Like most of the world, I’ve been glued to the World Cup this summer. I’ve mentioned before that soccer — or, as Alejandro would patiently point out to me, fútbol — was one of the core sports I messed around with as a kid; that experience learning how to play gave me an appreciation for the game, and an desire to watch the best players in the world any time they are showcased. Admittedly, I don’t pay as much attention to the year-round leagues here in the States or abroad; I keep tabs as best as I can with the various sports new apps I frequent, enough that I can more or less recognize the Big Names when they make an appearance at the World Cup.
Multiple summers playing soccer and at least one high end camp didn’t turn me into the sort of high-demand athlete our community’s age group teams were looking for, though I did enjoy the experience. Swimming was more my thing, anyway, but honestly running up and down the field at full tilt could be pretty exhilarating; I tended to play defensive positions, and was at least passible enough to have spent a fair number of minutes out there. Years later I watched my other two brothers truly excel at the sport, which was an exhilaration of an entirely different kind. One of them was also a goalkeeper, which quite honestly made the experience incredibly nerve wracking. It helped to remind myself that the ball had to get through nine other players, but at the end of the day every goal scored against him hurt worse than pouring peroxide on an open wound.
Yes, seriously.
At least two of my characters have a backstory tied to soccer. Alex, of course, is the first one who comes to mind; Vas has noted multiple times that his partner follows the sport avidly, and might even have a jersey or two from his favorite players hanging in their closet. Tenoch Vasquez is perhaps the more notable one, though, as his backstory discloses how he was destined to be a professional soccer player right out of high school; his dreams get completed derailed when life (and a certain Mesoamerican god) intervenes. That is a touchstone threaded throughout Reflection in the Shadows and the sequel, Midnight at Dawn; his lingering regret at the road not taken colors his outlook on life in ways that haven’t been completely apparent to him. I’ve only begun to scratch away at that turmoil, though what I’ve found already has been intriguing.
I’ve not considered the sort of player Tenoch would have been, ironically. As tempting as it would be to make him a striker, he feels more like he’d have been an attacking midfielder – the sort of position that demands a crafty person who can play through adversity in order to get the ball into a better position for scoring. His personality supports that kind of idea, frankly, but I’ll percolate on the thought for a bit and see if it bears fruit in Midnight. He’s top of mind right now as I delve back into the manuscript, so anything is possible. Especially when there’s magic involved.
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