revolution’s pro pathway. 

Escobar was also named the 2023 U-17 MLS NEXT MVP and made 16 appearances for Revolution II in 2023. He registered his first senior cap for the Guatemala Men’s National Team during an international friendly against Jamaica last November.

He earned his sixth international call-up with Guatemala for the 2024 Concacaf Men’s U-20 Championship, which began last Friday and will run until Saturday, across five venues in Central America and the Caribbean.

While training with the Revs in Florida, Escobar joined host Matt Langone to discuss his soccer journey to this point and his expectations and goals for 2024. 

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review.

Here are some highlights from our discussion with Escobar:

On his biggest strengths as a player:

Escobar: “I can be really good on the ball, and, obviously, I hope to be a good player for the club on both sides of the ball. I’m usually known as a goal-scorer, so I can bring some goals to the table.”

On competing in MLS NEXT:

Escobar: “It’s a good preparation stage for players like me, and other players that have evolved to the second team or to the first team, because you’re around the best players in the country and if you stand out, it’s the best league to be looked at.”

On advice for young players when training on their own:

Escobar: “Just do whatever you want with it. At the end of the day, it’s something you love doing, so I feel like you should just have fun. And if you just keep having more fun, the passion will come and the love for the game will just hit. Just going to the field and doing stuff with a soccer ball as much as you can is the best.”

On his first call-up to the Guatemalan National Team:

Escobar: “I heard that the (national) team coach was interested in me. So, I felt like I could see it coming, but I didn’t think it was gonna be as quick as it was. It was an amazing experience. The trainings were good — it was a pretty good level — and then I got to debut, like, four hours (in New Jersey) from my house, so my father was able to go and it was probably huge for him to just see me debut for a country that he was born in.”

“The Goal” podcast is brought to you by the New England Revolution.

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