San Antonio FC midfielder Victor Araujo has spent the past four and a half months working to recover from an injury that ended his 2016 season prematurely on June 18. The Brazilian sustained a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee during the match against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, during which he scored his first goal for the club as he worked to reach top form.
With the mentality of a true professional, Araujo set his mind to begin his recovery process immediately after the injury. For him, bowing out for the rest of the campaign meant only that his preparation for the 2017 season had begun. With determination and the help of a great medical team, Araujo is in good spirits about his return to the professional game.
“My season was a little bit shorter than I expected due to my injury,” Araujo said. “I’m happy to be coming back to the club and I’m very excited for next season. When the doctors told me that I had the ACL problem, I knew that my season was over but I also thought that it was the beginning of the next one. I found out that my season was over around 11 a.m. on a Monday morning, and by Monday afternoon I had already scheduled my first physical therapy session.”
Araujo joined San Antonio FC after playing collegiate soccer at Trinity University. The transition into the pro level was smooth for him mainly for two reasons: firstly, Araujo had previously gained professional experience abroad in Belgium, and second, Coach Darren Powell’s personal managerial style was similar in certain ways to that of Coach Paul McGinlay’s, who coached Araujo through his collegiate career.
Araujo’s venture in Belgium began when he was just 18 years old. The Brazil native had a full-ride offer from the University of California at Santa Barbara, however he was unaware that collegiate soccer could be the route to professional play in the United States. In fact, like many foreigners, Araujo was also unaware that soccer had grown to become a popular sport in America. While deciding whether or not to accept his offer to UCSB, he received a professional contract offer from ASE Eupen, a Belgian club who at the time played in the country’s second division.
“I got this chance to play in Europe and I honestly didn’t know how big soccer was in the United States,” Araujo said. “I didn’t know that I could go play professionally after college, so I chose Europe because I thought that if I came here my professional career would be over.”
The midfielder spent two years playing for Eupen, where he secured a place on the first team despite his youth and even came close to getting the club promoted to the first division in one of his seasons there. During his time abroad, he learned to deal with physical play while facing older and more experienced opposition, which was a great learning experienced for him as he began his professional journey.
“Belgium had a great atmosphere,” Araujo said. “It was very physical and it was a tough league. I was one of the youngest at 19 and 20 years old, so it was cool playing with more experienced players. In Europe fans are very intense. There were hooligans and all of that, it was crazy.”
Araujo left Belgium to further his education in the United States, and eventually decided to attend Trinity University in San Antonio. Since he arrived in the Alamo City, Araujo has grown fond of the city, its population, since he began representing the city through San Antonio FC, he’s grown especially fond of the fans who support him and the club.
Prior to the club’s inaugural season, Araujo wondered if professional soccer would draw crowds of fans in San Antonio the way it did in Europe and his native Brazil. It wasn’t until the club’s first match on the road and then their inaugural home match at Toyota Field that he realized just how strong the passion for soccer was in the city.
“I feel like San Antonio is my second home,” Araujo said. “There are a lot of similarities between here and Brazil, like the weather and some of the food, and even the Spanish language, which is similar to Portuguese. But the passion for soccer is what really impressed me. As a foreigner, you think that sports in the United States are strictly basketball, baseball, and American football. When I came here I wondered ‘Is it going to be the same? Is soccer something people will know about?’ But now I see there are so many people who love soccer and this passion is another thing that I can relate to.
“A couple of days before the first match I was expecting a couple of thousand fans to show up, and then the game sold out and it was crazy. I’ve heard fans yelling my name and chanting and showing up every game, even fans coming to away games, which really surprised me. So I can’t wait to show them the same love they show us by scoring goals and getting wins.”
For now, Araujo continues to work to fully recover from his injury. His goal is to be able to join the squad for the preseason, and he is excited to know how the 2017 roster will look so he can begin meeting with his teammates. After a successful year one with San Antonio FC, he is confident that fans can expect good things from the club.
“My personal goal is to get my knee back to 100 percent and be back by preseason,” Araujo said. “I want to be on the team roster by the first game, earn a place in the starting 11, and be winning games and scoring goals. We want to have a competitive team and be at the top of the league. The fans can expect San Antonio to fight for a top position. We want to bring the trophy to San Antonio.”
