MARBELLA, Spain — Like most professional athletes, Paul Arriola hasn’t always treated birthdays like something to celebrate. More than anything, they simply serve as a reminder that there’s a constantly ticking clock on their career.
This year, however, was a little different.
Arriola’s 31st birthday happened to fall on the same day as the Seattle Sounders’ last preseason game in Europe. Although the Sounders lost 3-0 to Ukrainian Premier League team Metalist 1925, it marked a significant milestone for Arriola.
He came off the bench to play 30 minutes, the first time he had appeared in a competitive setting since tearing his ACL about 11 months ago. During the match, he had several good plays, including a cross that set up Paul Rothrock for a chance right in front of goal.
“Birthdays have never been a big thing for me,” Arriola told Sounder at Heart. “You just want them to kind of fly by. But this time was special.”
Cliché as it may sound, Arriola insisted he wasn’t just happy for himself but for the trainers and support staff who guided him through the process, who put in the extra work when he was the only player in the weight room or on the field doing extra laps.
That work is ongoing. After playing 30 minutes, Arriola did an additional 12 field-long runs. The goal was to post roughly the same time on No. 12 as he did on No. 1, which he did.
“It’s a lot of hard work,” Arriola said, dripping with sweat and still catching his breath. “It’s a lot of emotions for me, but also for the people who helped me get here. It hasn’t just been about me stepping on the field. It’s about inspiring and motivating those people who do their job. This is their reward as well.”
Unable to play for almost a year, Arriola spent the time away primarily in the gym. Arriola said he has gained about five pounds from his normal playing weight, which appears to be all muscle, most of which seems concentrated in his legs.
“I definitely feel stronger,” he said. “I definitely pushed myself in the gym and listen, the reality is, this is my second knee injury — one on my left, one on my right. When you have big injuries like that, you have to take care of your body. You have to take care of your muscles, you have to take care of everything, make sure they’re as strong as can be.
“Especially because of the kind of player I am — I run more, I put on a lot of miles — you have to have strong muscles. I’m glad that’s how it looks on the outside, because that’s how I feel on the inside.”
Playing 30 minutes in a preseason game and contributing meaningful minutes in an official match are obviously not the same thing. Arriola understands that he’s not only working toward full fitness, but also trying to regain match sharpness. There’s a crowded and talented group of players with whom he’s competing for minutes.
Arriola does not expect to step right in and regain the starting spot he surrendered when he got hurt last year, but he does believe he’ll be ready to play at least some role when the season begins on Feb. 22. Maybe that’s as a wing back, maybe it’s as a more advanced winger or someone who plays more in the half-spaces, like he did against Metalist 1925 last week. If that means he has to fight his way back by performing off the bench, that’s a challenge he’s happy to accept.
“I’m a player who has faced a lot of adversity and played in different positions,” Arriola said. “The coaching staff knows how familiar and how comfortable I am in different roles. I’ve always been about just getting myself on the field, finding a way to make an impact.
“But in any position, I believe that I can find my way onto the field and help the team.”
