FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It wasn’t the start to the season that Andrew Farrell had hoped for.
There were heavy expectations on his New England Revolution, the defending Eastern Conference champions, but they fell flat on their faces out of the gate, losing by a combined 5-0 against the Seattle Sounders and New York City FC, and Farrell felt it more than anybody.
Farrell had moved from the right back position he inhabited for the first two years of his professional career to the starting center-back slot vacated by
A.J. Soares
after an offseason move overseas.
Center back is where Farrell played for much of his time in college at Louisville, but never with the likes of Obafemi Martins and David Villa charging in his direction.
“Basically the same team came back, except for A.J.,” said Farrell. “Now, I’m filling in for A.J., so if the defense doesn’t do well, it’s not Jose [Goncalves]…he’s the former MLS Defender of the Year. Chris [Tierney] is solid every game, London [Woodberry], Kevin [Alston], those guys always do really well. It’s me at center back. The pressure is on, the eyes are on me if we don’t do well. I kind of take it upon myself.”
“I think after those results, I felt even worse," Farrell continued. "Not necessarily all the goals were my fault, but I think that just not doing well as a defense was on me a little bit more. After those two games, I was feeling down. Slowly but surely, we went on a nice run.”
“Nice run” is putting it mildly. The Revs proceeded to run off a nine-game unbeaten run (5-0-4) that saw the No. 1 overall selection of the 2013 SuperDraft transform into one of the best center backs in the league.
Despite those first two matches and a recent winless streak, New England have still recovered well enough to rank in the middle of the pack (10th) in defense, with half the season yet to play. The club that traded up to select Farrell back in 2013 stood behind their man, knowing full well his determination and demeanor would only make him stronger at the position.
“I think when you really look at his ability, he shows up every game, puts in a performance every game, and you can measure it – I think that’s the most important thing,” Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. “He’s as consistent as any center back in the league. His progression this year has been excellent, and you can see him getting better every game. From a coaching standpoint, there’s no one else I’d rather have in there."
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“I think he knew that he was going to play that position this season, so he had to put his mindset at playing center back and not right back,” added Goncalves, Farrell's center-back partner. “From that moment, he worked on his position and tried to improve every day in training and also in the game. If you have the good mindset, you can continue to improve. That’s what he did.”
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These days, Farrell is a long way from Peru, the country where he fell in love with the game as a wide-eyed 5-year-old.
The son of Presbyterian missionaries, he spent 10 years of life of his life enveloped in the passion that defines soccer in South America. At age 15, he returned to the US, playing three years at Atherton High School in Louisville before matriculating to the University of Louisville.
His ability to play multiple positions and his potential to contribute right away made him one of the top targets of the 2013 adidas MLS Player Combine, and the Revolution coveted him most of all.
“When you get picked high, you want to do well; you want to show that you are value for where you got picked,” said Farrell. “There was pressure there, because obviously when you get drafted to a new team, you want to play well, you want to represent. Every time I step on the field, I’m going to give it my all. That’s what got me to where I was in the draft, and that’s what got me to the next level.”
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Like any passionate player, Farrell dreams about playing for his national team on the biggest of stages, and while his 10 years in Peru could have given him options for his international allegiance, he admits they would not change his goal.
"I'm not 100-percent sure if I could play for Peru,” said Farrell of his international options. “I lived there for a certain amount of time that I could be eligible, but I haven't really looked into it. I've always wanted to play for the US. … If it doesn't happen, I feel it won't define me. I've had a pretty good career so far. If it happens, it happens. If I get one call-up, if I end up playing in a lot of games for the US … to me, I love playing this sport, no matter what level it is. As long as I'm playing, I'll be happy."
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On and off the field, Farrell is the truest definition of a gamer.
When he exits Gillette Stadium and heads back to a house owned by teammate Scott Caldwell (who Farrell affectionately calls, “Dad”), Farrell enjoys time with his dog Rufus, an episode or two of The Office and a whole lot of Xbox ONE, his great escape from his playing career.
“It keeps me out of trouble,” said Farrell, an avid fan of playing Destiny and FIFA with teammates. “I can go party 10 years from now. This time I want to be in my prime, I want to be in my best shape, I want to be focused and I don't want to get in trouble. I just want to focus on soccer right now, and that kind of keeps me sane, takes me away from it. Then when I come back to the locker room, it’s all about the Revs, all about soccer.”
Since those two opening losses of the season, Farrell has helped lead a defense that has allowed just 15 goals in their last 14 matches, posting five shutouts in the process.
His fun-loving, jovial nature off the field is just as infectious as his fierce demeanor on it, and all of it trickles down throughout the club, where he and his team have grown together into a force to be feared in the Eastern Conference.
“I don’t really like to compare guys that much, but in terms of where he’s going, I certainly think he’s someone that has to be considered as one of the top center backs in the league,” said Heaps. “He’s great in the locker room, the guys love him, love playing with him, love playing for him. His enthusiasm is second to none. He’s one of those guys that when you’re writing the lineup sheet down, you enjoy writing his name there, because you know he’s going to bring it every game.”
