SDH 1v1: Javier Armas, Atlanta United 2 captain

Welcome in.

It's time for another Atlanta United to one v one here on the SDH network, the proud home of Atlanta United to Soccer on the radio. I'm Jason Longshore. I'll be on the call tonight as Atlanta United to host Carolina Core in kennesaust Fifth Third Stadium. Pregame coverage will start at seven o'clock. Kickoff will be just after seven point thirty. I'll be joined by Madison Cruz and she had the chance to catch up recently with Javier Armis,

Let's talk about last season, you know, first year as a pro for you. What were some of the big things you learned coming out.

Of that season, But this season is too long, That's the first one. I mean coming from college, you know, sometimes you kind of forget how lond this season is and how important is like every game and how many opportunities you have during the season. You know. So that was for Sutai one.

Of the biggest things coming into season number two for you with Atlanta United, what were some of the things you wanted to take out of that first season and push harder in the second season and even continue to work more towards.

I was.

Related to the question before the how long decision is? I would say move on, you know, from one next to the other, you know, from one game to the other. For example, now we come from a tough loss in Philadelphia. You know, so it's like, okay, decision is too long. This game cannot detain the rest of the siasion. You know, we have to move on, like keep building the team,

How do you find that balance? You know, being a captain on the team, one of the captains on the team, and you have a difficult loss like that against Philly, how do you help the team bounce back from that and get them ready to go, especially now that you have a week break, which can help as well kind of settle things out. But how do you manage that as a captain?

I would say you like learning from the mistakes and having everyone being in a very good men's ouse space. For example, this week it was awesome because we had two great days of videos Sesson. You know, so sometimes it's tough seeing yourself in a video on Mondays and Tuesdays, you know, making mistakes. But at the same time, if we all have the right mentality of like, okay, that's me,

One thing that was interesting when we chatted with you before one of the games, you talked about being captain, and you were captain for every single year that you've been playing, almost how have you seen you yourself evolved as a captain throughout all of those years.

That's a great question. I think at the beginning I tend more to be more selfish, you know. It was like, okay, my captain, so maybe I have to say everything that has to be done, and people have to more like I have to tell people what you do, you know, and almost people have to serve more than I do. And then I evolve more of like Okay, I'm the captain and the first that have to leave by example, and I'm the first has to serve other people, you know.

Was there a moment for you, whether it was in college or you know, going into professional where you had that moment where you knew you had.

To make that sw Yeah, I think it was like maturing for sure, Like when I became a Christian too, and I learned about God, about Christianity values and how who Jesus was and how we serve other people to you know, you and he was like the most important person got in the world, you know, So then it's like okay, I mean I want to be like him, so I want to serve other people. You know.

How is you realizing and helping grow your faith helped you on a soccer field.

Yeah, I think I talked about this a lot at the beginning. And when I was young, soccer was my life and soccer was my identity. You know, I was like a soccer player. Now I know I'm not a soccer player. My identity is not in soccer, about in issues. So I know that that gives me so much, like takes pressure out of me, you know, makes me play more free and knowing that this is not everything, you know,

You know, this is not we've seen from on the field also off a field, how connected and how quickly this team formed. From talking to you, from talking to Steve Nick, all of them have said how quickly it is for you when you everyone kind of came into the fold. Was it kind of like a taken back for you how quickly everything kind of fit together.

Well. I actually had a very good feeling at the beginning of the season, you know, knowing like everyone I just I had that feeling that well this you could you could feel it from the first day that the culture was going to be amazing. You know, everyone's going to have to be in the same page and once now, which was like would translate that into the field, you know, and we start winning games and doing like that, like we're gonna be unstopable for sure.

Yeah, I have to ask. So we were told that, you know, your house is the place for the cookout for the two dinners. All right, so what what's your role?

What are you there?

Are you hosting? Are you cooking? Like? What what do you do?

Yeah?

I do everything with my wife.

Yeah, I love it.

I host I cook too, you know. I love to cook from scratch. Me and my wife would cook every day from scratch usually, you know. So that's like I learned that tradition from from Spain too. And now that is good weather. I can start making pigia, you know, and all the rice thing that, right. I love it. I think it's it's a great thing just to be all together and I think if we have those connections outside the field, then in the field is gonna be so much better.

All right, what's your favorite meal?

Cook?

Do you have a favorite one?

I would say for what it means, you know, it's not only the food, but it's like all together, you know, it's yes, I cook, Paiga. You're not gonna come to my house and sit when the food is ready. You know, you're gonna come when I'm cooking. We're gonna talk, listen to some music now, all together, and it's small a thing, not for the food, for what it means, you know, for all together.

Does anybody else, any people on the team come help you as well?

Or no?

It's like you're when you're in the kitchen, it's you, you and your wife.

For the moment is in me and my wife, you know, So they have to call my help a little bit more. No, But it's good because now, for example, on Tuesdays we do some Bible started with the team, and from now on it's the one different guy who's gonna cook the way. You know. So for example, next week, Nick is when I go to my house, we're gonna cook together. And then this week is gonna be like my says, I'm running something like that and I love it.

Who is someone that you have to, you know, help a little bit more in the kitchen. Who is a little bit more of an issue in the kitchen?

I would say for sure, Yeah, you gotta teach him, you gotta. Yeah, that's why he has to go now and I will teach you how to go. Yeah.

Well, one thing before we ended here, I want to talk about the rest of the season.

Yeah, continuing to build, keep things going.

You know, you had this break and then next week you're going up against Carolina Core on Wednesday. Yeah, what are some things you all been working on to try and keep things we're solid and consistent on the field, and then continuing to improve Because one thing I think from watching the team this season, it's clear like there's there's something there. We've seen it and we know how the best team don't be. So what have you all been working on?

I would say we're dominating most of the games, but we are listening now. I would say the most important thing in soccer, which is being better at both boxes, you know, so you can be the best overall in the game, you know. Yeah, play beautiful, have more possession, like, but then in the in the boxes, we're considering goals and then we're not scoring match. So we're working on