The defender from the Red lent himself to Mano a Mano Infernal with IR from the United States. He recounts his current affairs, he remembers his days in Avellaneda, he says that he teaches the songs of the fans to his son and talks regarding the present of the club: “From the outside it looks very chaotic.”
He prepares the mate, sits down, prepares the first one and his eyes shine when he starts talking regarding Independiente. “I trained in Independiente and I owe everything to it. For me Independiente will always be everything because he gave me a name. I am what I am thanks to Independiente”, says Samuel Cáceres from Arizona in a Hand of Infernal Hand safety pin.
This Paraguayan defender who came from the Devil’s youth academy is now at Valley United FC in the United States. But he does not play for a very particular situation that he himself explains to Red hell: “It is a new team formed two years ago. I was given the opportunity to come to this project. Although he had signed a two-year contract, this team is currently on hiatus. Is that it had four owners and they separated. The league continues to compete but we have stopped due to these managerial problems. We have to wait for the moment to resume.”
Of course, at 33 years old, he does not want to be unemployed for a long time and that is why he warns: “I want to compete, train and play. I’m waiting, but I told the club that if something comes up I’ll leave”. He already knows the United States because he played for New York City in 2015 and was champion. There he met his wife, with whom a year ago he had his first child. “Last year I was in Venezuela and I was away from them for seven months. That’s why I made the decision to come here,” he says.
And he makes a brief summary of what his career was like when he left the Avellaneda club: “Thanks to Independiente I was able to go to Nueva Chicago, then to the United States, I returned to Chicago, then I went to Malaysia, from there to Colombia and then to Paraguay. . I went to Paraguay for my parents, so that they can see me play at a professional level since in Independiente they might never do it. They did see me in the Reserve once and I was able to dedicate a goal to them. Then the possibility of going to Venezuela arose.”
Cáceres is very aware of everything that lived dressed in red. He had to go through the worst moment in the club’s history as a kid, something that marked him forever. “Not much is known, but soccer players, beyond enjoying this, have a lot of stress. There were times in my career when I have had very heavy responsibilities, such as wearing the Independiente shirt. That is not for everyone. I had to play at the club’s most delicate moment and most of the boys have stood up for themselves. I wanted to continue in the club, but it was not given to me for managerial reasons, ”he recalls.
And he adds: “After so much stress and pressure that we went through in Independiente, it was time to enjoy football. Although I was able to enjoy myself at times, I verified that it is not easy to wear the Independiente shirt. Several players were very good in their teams, but when it came to putting on this shirt, it weighed heavily on them”.
-Was it very complicated to be able to enjoy the day to day life of Rojo when you were there?
-Yes because we knew that there was an obligation to return quickly to First Division. You don’t feel comfortable in that situation. For us it was win, win and win to get out of that place quickly. It was immediate. There were management problems and that was not helpful to us. The club has been under bad management for years. When there is no good administration, things do not turn out well. In the long run, everything has a reason.
-In your time many boys went up to the First Division due to a club need and today something like this happens with the kids. Can a similarity be traced in this?
-No. There is not point of comparation. Today Independiente is not at its best and has many problems, but with the big difference that they don’t have the obligation that we had. We were all kids, taking out Tula, Claudio (Morel Rodríguez) and Rolfi, who really showed their faces at that time. Today it is not easy, but they do not have that pressure. Even the props and the ladies who washed the clothes can tell you. When things weren’t going well, the atmosphere was heavy. You have to live it to know what it really feels like. It was very delicate and it weighed us down a lot. But we were able to accomplish that goal. It had to be done in any way. Many times the body does not respond to you and one is never prepared for that. I am learning the DT course and psychologists tell us that the mind will never be prepared for many things. There is no course to improve that at the moment of truth. We without experience faced the responsibilities, surrounded by experienced players who gave us the security we needed.
-What is the most beautiful memory of Independiente?
