The players cannot wait to get at it again. The weekly pick-up games and voluntary practices can only do so much. The coach is not going to be present, but the members of the UTEP Men’s Soccer Club are itching to kick the ball simply because they love the game.

The love for the game and the friendships that result because of it are at the core of a club that has been very successful in its more than 25 years of existence. In the absence of a men’s NCAA program, a group of students at UTEP created an alternative opportunity to compete at the collegiate level.

Local recognition, regional achievements and even a national championship have resulted from this idea to play the game they love, but the most important achievement has been the long-lasting relationships developed by their members.

“The truth is it was the most fun I had playing soccer, not even at the professional level did I enjoy my teammates as much,” said Guillermo “Memo” McFarlane, a member of the club from 1987 to 1992.

After UTEP, McFarlane went on to play professionally at various levels in the United States, but still remembers his time at the club as one of the best of his life.

“We were all like a family,” McFarlane said.

From these bonds formed through the sport, the hard work and dedication needed to achieve great things came as well. No matter the level, a national championship is a prestigious accomplishment for any collegiate organization and the UTEP Men’s Soccer Club achieved this just a few years after its inception in 1989.

It was in 1989, when the team earned an invitation to the National Collegiate Club Soccer Association tournament after a successful season in the Rio Grande Intercollegiate Soccer League. The team ended the RGISL season with a 12-2 record and played against other university club teams in New Mexico, Arizona and even Chihuahua, Mexico. At the national championship tournament, which took place at Kansas University, the team went undefeated en route to taking the trophy. Kansas and Texas A&M were among some of the universities that UTEP defeated in the tournament.

Although the 1989 national championship is still the most prestigious victory the club has achieved, the team has enjoyed success regionally, making several other trips to the national tournament.

The club has also had its share of experience in international competition, playing against teams from the University of Sao Paulo from Brazil and the University of British Columbia from Canada when they participated in the World Collegiate Cup, co-hosted by Ciudad Juárez and Las Cruces. The experience of playing in international competition has also provided a multicultural exposure.

The organization has had players from many different countries including Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Germany, Honduras, Yemen and Mexico, among many others. Not only has the team had the opportunity to learn about other cultures through its players, but also through some of its coaches. For example, the team was coached for several years by former Brazilian national team player Francisco Marinho. Marinho was part of the squad that represented Brazil in the 1974 World Cup. Armando Solano, a UTEP alumni and club member who completed his master’s degree in international business at UTEP in 2002, remembers being coached by Marinho.

“The chance of a lifetime I had. To be coached by a superstar like Marinho was great for my development as a soccer player,” Solano said.

Currently, the UTEP Men’s Soccer Club competes in the Southwest region of the National Intramural/Recreational Sports Association Collegiate Soccer Clubs. In the region, the team faces teams from universities like New Mexico State University, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology for a berth in the national tournament.

In fall of 2013, the club won the regional tournament and qualified for the 20th annual NIRSA National Soccer Championships for the first time since 2005. Former president and club member and junior business administration major, Greg Contreras, is aware of the club’s history and the responsibility that it entails.

“We try to use previous achievements to help motivate the team,” Contreras said. “Our goal is to continue the great tradition the club has had, and mostly enjoy the experiences this amazing club has given us and those before us.”

Soccer, like most sports in general, is ever changing and evolving with time, but at its core, the principles remain the same, just like they do with the UTEP Men’s Soccer Club. Winning as a result of hard work and dedication, while creating long-lasting friendships through the simple shared love for the sport they practice, are the priorities its members embrace when they come onto the field to kick a ball.

Luis Gonzalez may be reached at [email protected].