Interview w/ Joe Corona by Dick Enberg and Mark Grant during top of 3rd inning at SF Giants/SD Padres baseball game on Fox Sport San Diego, April 27th, 2013:
Dick Enbert: Announcement made today by the Padres that Club America and Club Tijuana Xolos are gonna play here at Petco on July 6th. That’ll be a terrific, uh, soccer match and of course our friends down in Tijuana Xolos, many fans from, uh, this side of the border go down to root for the Tijuana… Champions the Champion team and with us is Joe Corona, their mid-fielder, who is a San Diegan- went to High School here at Sweetwater- and, uh, you’re a dual citizen- and you’ve got to be excited about playing here at Petco.
Joe Corona: Yeah, I mean it’s something we’re proud of, I mean, I personally feel special to be a part of San Diego and, I mean, it’ll be a very exciting game. Uh, we… we’re looking forward for the game and we’re happy with the partnership we have with the Padres.
Mark Grant: I know Joe you usually play in a big arena, you know, seats more people, but playing here at Petco Park’s gotta be pretty cool, too, in your home town.
Joe Corona: Yeah, yeah, like I said I’m in my home town. Family and friends are coming, so it’ll be very special for me.
Dick Enberg: You’re playing the team from Mexico City and they’re really good, huh?
Joe Corona: Yeah, it’s, uh, one of the biggest clubs in Mexico, I mean very exciting, exciting to play them, and I know there’s a lot of fans for them, too, here, so….
Mark Grant: Who was your guy growing up? Who was your team? Who did you root for?
Joe Corona: Uh, when I was a younger kid, uh, I used to root for Chivas.
Mark Grant: Okay.
(baseball play-by-play)
Mark Grant: So what, you started playing soccer at what age?
Joe Corona: I was, uh, 6 years old when I started, yeah, so pretty young.
Mark Grant: Who was the most influential coach for you growing up?
Joe Corona: Um, I mean, I would say, uh, growing up I … well, I was in a lot of different clubs. I would say, uh, Juan Ramos, he used to be one of the coaches I worked with the most at Aztec’s club.
Dick Enberg: But Joe, you a goal scorer?
Joe Corona: Yeah, I mean, I was always an attacking mid-fielder, so I would score some goals.
Dick Enberg: Do you have to go back on defense now and then or do you just lag up on the other side waiting for the…?
Joe Corona: Nah, I try to be defense when I can, but, offensively is my strong side.
Dick Enberg: You’re not a big man. How tall are you?
Joe Corona: I’m 5’10”
Dick Enberg: 5’10”?
Joe Corona: Yeah.
Dick Enberg: How much you weigh about 100 pounds here…
(baseball play-by-play)
Mark Grant: How many hours a day, Joe, are you kicking the ball around and conditioning, because it’s not just one of these sports to where you just wake up and, you know, expect to be good- you put a lot of hard work into this.
Joe Corona: Yeah, I mean, we train every day. We usually have, uh, the day after a game we have it off so we can get a little rest, be with our family, I mean, we practice around 2 to 3 hours every day so it gets pretty intense.
Mark Grant: Let me ask you this- serious question: Gordon [sic] Beckham, totally over-rated.
Joe Corona: (Awkward laughter) Maybe- I don’t know.
Mark Grant: No, just kidding.
Joe Corona: He’s a great player.
Mark Grant: But it is amazing to me to when I watch it on t.v. is the footwork and the, how you guys pass and to see, you know, because when you watch kids, what do they call it, the swarm of bees? Right, they just circle the ball?
Joe Corona: (Laughs) Everybody’s behind the ball?
Mark Grant: But you guys have a plan, and passing, it’s just remarkable to see the footwork that you guys have.
Joe Corona: Yeah, I would say it’s, uh, it’s more disciplined at the pro level, I mean you gotta know your position and try to…
(baseball play-by-play)
Mark Grant: Did you ever play baseball here in, uh, San Diego as you grew up?
Joe Corona: No, I was born in Los Angeles and I played only like a couple games because some of my cousins played so that was about it.
Dick Enberg: So you took to, uh, soccer... or football- do they call it soccer in Mexico or football?
Joe Corona: Futbal.
Dick Enberg: Football, yeah. World’s most popular sport.
Joe Corona: Yeah.
Dick Enberg: And, uh, when it comes to, uh, World Cup action, do you have any ambitions about making, uh, Team Mexico?
