Welcome back to 11 Questions presented by Piedmont Natural Gas — a weekly questionnaire series designed for you to get to know the people that make up Greenville Triumph Soccer Club. Each week, our own Marion Cole will ask someone from the organization the same ten questions, but the eleventh question will be from the previous interviewee. With players, coaches, and front office staff involved, we hope to bring you a fun look inside our club!
This week, I’m speaking with current Triumph and former North Texas SC defender and League One Champion, Cesar Murillo. The El Paso, Texas native was signed to his first professional contract in 2019 after playing four years at the College of Charleston.
1. If you had a podcast, what would it be about and why?
If I were given the chance to create a podcast, it would be about soccer. I have always found it interesting to listen to current or past teammates talk about their journey on making it to the professionals. I would have players just like me, and like many of the guys on the team, talk about their journey — when they first started to the day they signed their first professional contract. I’d want them to be real about the ups and downs in their own careers and how they overcame them. I’d want my podcast to provide some inspiration and motivation to my listeners with the underlying theme of never giving up, whether on or off the pitch.
2. How do you decompress after a long week of work or training?
Now that we are in season, finally, a long week of training is typically followed by a big game on Saturday. That being said, come Sunday, I like to decompress by having a little cookout with my family, girlfriend or my teammates. My cookouts typically consist of different marinated steaks, quesadillas, guacamole and some homemade salsa. All while listening to good music and, ideally, waiting for the Dallas Cowboys to play.
3. What’s the most memorable meal you’ve ever had and why?
This is such a hard question for me. Since I can only pick one, the most memorable would have to be in the great city of El Paso, Texas with my family for our Christmas dinner. It was 2018 and everyone from out of town flew back home to be with my family. So, everyone showed up to my grandma’s house with their own special dish, from appetizers to main course meals and even desserts. After we finished eating, we all sat crammed at my grandma’s table catching up and laughing about stories that happened in the past. It was by far my favorite meal.
4. What was the most nervous you’ve ever been?
The most nervous I have ever been is a tough one too. I’m not really one to let things get in my head and be nervous about them. Although there might be a couple of times I’ve been nervous throughout my life, there’s only one I can clearly remember. I had just finished training with North Texas and was waiting to go into a meeting with the coaching staff to see if I was going to get signed or not. This would be my first professional contract which is why I was so nervous. They called about five of us from the locker room, and leading up to me, only one of those five guys had been signed. So many things were going through my head. Thankfully, I walked in and received the news that North Texas was going to sign me. All my nerves just melted away, but I remember never having felt something like that before.
5. If you’re up at 2AM on a Saturday night, what are you eating?
If I’m up at 2AM on a Saturday night, I’m likely eating some type of street food. When I was in Charleston for college, they had these amazing gyro stands that my girlfriend and I would make late night runs to get. So if you’re ever in Charleston, you need to check out these gyro stands. They’re spread out all over Upper King Street in downtown Charleston.
6. What’s something you learned recently that blew your mind?
One super random fact that I found out about two weeks ago is that elephants are the only animals that can’t jump. It made me laugh for some reason.
7. Triumph SC announces they’re bringing a celebrity to the next match and wondering if you have enough time to say, “Hello.” Who’s the celebrity you’re most excited to have at a match?
The Greenville Triumph needs to get the King of Reggaeton, Bad Bunny, out to a game. I think it would be so cool to have him here and maybe do a halftime performance to get people dancing and spread those good vibes!
8. What’s the most memorable sports moment you’ve had as a fan?
Being a huge Cowboys fan, the most memorable sporting event was going to see the Dallas Cowboys play in their brand new AT&T Stadium. I have never seen such a big and elegant stadium like that before. Being accompanied by my family made it ten times better.
9. What sporting event have you always wanted to go to and why?
I have always wanted to go to the World Cup. I really want to be able to see both Mexico and the US play in a World Cup. I would really enjoy getting to see people from all over the world come together to cheer on their country. It’s the biggest sporting event in the world.
10. If you’re part of a PK lineup, what number are you taking your penalty kick?
PK’s…man, gotta love them. If they go your way! But you hate them when they don’t. I think if I had to choose, I would choose the first penalty. I would want to set the tone and try to motivate my teammates our keeper, give them that extra confidence after seeing I scored mine.
11. Triumph Equipment Manager, Josh Shaw, wanted me to ask you, “As the Triumph’s resident barber, how much do you charge for a haircut? Also, I’ve seen a lot of fades, what else do you have in the bag?”
Being the team barber comes with a lot of responsibility. Got to make sure my Greenville Triumph teammates and staff are looking good on and off the field. Since my competition is The Oxford Barber Company here in Greenville, I try to charge less than them meaning free. But for some reason, these guys choose to go to The Oxford. I don’t get it. Other than trying to get my Greenville family the best fades, I’m also trying to master the man bun. Hopefully Evan Lee can let me practice on him once he decides to grow that long hair again.
Next week, I’m speaking with Head Athletic Trainer, Nadia Najm. What would you like me to ask Nadia?
After dealing with such a hectic start to the 2020 season, our team agrees that you won preseason MVP. What would be your speech in front of the team, front office and coaching staff? Also, who is your favorite player to work with during your treatment hours?
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