-The goal I scored once morest Hurricane. It was Independiente’s first win at a time when the opportunity to play was presented to me and I took advantage of it. I felt happy for having contributed something to the club at that time. That wardrobe was impressive. I can keep the 2010 South American Cup, which I’ve been celebrating until dawn. But the best thing was that goal once morest Huracán. It was the beginning of something that was changing the course of Independiente because if we hadn’t won that match everything would have fallen apart. That was categorical. We all knew it before the match.
And the most painful memory?
-Independiente going downhill was the most painful thing. I was on loan, I came back, but I didn’t have as much filming. I came the last six months. We are all in the same bag because we are all part of it. It happens to me to this day: if Independiente wins, I win too and I say “Independiente won today, I’m happy”. And that happiness does not take away from you. When it goes wrong I also feel part of it.
-Can you watch all the team’s games?
-Yes, I see everything I can through an application that allows me to watch Argentine soccer. Every time he plays Independiente I get to see him drinking mate. Many times I have to accommodate schedules. I stop doing things to see Independiente. You have to be. Independiente gave me a name and for me it is everything. I’m getting ready for following football. If Independiente needs me tomorrow as a prop, water carrier or canchero, I’ll be there. Independent is part of my life. I still have the shirt with which I scored the goal (the sample). It accompanies me everywhere. I have several, but I prefer this one. It’s an amulet.
-On the networks you are always seen dressed in Red.
-Yes. I even gave my wife many of my Independiente divers.
-Is your son a Red fan?
-He’s a year old. You are not going to believe me but I have videos in which I am teaching him to sing the songs of Independiente. I play videos for him, I show him the screen and he starts to make the gesture with his hand, ha. I hope he can take it because I would like Matthew to know where I trained and how great Independent is. So he can see where his dad played.
-Does your wife bank you or look at you weird?
-She was not so much into soccer. But following we got married, I returned to Argentina alone and made him come here. The day she met the court she was fascinated. And she told me that she would have liked to see me play in Independiente. She did not dimension where I was before. She met me in the United States. One thing is to watch it on TV and another is to see it live. She was on the court, in the throat, and she really enjoyed herself.
-How do you see the campus from a distance?
-Seeing some statements, the boys are waiting for some players they need. They live day by day and know if it is necessary. That’s why they talk and say that they really need players, not in name, because when it comes down to it, players who perform are needed.
-And how do you experience everything that happens at the institutional level from the outside?
-It looks very different, very chaotic. It looks like a desperate situation. How many reinforcements did Independiente add this season?
-For now only to Marcone…
-Marcone. That is the right way. Many times it is better to wear players like Marcone who really feels the shirt. He is a fan. Two years ago I asked for Marcone, I have saved the tweet. He can do and understand what the fan wants. It is a plus, a motivation. I don’t know him personally, but I always wanted him to have this chance. Independiente must stay with these players and not bring in those who can make you more indebted. In the long run you don’t know how they can come out. There is the case of my compatriot, Cecilio Domínguez, who was worth a lot and left without giving the institution any money. The club loses capital and at the end of the day the members are not enough because they can pay the fee, but it is not enough because there are debts everywhere. Independent can not continue borrowing. You have to stop spending and stick with what you have. Until he gets back on his feet. How are you going to bring in a player that starts at $700k or a little more? I see the news, I saw that he lost lawsuits and has to pay and I say “how are you going to bring more players if the club has no money”. It looks very chaotic and very desperate when you wait for reinforcements knowing that there is no money.
-Are you going to be DT when you stop playing?
-I am doing three kinds of different technical courses. I am doing one in the United States, another with AFA and another with Conmebol. I am really preparing myself in case tomorrow I have the opportunity to direct. At some point he had spoken to create an academy here in the United States with the Independiente affiliate. That is one of my dreams, to have children who have the Independiente shield. I am prepared for everything. If tomorrow I have the opportunity to return to the club, I would return with a thousand pleasures. And if they call me now to go play, I’m also there without any problem. From my part I can always contribute something and transmit my experience.
-The pass market is still open, who can tell you…
-I go as a sparring partner, nothing happens, ha. I would like to return to the club. Being able to go to the field, share with the fans. Being a fan one day. Being there, singing and jumping.
