José Valencia, Michelle Escobar, Tristan Nieto & Sofia May-Cuxim

We’ve just begun dipping our toes into the waters of Caridad Svich’s new play, GUAPA, exploring the dreams of a young woman who longs to be recognized among the great soccer players of the world.  Trouble is, she’s a south Texas barrio girl, with little chance of finding the glory that so many young people of Latin America long for: the way out of poverty through futbol.


Portland Timbers forward José Valencia knows about this longing well.  A young man from Colombia who’s been playing soccer since he was five years old, he was approached to play professionally for the Colombian first-division club Independiente Santa Fé at the age of 16.  It meant rearranging his school schedule, but he and his family knew he couldn’t pass up the opportunity of a lifetime.  It led him to play for Colombia’s national team in the 2011 FIFA World Cup!  In 2012, he was acquired by the Portland Timbers and, having fully recovered from knee surgery that kept out of much of last season, José Valencia, aka “El Trencito”, will be starting their games when the season launches on March 3rd!

We could not believe our good fortune when we learned that José was able to take time out of his intense pre-season training schedule to visit our rehearsals this week.  Working with our actors Michelle Escobar (Guapa), Tristan Nieto (Hakim) and Sofia May-Cuxim (Roly), José shared basic skills and trick moves that kept our actors running, jumping and kicking all over the rehearsal hall!  He also shared his experiences as a young and professional futbolista.  He’s nicknamed “El Trencito” (the Little Train) after his father, popular Colombian international Adolfo Valencia, who is known as “El Tren” (the Train). However, he was raised by his mother and stepfather, who were more focused on Jose’s commitment to his education.  The decision for José to go professional did not come easy, but it has lead to good things for the family.  With their blessing, José’s younger sister has moved to the United States to attend Westview High School, learning English at a rapid pace, he told us with pride.

We return to our practice, fueled by the athleticism that is the heart of Svich’s story, and the desire all we share to fulfill our dreams, and land our GOOOOOOOOOALS!

Late-breaking news! The women’s team, the Portland Thorns will be providing a soccer clinic for all ages during the run of GUAPA!  Stay tuned for more information!