By RYAN TOLMICH
Raul isn’t seeing the light at the end of the tunnel quite yet when it comes to his playing career, but the Spanish legend does see a bright future on the horizon for the United States as a soccer nation.
The New York Cosmos star was brought in to the club with two goals in mind: improve the team on the field while helping lead the way in the development of local players. The second goal remains an ongoing process, but the Spanish forward says there is no end in sight with regards to the first one as the Cosmos continue to push through the NASL Fall Season after claiming the Spring title.
“Well, at the moment it’s a little early to make that decision, not until I finish the season and evaluate everything,” Raul said. “Now what’s left is the most important part: even though we were the spring champions, we still have four months of competition with matches where we will be playing every three days for many weeks.
“I’ll see then if my body can handle that and make an evaluation. For now I am happy, although playing on artificial turf isn’t the greatest to be in your best condition. But I feel fine and still with the desire to improve.”
As the Cosmos’ leading scorer, Raul has certainly had his impact on the field. With four goals and an assist in 13 appearances, the Spanish forward has added creativity, leadership and consistency to a Cosmos side that ran rampant through the NASL’s Spring campaign.
While the 38-year-old Real Madrid legend looks to continue to make an impact with his actual play, the improvements Raul is most looking forward to come on the youth level.
Admitting that he lights up just a bit extra when it comes to helping the nation’s youth, Raul is excited by the Cosmos’ most recent venture, a move that has brought 19 youth teams into the fold with the club.
With that being said, Raul says that, for now, his focus remains on helping the team on the field week in, week out. Still, the Spanish star says that he is certainly excited for the future when it comes to spearheading efforts in player development.
“We are taking the first steps and the end goal is for the Cosmos to have their own academy,” Raul said, “but now we have to wait and keep moving forward to continue to help the kids to be better soccer players, to help them understand the sport and to help develop them to their greatest potential so they can achieve their dreams of becoming professional soccer players.
“The idea is great,” he added. “Being able to help and create something is important, but time will tell. For now, being more involved with the academy and starting with the basics is essential. You get kids, so they start learning the techniques to develop and understand the sport.”
For Raul, growing the game in the U.S. is one of the most exciting parts of the challenge that he embarked on by joining the Cosmos late last season. With growth not limited to just his participation in NASL, Raul pointed to MLS’s recent star acquisitions as a major step forward for the U.S.’s continued evolution in the sport.
With the domestic leagues improving, along with the success of the U.S. Women’s National Team, Raul believes that major steps are being taken, and the Spanish forward is just looking forward to playing his part when the time is right.
“It’s very special,” Raul said. “This is such a big country and, you may know, can sometimes be complicated, the systems and leagues here, but I think that there’s still a lot of work. We will keep moving forward to push this so there will be more potential and see American kids play in major leagues in and out of U.S.
“I see a great potential in the women’s game. We’ve seen they are the world champions. Male soccer is a more difficult road because there are other sports that are important for the American culture. But I do see it growing when I see the stadium seats more filled in both leagues. In ours, every time there’s more people and people that are motivated to play and I think that will motivate all fans and kids that aspire to be like the players they look up to. “