Renan Macuglia, sensation soccer player of the season
Jesus Arce, Staff Writer
Soccer in the United States has been growing with the arrival of great international figures such as Lionel Messi and Josef MartÃnez to the MLS. North Greenville University is no exception in this case. With the arrival of international players, the soccer program has leaped in quality in recent years.
Renan Macuglia, a senior soccer player originally from Brazil, is one of those players who has arrived to make a difference on the field. Macuglia has played this sport since he was a kid on the streets of Brazil.
“I am Brazilian and soccer, where I come from, is like a religion. Since I was little, my father passed on his passion for soccer to me, and I will surely do the same with my son,” said Macuglia.
This has undoubtedly inspired Macuglia to become one of the best players in the team, even one of the team’s leaders. His time in the youth team of the first division team in Brazil, Sports Club (SC) Corinthians, served to develop him as a player, turning him into a determined player on the field.
“Last year I became the only player in the history of the program to score nine goals in a season. As a forward, it is very important for me to score goals. Today I see myself as a leader and my job is to be the mirror for the new ones” said Macuglia.
It should be noted that Macuglia’s success is part of the teamwork of the university’s soccer program, the chemistry between teammates is important. Throughout these four years, Macuglia has connected with some of his teammates therefore demonstrating that on the pitch.
“What I have enjoyed the most these last four years has been friendships. Being on the court with your friends is the best thing there is. My relationship with my teammates is excellent, and it is reflected in the statistics” said Macuglia.
This being Macuglia’s last year on the team, expectations and looking toward the future are very important topics in his sports career. For a university player, it is always important to contemplate the path to professionalism and achieve a solid career. For Macuglia, the idea of playing after college is an option, but not the only one.
“Soccer is still an option for me after university, but when I got here, I realized that there was something more than soccer. Now I think that there is another life besides sports, like the business world, that is related to my major.”
Renan Macuglia has quite outstanding statistics. With 41 games played, he has 14 goals and six assists for the Crusaders team. With a total of 1833 minutes played so far in his career, he has an incredible 0.526% shooting percentage and a nomination for second team in the conference last year.
This season, he has scored two goals in an official match with the university jersey, being the top scorer for the team of the Ville. He expects to repeat his performance from last season and take his team to win the conference this year.
