Demetrio Mena Enjoys Aesthetics of Soccer

The evening before a soccer game, sophomore Demitrio Mena eats dinner with Phil Kydes in the Adams House dining room Mena, 5 ft. 5 in., and Kydes, 5 ft. 7 in., discuss only one thing: "Rivelino."

Rivelino is a 5 ft. 8 in. player on the Brazilian World Cup soccer team, and Mena and Kydes can recall every move Rivelino has ever made on a soccer field.

"Kydes and I talk about the great soccer games that teams have played," Mena said, "and about the great individual moves. But mostly we talk about Rivelino, because that guy knows how to mother the ball, how to fondle and caress it and just do anything with it."

Returning to his room, Mena usually spends the night before a soccer game reading about professional games. "If you read about these fabulous plays," Mena said, "it gets you all psyched up, and you go to bed dreaming, 'Yeah, that's what I'm going to do tomorrow.'"

Mena is a reserve forward on the left side of the Harvard attack. Playing behind Solomon Gomez and Pete Bogovich might depress most soccer players, but Mena has thought about his position and realizes his value to the team as a substitute.

"Sure I'd like to play more, but I've convinced myself that, even though I only play 15 minutes a game, if I play well during that time I'm contributing to the team. That's my job, and I'll feel important if I can do just that much to help the team to the NCAA," Mena said.

Mena's attitude toward soccer has helped him accept a back-up assignment. Accustomed to Columbian soccer, Mena concentrates on the small aspects of the game. He gets excited about trapping the ball well once, or making a pass that "drops dead at the other guy's foot."

Finer Points

This concern with the finer details of the game is where Rivelino comes in.

"He can beat a fullback with just a move of his foot, or a turn of his body," Mena said. "Kydes and I are always kidding each other when we try to imitate him."

Mena has to think about the finesse of the game because of his size, but also Mena feels that soccer is supposed to be a more precise game.

"I did not play much my freshman year for two reasons," Mena said. "First, I was not used to the body contact of American soccer. The referees are football referees. They even dress like football referees."

"But even more, I am used to a style of play where you hold the ball a little while. There's a beauty in just rolling the ball. I want to do something with it that's me, that will add my personality to the play. It may only be a little touch of the ball, or a pass of the foot.

"Maybe I'm possessive, but when I do something like Rivelino, just to dazzle the fullback before I make a move, it makes me feel real good."

Mena has noticed the effect American coaching has had on him. When he returned to his home city of Cali, Columbia this summer, he was accusedof being too physical in his play. "But when I came to practice this Fall, I had to especially concentrate on using my body to block out the opposition," Mena said. "Since I am the physical underdog, the first thing a fullback will try to do is ride me."

Mena actually enjoys practices more than the weekend games. "In our practices, everything goes easy, and you can enjoy the aesthetics of the game," Mena said. "Ivy games are too tense. I just want to get it over with as soon as possible."

But last night Mena read about Rivelino in the World Cup matches, and now he is ready to go out and dazzle a Penn fullback.