Joe Corona: Yeah, of course, I mean, I’m a US citizen so I’m part of the US Men’s National Team and, um, it’s something I’m looking forward to.
Dick Enberg: How old are you… how old are you, Joe?
Joe Corona: I’m 22 right now.
Mark Grant: Oh wow!
Dick Enberg: You’re just a baby, huh?
Joe Corona: Yeah.
Mark Grant: What’s, I mean, the life-span of a soccer player, because, you know, if you talk about an NFL player you talk about… you know, in baseball you play 20 years in the Big Leagues you’re doing something. How about for a soccer player?
Joe Corona: Yeah, for a soccer player, I mean, you play 15… 15 years or something.
Mark Grant: So like you’re 30… maybe 35?
Joe Corona: 34-35, it’s… it’s, uh, it’s not that long.
(baseball play-by-play)
Mark Grant: I’m also amazed at how much you run during a game. Has it ever been calculated how much you actually run?
Dick Enberg: That’s a good question, yeah.
Mark Grant: How many miles during a game?
Dick Enberg: 90 minutes.
Joe Corona: Not exactly, I’ve never measured myself, but I mean…
Mark Grant: You’re just conditioned to it, huh?
Joe Corona: Yeah, I mean, you play every weekend, you train every day, so, I mean, you get used to all the running.
(baseball play-by-play, during which Mark declares, This ball off the bat of Posey was almost like a corner-kick.)
Dick Enberg: If you were to, uh, judge the great superstars in your sport at this time, I would guess the man down in Argentina’s the man, huh?
Joe Corona: Yeah, I mean, uh, Messi…
Dick Enberg: Messi, yeah.
Joe Corona: …is doing good things in Europe with, uh, Barcelona, and…
Dick Enberg: He’s not much bigger than you!
Joe Corona: He’s not, he’s actually shorter than me.
Mark Grant: He’s shorter than you?
Joe Corona: Yeah. He’s a great player, though, I mean, there’s some great players out there.
Mark Grant: How much smack-talk is going on down in that field?
Joe Corona: Oh, a lot.
Mark Grant: To the opposition.
Joe Corona: There’s a lot. I mean, when it’s intense games, I mean, it gets pretty rough.
(baseball play-by-play)
Dick Enberg: 22 years of age, seems to be the right age today, Joe.
Joe Corona: Yeah, it’s great to be out here.
Dick Enberg: So I think tickets are already available for that match, uh, I think when you played over at Qualcomm it was 30,000 or so came out. I know you’re going to have a big crowd. There’s so many football, soccer fans here in this area, a lot of folks will come up from Tijuana.
Joe Corona: Yeah, I believe so, I mean, we’re trying to promote the game as much as we can, and I think, uh, the fan base here in San Diego has grown a lot for Xoloitzcuintle- there’ll be a good amount of people.
Mark Grant: How old were you when you made your professional debut?
Joe Corona: Uh, I was 19.
Mark Grant: Really?
Joe Corona: 19 when I started playing professionally.
Mark Grant: Wow.
Dick Enberg: And you, uh, did you play at San Diego State the year you were there?
Joe Corona: Yeah, I was, uh, there for a year. I played in 2008-2009. That was a year I was part of them, it was good experience as well, so…
Dick Enberg: You were an Aztec and Xolos is, uh, the Aztec dog, right?
Joe Corona: Yeah, right. (laughs)
Mark Grant: Is that was that was on the field before the game? The guy with that big, uh, mascot?
Joe Corona: Yeah, that’s what it was, yeah. It was a dog. Xoloitzcuintle.
Mark Grant: Azteca perro?
Joe Corona: Yeah. Perro Azteca.
Mark Grant: Yeah.
(baseball play-by-play)
Dick Enberg: Well, we hope fans will come out and enjoy soccer at its best. Xolos and, uh, Club America. July 6th, a 7:30 game, it’s just around the corner and Joe Corona, they’ll be able to cheer for you. Thank you for stopping by and visiting with us. Good luck to you.
Joe Corona: Thank you for having me here, and wish you the best of luck, too.
Mark Grant: Joe Corona, numero quince. Keep an eye out… keep an ojo on him. Right?
Joe Corona: Of course. Thank you.
Dick Enberg: All right, all the best.
Mark Grant: Buenas fuerte [sic], Joe.
Joe Corona: Gracias.
Dick Enberg: Joe Corona, one of the stars for Tijuana’s Xolos team, and they’ll be playing Mexico City’s Club America, again on July 6th at 7:30, tickets available here at Petco park.
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