SOME MEGA-DREAMS Megaloudis hopes to make his mark for Puerto Rico in World Cup qualifying
Chris Megaloudis has won a spot on the Puerto Rican National Team. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook SID
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
Earlier this month, Chris Megaloudis made a difficult decision. He decided to play for the Puerto Rican National Team.
Gone with it is an opportunity to play for the U.S. National Team.
"It's what I have in front of me right now," he said Monday night. "I looked at my options. Who knows what happens if I make the team and what doors might open?"
He is also is realizing another dream -- a chance to play in the World Cup. OK, it's a long shot. Puerto Rico hasn't gotten close to qualifying, but every so often a Caribbean island team from CONCACAF manages to go against the grain -- most recently Jamaica (1998) and Trinidad & Tobago (2006) - and make some history.
"It was something I've always dreamed about as a kid," Megaloudis said. "My dream is to play in the World Cup. This is my opportunity to do it. I'll take it any way I can."
Megaloudis, 23, was born into soccer. Uncle Nick Megaloudis played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. Another uncle, Gus, played for the Puerto Rico National Team in the 1990's. And his father Michael Megaloudis played some 20 years in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League.
Michael Megaloudis played his youth soccer at Eleftheria-Pancyprians of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League. He also was a member of Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association's ODP and Region I teams and was a member of the U.S. Under-16 and U-17 National Teams. He attended Saint Peter's College and most recently Stony Brook University and has played for such club teams as the Brooklyn Knights, Long Island Rough Riders and Westchester Flames.
He is Puerto Rican by descent; his mother Carmen is Puerto Rican. So, that made his eligibility situation a non-problem.
Megaloudis had an opportunity to play for Puerto Rico, thanks to Stony Brook assistant coach Dariel Collazo, who was a former vice president with the Puerto Rico Football Federation with the federation. He flew down Jan. 5 and training with the team at the Puerto Rican Olympic training center in Salinas, which is about and hour and half outside of San Juan. The players just trained for the first week.
"The coach was impressed from the beginning," Megaloudis said of Puerto Rico coach Colin Clarke, the former coach of F.C. Dallas in MLS. "He wanted me to make the team as a starter."
Megaloudis didn't disappoint, assisting on a goal in a 2-0 win over Bermuda Jan. 16 and striking for first goal in a 2-2 tie with visiting Trinidad & Tobago Saturday night. His goal originated off a 40-yard free kick.
"We have a defender who is 6-4, 6-5," Megaloudis said. "Not many people can stop him in the air. He headed it (the free kick) down in my path. I was fortunate to be there."
But Puerto Rico wasn't fortunate as the game wore on.
"We started off the game really pressing them," he said. "We gave the game to them on a mental error. A player went to clear the ball and it hit his hand."
The foul was in the penalty area and T&T converted the ensuing penalty.
"As you know, a 2-0 lead is a dangerous lead," Megaloudis said. "A team scores and they're right back in the game and have momentum.
"The momentum changed."
The team Trinidad fielded was a far cry from the one that reached Germany 2006 as those players are refusing to play because of a major bonus controversy. Still, Megaloudis felt the Soca Warriors were dangerous.
"From what I noticed, the team was really athletic," he said. "I saw a group of young players. They're a strong side, no matter if they brought their A or B team. They looked good to me."
Since the beginning of January, Megaloudis has been to Puerto Rico and back twice, with stops in Bermuda and Carson, Calif. in between.
He originally flew down to tryout for the team, secured a spot, had to return to the U.S. to play for the Eastern New York team in the George F. Donnelly Cup out west. He eventually returned to New York, flew down to Puerto Rico for this past weekend's game and returned here for Red Bulls tryouts that began Monday.
Puerto Rico will host the Dominican Republic in a winner-take-all one game March 26.
"I think we're going to win," Megaloudis said. "I don't see any reason why we don't win that game."
If the Puerto Ricans get by the Dominican Republic, they get Honduras in the second round in a home-and-away series in June. If he plays, healthy and close to the top of his game, former Red Bulls playmaking midfielder Amado Guevara could be difficult to stop. Forward David Suazo plays with Inter Milan in Italy.
"That's going to be some tough games," Megaloudis said. "They always give teams a lot of competition."
As it turns out, the Megaloudis is one of several players with ties to New York who are on the team. The roster includes Kevin Muller (Bay Shore, L.I.) and Gadiel Figueroa (Caguas, Puerto Rico) currently of Stony Brook University, Hofstra University sophomore defender Richard Martinez at the college level. Professionally, there's former MetroStars midfielder Peter Villegas, former Red Bulls defender Taylor Graham (2006), ex-Metros emergency back-up goalkeeper Michael Behonick and former Metros draft choice and defender Marco Velez (2003), who is team captain.
Megaloudis realizes Rome wasn't built in a day and the Puerto Rican National Team won't be as well.
"Puerto Rico now is just developing their team," he said. "We know we're here to develop a team and make the World Cup one day. It takes time and a lot of hard work. That's what our goal is."