San Antonio FC midfielder Victor Araujo has spent the past four and a half months working to recover from an injury that ended his 2016 season prematurely on June 18. The Brazilian sustained a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee during the match against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, during which he scored his first goal for the club as he worked to reach top form.
With the mentality of a true professional, Araujo set his mind to begin his recovery process immediately after the injury. For him, bowing out for the rest of the campaign meant only that his preparation for the 2017 season had begun. With determination and the help of a great medical team, Araujo is in good spirits about his return to the professional game.
“My season was a little bit shorter than I expected due to my injury,” Araujo said. “I’m happy to be coming back to the club and I’m very excited for next season. When the doctors told me that I had the ACL problem, I knew that my season was over but I also thought that it was the beginning of the next one. I found out that my season was over around 11 a.m. on a Monday morning, and by Monday afternoon I had already scheduled my first physical therapy session.”
Araujo joined San Antonio FC after playing collegiate soccer at Trinity University. The transition into the pro level was smooth for him mainly for two reasons: firstly, Araujo had previously gained professional experience abroad in Belgium, and second, Coach Darren Powell’s personal managerial style was similar in certain ways to that of Coach Paul McGinlay’s, who coached Araujo through his collegiate career.
Araujo’s venture in Belgium began when he was just 18 years old. The Brazil native had a full-ride offer from the University of California at Santa Barbara, however he was unaware that collegiate soccer could be the route to professional play in the United States. In fact, like many foreigners, Araujo was also unaware that soccer had grown to become a popular sport in America. While deciding whether or not to accept his offer to UCSB, he received a professional contract offer from ASE Eupen, a Belgian club who at the time played in the country’s second division.
“I got this chance to play in Europe and I honestly didn’t know how big soccer was in the United States,” Araujo said. “I didn’t know that I could go play professionally after college, so I chose Europe because I thought that if I came here my professional career would be over.”
The midfielder spent two years playing for Eupen, where he secured a place on the first team despite his youth and even came close to getting the club promoted to the first division in one of his seasons there. During his time abroad, he learned to deal with physical play while facing older and more experienced opposition, which was a great learning experienced for him as he began his professional journey.
“Belgium had a great atmosphere,” Araujo said. “It was very physical and it was a tough league. I was one of the youngest at 19 and 20 years old, so it was cool playing with more experienced players. In Europe fans are very intense. There were hooligans and all of that, it was crazy.”
Araujo left Belgium to further his education in the United States, and eventually decided to attend Trinity University in San Antonio. Since he arrived in the Alamo City, Araujo has grown fond of the city, its population, since he began representing the city through San Antonio FC, he’s grown especially fond of the fans who support him and the club.
Prior to the club’s inaugural season, Araujo wondered if professional soccer would draw crowds of fans in San Antonio the way it did in Europe and his native Brazil. It wasn’t until the club’s first match on the road and then their inaugural home match at Toyota Field that he realized just how strong the passion for soccer was in the city.
“I feel like San Antonio is my second home,” Araujo said. “There are a lot of similarities between here and Brazil, like the weather and some of the food, and even the Spanish language, which is similar to Portuguese. But the passion for soccer is what really impressed me. As a foreigner, you think that sports in the United States are strictly basketball, baseball, and American football. When I came here I wondered ‘Is it going to be the same? Is soccer something people will know about?’ But now I see there are so many people who love soccer and this passion is another thing that I can relate to.
“A couple of days before the first match I was expecting a couple of thousand fans to show up, and then the game sold out and it was crazy. I’ve heard fans yelling my name and chanting and showing up every game, even fans coming to away games, which really surprised me. So I can’t wait to show them the same love they show us by scoring goals and getting wins.”
For now, Araujo continues to work to fully recover from his injury. His goal is to be able to join the squad for the preseason, and he is excited to know how the 2017 roster will look so he can begin meeting with his teammates. After a successful year one with San Antonio FC, he is confident that fans can expect good things from the club.
“My personal goal is to get my knee back to 100 percent and be back by preseason,” Araujo said. “I want to be on the team roster by the first game, earn a place in the starting 11, and be winning games and scoring goals. We want to have a competitive team and be at the top of the league. The fans can expect San Antonio to fight for a top position. We want to bring the trophy to San Antonio.”