At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, Andy Iro is the biggest field player at the adidas MLS Player Combine, which concluded Tuesday at Lockhart Stadium. But he wants you to know that he is more than just a powerfully built defender.
"When people see me, they probably think all I have is size," said Iro, who played his college ball at California-Santa Barbara. "But I like to think I am a good all-around player. Without sounding big-headed, I have agility and see the field well.
"Obviously, at my size, I am able to overpower people, and there is a certain intimidation factor in regards to opponents. As for my own team, I think there is a leadership factor. A big guy usually demands some sort of respect, and I use that in a positive way for the team."
A native of Liverpool, England, Iro played rugby and ran track (400 and 800 meters) up until the age of 16. Iro said both sports helped him develop the athletic ability he uses in soccer.
"Rugby is such a physically demanding game," said the 23-year-old Iro. "Just the way you have to move your body to avoid tackles is good training for soccer. And track really helped my agility."
Still, before coming to the U.S., Iro thought his athletic career would soon be over. He then heard about the scholarship opportunities in the U.S. and started to e-mail college coaches, which eventually landed him with the Gauchos.
"I don't know if you know about Liverpool," said Iro, who has Nigerian ancestry and counts eight brothers and one sister. "Life is not that easy there. You hear very little about scholarships. Opportunities after soccer are minimal. "
Iro was pleased at what he found in California, from the warmth of the people to the warmth of the weather. And the feeling was mutual as far as UCSB fans were concerned. Ditto for Gauchos coach Tim Vom Steeg, the person who answered Iro's e-mail.
Von Steeg's faith was rewarded when Iro was named the Big West Freshman of the Year in 2004. In Iro's last three seasons, he was the conference's defensive player of the year. And he is the only player in Gauchos history to be named all-American all four years.
The Gauchos benefitted from the presence of their sturdy center back, qualifying for the NCAA tournament all four years.
In 2004, they advanced to the NCAA championship game, only to lose on penalty kicks to Indiana.
"That was a massive, massive disappointment," Iro said. "We dominated the game, but we missed three PKs, man."
Iro did not take a penalty kick, which is still a sore subject.
"I was a little bit angry," said Iro, an outgoing, expressive sort. "I wanted to step up and take a PK. But I was just a freshman, and they talked about winning or losing with the seniors. Well, we lost."
Ironically, UCSB had beaten Indiana in the regular season on Iro's header in double overtime.
But the loss in the title game overshadowed that highlight, and it took the Gauchos two years to get back to the NCAA College Cup final. In 2006, they finally broke through and beat UCLA 2-1 for their first-ever championshp.
Iro was the only player to start both of the Gauchos' title games, and he was named the College Cup's Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2006.
For his college career, Iro scored 10 goals, including two in an elite eight playoff win against Virginia Commonwealth in 2004. The Gauchos, meanwhile, won 75 percent of the games after Iro arrived on campus, and started 86 out of a possible 92 games during that span.
Iro is grateful to the Vom Steeg and the Gauchos.
"I was allowed to go forward and attack," Iro said. "But if I step up to the MLS, I know I have to be a defender first and foremost."
In Tuesday's final game, Iro got a chance to show some of that athleticism. In the first two games in the Combine for the adidas Trofeo team, Iro played as a central defender. But on Tuesday, he played left back, which allowed to him to get up and down the flank. He played a number of nice balls out of the back in Trofeo's 1-0 loss to conclude the weekend.
Besides MLS, Iro has drawn interest from teams in Europe, particularly England. Where will he play?
"It all depends on who is interested," Iro said. "People think I would automatically go to Europe because the money is better. But money is not the most important aspect to me. Eventually, I will make more money.
"It's important to me to be happy. MLS is a very good league. The U.S. is a great place to live. MLS is my No. 1 option right now."
Walter Villa is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
