Chile are aiming to make history in their own back yard. They will host the Copa America, which will kick off on 22 February in Iquique. Pablo Rodriguez is an icon in his country and embodies the dream of an entire nation: to qualify for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ for the first time, which will get underway on 1 May in the Seychelles.
In the lead-up to Chile’s opening match in qualifying, and in the hope of securing a spot at the most important event of the year in the sport, Rodriguez sat down with FIFA to discuss the South American side’s chances.
FIFA: What expectations do you have for the Copa America as hosts of the tournament?
Pablo Rodriguez: Expectations are quite high. Having our families here with us will give us an extra boost. They’re the ones who’ve been with us every step of the way on our journey, so the weight on our shoulders is very high and we hope we’ve got what it takes to achieve our goal.
What is the goal?
We believe that for the first time ever, Chile can make it to a Beach Soccer World Cup. We know that it’s going to be very tough. Teams are getting stronger every year and it’s going to be a big ask, but the expectations are high and we need to live up to them and hopefully finish within the top three teams in order to achieve our goal.
How popular is beach soccer in Chile?
Beach soccer in Chile has been on the rise for a number of years. It’s a sport that’s becoming more popular every year and everyone here in Iquique is obsessed with it, especially among children, who are playing it more often. If you make your way along the coast, you’ll see just how much the sport has grown. The support it has received has been unbelievable.
We played in a tournament in which we came up against Deporte Iquique, and it was clear for everyone to see just how popular and well supported the sport is and how it attracts people. Beach soccer is a very appealing sport because of the way it’s played, and the moves and skills that are on display. For many people it’s something new and is a sport that many are getting behind.
How have the team evolved from a footballing point of view?
We’ve come leaps and bounds. All the main facilities are here in Iquique, which gives us the opportunity to be able to train and play every day. We’re always training, we never stop and the conditions here are fantastic. It’s practically summer all year round, which means that we can train all the time and keep improving. Like anything in life, if you practice every day, you will always improve and beach soccer is no different.
What changes in the game have you seen during your career?
A lot has changed. The rules are constantly changing year after year as well. In the past, the goalkeeper could only have the ball for four seconds, but that rule has now been changed, which makes the sport itself more dynamic, entertaining and exciting. Nowadays the goalkeeper is basically another outfield player. They have to be very technical and good with the ball at their feet. That has really helped the game improve from a technical point of view.
How did you personally experience that change?
It’s just like any other job at the end of the day. It’s all about hard work, striving to improve every day and watching a lot of games and other countries play. Beach soccer is played a lot in Europe, so it’s very important to analyse their games to see where you can improve and to identify your weaknesses so you can work on them. As for being comfortable with the ball at my feet, I’ve always tried to improve that side of my game.
I’ve watched a lot of other teams and team-mates who are very comfortable with the ball at their feet and I realised that it gives you an advantage. Having an extra man on the pitch, like the goalkeeper, can be very beneficial for your side, so I made a conscious effort to identify my weaknesses and to improve the technical side of my game so that I’m more comfortable playing with my feet.
What can we expect to see from Chile at this Copa America?
We’ve got a good mix of players in our side. Many who are very experienced, as well as a lot of younger talent. This means that we can press really high up the pitch, play a very organised, structured formation and make use of the goalkeeper whenever possible. Orlando Echeverria is another excellent option for us in goal, as he injects a lot more pace into our game. So we have that mix, we have the ability to play in an organised way, as well as being able to play more direct. We’re going to give it our absolute all. As I said before, we’ll do our utmost to achieve our goal and we need to prove that we’re capable of living up to the expectations on the pitch.
How would you rate Chile in comparison with the other South American nations?
Brazil have always been talked about the most because of their technical ability, but I think the gap is slowly but surely closing as most teams have come leaps and bounds. A prime example of that is Venezuela, who we watched recently and were very impressed with. The same could be said for Argentina and Uruguay, and even Colombia who were one of the last nations to qualify for the [last] World Cup. Expectations are high, but the competition is going to be a very tough.
What would it mean to Chile to qualify for the World Cup?
I think it would be amazing for the country and it would have an incredible impact on the sport, which has been growing hugely in popularity over the last few years. It would be a huge boost for the sport and would really give it a solid foundation to start making more waves across the country. I think it would open a lot of doors. Perhaps other cities would start to show more of an interest in beach soccer and would start playing it.
