Marvin Loría won time on highlight reels over the weekend, scoring a spectacular goal in a decisive Portland Timbers’ victory at Providence Park.
If that sentence sounds familiar, it should. The same description could have been applied to Loría’s first MLS goal, against the Houston Dynamo back in June. Just as a moment of Loría magic stood out in that 4-0 win, the Costa Rican international added a second bar to his personal mix tape in Saturday’s 3-1 triumph.
On Tuesday, Timbers.com caught up with the 22-year-old attacker after Portland’s training session in Beaverton, Oregon, using his transition to the United States as the focus of our latest Quick 3:
Timbers.com: You’ve been living in the United States, now, for about 18-or-so months. What would you say is the most important thing that’s happened in your life off the field, given your new life in Portland?
Loría: Not really (anything particular), because my life here is very good. I really like the city; I really like Portland. That’s probably the most important part. (When I arrived), I felt calm.
That’s something I’m always talking about with my mother. Here, you have opportunity, and the opportunity to be confident. That’s really the most important part.
Timbers.com: Are there major differences in the lives you live in Costa Rica compared to when you’re in Portland?
Loría: The biggest difference, of course, is that (the United States) is a first-world country. Here, you might not have everything, but you have so many possibilities, so many things that lead to happiness.
But beyond that? Nothing much. My country is a great place, too. There’s not a lot that I would change about it.
Timbers.com: This club is going to have more players in your situation come, try to follow the path you did: living their first years in a new country; or spending their first prolonged time in the United States. What advice would you give players trying to be the next Marvin Loría?
Loría: My advice would be to trust in God, talk to your family and the other guys here about the best ways to establish a good life quickly, and to avoid any the little problems that keep your mind away from soccer. That’s the main advice I’d give: give yourself the opportunity to concentrate on your soccer.
