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This California boy welcomes opportunity to play in New England

Print | Comments () Posted by Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff February 18, 2011 08:51 AM

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Note to readers: Beginning today and continuing throughout the Major League Soccer season, New England Revolution defenseman AJ Soares will be a guest contributor to Corner Kicks. This is his first entry.

By AJ Soares, Boston.com contributor

Hello New England! I am AJ Soares, a new player, or employee as I tell people, at the New England Revolution. I am from California in general, San Diego to the Bay, and I will punish a California burrito, or a good plate of Buffalo wings. More importantly for my job as a soccer player, and more specifically as a center defender, I like to slide tackle, hit, and make big stops on attacking players. I think of myself as a free safety out there on the field.

How did I get here to the snowy banks of Boston? Well, Steve Nicol and the staff here at the New England Revolution picked me at No. 6 overall in the 2011 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Of course, the first question that people ask is, will I be able to handle moving from California to Massachusetts? And the answer is, of course I will. The cold? I like it. The distance from home? I embrace it. And the Dunkin’ Donuts coffee? I love it. And the truth is, my brother lived in Boston for five years, so I know this is a place that will be my home as soon as I get settled in. In fact, the people here in New England have been so great that the transition has been easy.

The hardest thing so far was day one with my new car, shoveling the snow and scraping the windshield so I could get to training on time. And, even though I’ve been told hundreds of times via Twitter that I will soon get sick of this, I actually didn’t mind it at all.

So, if you want to give me the inside scoop on my new home, or hear how much I’m liking the new spot, follow @AjSoares on Twitter, and check back in here for my next post. It’s time for me to dip out, ice bath, and get ready to get to work again tomorrow with the team. I’m looking forward to an awesome season in the great sporting region, New England.