A pair of former Marshalltown Community College Men's Soccer players recently met in a National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) match. Raphael Nascimento and Ignacio Echeveste came across one another in Sunday's contest between Miami United FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2.
Nascimento was a member of the Tigers from 2010-11 and now plays for the Rowdies, the NPSL's newest team. Echeveste played for MCC from 2008-09 and is currently on Miami United FC's team for the 2016 season. Both teams compete in the Sunshine Conference in the South Region.
The game was the first of the season for both teams in the 2016 season. The NPSL was founded in 2003 and currently consists of 85 teams across 13 conferences in four different regions of the country while operating in the United States Soccer Pyramid.
MCC head coach Rafael Martinez, who was an assistant coach for the Tigers while Echeveste was on the team and took over as head coach in Nascimento's freshman year, commended the former players for their hard work to reach the professional soccer level.
"I am so very happy that both Ignacio and Rapha continue to demonstrate their skills and dedication to the sport of soccer at such a high level," Martinez stated. "Since the day they arrived on campus, they earned everybody's respect because of their hard work, positive personalities, and commitment to their game. I wish them the best in their careers. They make the MCC Tiger Family proud."
Nascimento reflected on his time at MCC and how his time as a Tiger led to his current success. "I'm really thankful for everyone at MCC- the teachers and all of the coaches, not only coach Martinez, but from every sport. They were always there to help us and to give us valuable life experiences."
"Coach Martinez," Nascimento continued, "is one of the best people I have met. He believed in us and it was a great time being part of the team. I was able to improve myself a lot and learned a whole new method of play. I believe that MCC was a great base for my formation as a student-athlete and now as a professional athlete. MCC prepares you to be a better person in life, and they give you the assistance on reaching for bigger goals like becoming a professional athlete."
Nascimento, a native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil moved on to Grand View University after MCC and earned First-Team All-Midwest Collegiate Conference honors as a senior. Echeveste moved on to Waldorf University following his career at MCC.
