Time for another soccer down here, one v one and it is another visit for us at the SDH Network to Central America. We get to catch up with money Go Carnally who played in the SEC played at Georgia Impact. And where are you right now?
I'm currently in Guatemala City, Guatemalda, that's right now.
How did this come to be?
It was just but I mean I was playing pickup soccer and silver Backs in Atlanta. Uh. I ended up meeting one of the players there and we we connected and she was talking to me about her experience playing here, and I said, I was interesting and I wanted to know more about it. And she was the one that got me in contact with the coaching staff here and they they got to see my, my, My, my highlight videos and they actually liked it. So we got in contact and that's how I got here.
What has it been like for you so far?
So far, it's been really cool. The people here are really nice. The place is beautiful. I like being out in nature and it's very tropical and the style of play is nice as well. So so far, I'm actually enjoying it. You know. The people are being good to me.
For those that don't know and want to follow you out down there in Guatemala. What team are you playing with these days down there?
Oh yeah, so the team is called a unifort Antigua. They are currently the ring champions in the the Guatemalian league here. So we are going to have our games stream I can also I'm gonna go ahead and put the wings on my social media for whoever wants to go ahead and follow and watch. We're excited for seeing us about to start this upcoming week.
And it is a club from the research that I have done, they ran the table their top of the ladder. These are the folks at the top of the mountain that everybody wants to knock off every single time out. How did the conversations go and how quick was it for them to get in touch with you once you had the interest, and how long did it take for this whole deal to sit there and go yep, I'm good, I'm coming.
And usually with these type of things it goes it goes quick. So when they saw my my highlight video and they got in contact with me, I got on the phone with their general manager. She just told me about the club and who they are as a team and just express the interest that the club and the coaches had in getting me here to play for the club. And after that, I was like, oh, yes, Mom, I'm interested to you and it sounds like you guys have a good plan and structure going on and there's something
I want to be a part of. And after that, it was about maybe a week or two and I was on the plane coming kind of here at the bunder my way, So it went it went quick. It was a quick uh talk and turnaround.
How much of a culture shock has it been for you? Or have you just been able to focus on playing and getting ready for the season or is it a little bit of both.
It's actually a little bit of both. Just coming here is different. There's a language barrier. I don't speak Spanish, but I'm currently learning, so it's a little bit harder to communicate. But there are some players on the team that do you speak English, And everybody's coming together and helping me learn and just be as comfortable as it can out here.
The Pride of Booth When Pennsylvania, Georgia Impact and now hanging out in Guatemala, Honeygo Carnally dropping by here for a soccer down here one v one and she is in Guatemala, and so we wanted to catch up with her before things really picked up the pace and all. When you look back at your time with Georgia Impact, what did you learn about yourself? If I'm not mistaken, it was seven matches four go on the board last
season with the Georgia Impact that you played. What did you learn about yourself as a professional soccer player playing in the w PSL.
H I've actually learned a lot, to be honest, just going over there and playing. I was I was playing multiple different roles in different positions, so I had to learn how how the other players play and just being comfortable in that environment. But overall it was a really good experience. I got to know a lot of the players there, and those girls are really cool that the coaches were nice as well, and I got to just improve and better my my my style and my game
of play. So overall it was a good experience.
What do you think you still need to work on while you're learning your craft down there in Guatemala?
I would say, uh, I just need to work on one learning my learning Spanish and finding a way to community communicate with the players here and just just being just just basically knowing my role with the with the coaching staff and everybody here, just knowing being being open minded and knowing exactly what they what they need from
me and how they want me to play. So that that is the one thing that I need to I feel like I need to improve on just trying to understand their style of play and how how I fit within the team.
So, how how is Oonyfoot playing stylistically? What are they doing formationally that you're having to kind of learn here on the fly and your place in it? What are they telling you that here's how we do things. Things Now that you're out there on the practice field, you're learning about it, But how are they stylistically and how do you fit?
Uh? Yeah, So the coach here, he is very tactical, So he likes certain players to be certain places based on where the position of the ball is. So we do functionals and stuff like that just to make sure we're in the right position based on where the ball is. So it's just a lot of tactics. It's something that I am getting used to and growing into being being
playing in the position of centerphore or attacking midfielder. So for example, if the ball is with the left centers and center back, the movement of the players, people come in, people go out, and if for check, what the afford to go back. It's just that tactical movement piece that I am absorbing and just trying to understand how he wants us as a team to.
Play your time in the SC where as we all know, it just means more. You got to play at Mississippi State and be there in Stark Vegas when it came to the college ranks. How do you get from Pennsylvania to Stark Vegas and play in the SEC? I guess I want to go back another step. How do you go from Pennsylvania to Stark Vegas.
It was it was actually a quick transition as well. So I was playing high school, high school, high school soccer, and I didn't even think I could play soccer in college, so I was I was very late in the recruitment process. So I was in eleventh grade, almost getting into twelfth grade when I started playing on a club team called Penfusion down in Westchester. So I will go and train there,
we will go for tournaments and stuff like that. And in games, and one day at school, one of my teachers was just talking and she was trying to encourage us to think about where we want to go to school and like the major that we want to major in. So at the time, I wanted to do something in engineering, so I was looking for the best engineering schools in the in the US, and one of the top schools that came up with Mississippi State. So I just went ahead out of the blue and just emailed the head
coats at the time tell them at this. I just emailed them and I was like, oh, Hi, my name is Manniso and I'm interested in playing for the for the team if you are. And then he told me to come to the camp. So I came to the overnight camp. I was there for a couple of days and then at the end of the camp, he offered me a spot on the team and that's that's that's that was it. I was like, okay, I'm I mean, I'll take it. And that's how that's how I got from thanksfullly next to State.
What did your parents think about this? Uh? This whole thing where you pick up the sport then you end up with an offer to go play in the Southeastern Conference in Startville, Mississippi, which is not you know, hopping in the car and going down the corner to go to wah Wah and get groceries. I mean, it's it's a hike. What What did they think about you being that far away from home to yes, pursue in education and yes play soccer.
Initially, my mom was she was worried because it's a it's far off her from where I'm coming from. It's I've been thirteen or fourteen hours dry. But I just explained to her. I told her that I've been there for the camp and the people there really nice. Starboard. Starboard is a good it's a good town. I love that place, so the people they're nice. And I told
her her sister, my aunt, she lives in Atlanta. I was like, well, my aunt lives here in Atlanta and that's just four hours away, so if anything, I can be able to go there. And that that eased her her concerns and eased her mind. So I was like, yeah, my ins there, So.
Yeah, what about now, I mean, it's not a four hour drive from your your aunt's place to go see you in college? How how constant is the contact with family now, going from you know, Pennsylvania and Atlanta and the Atlanta area to you and Guatemala. How how how are the ties back home these days?
Oh? Yeah, so the the time difference is getting big right now. My mom is in she's in Ruby, Kenya, and my dad is in he's back at home in Liberia, So they're different. I think I think she's I think she's nine. I think eight to nine hours ahead of me, and my dad is around six or seven hours ahead
of me as well. So most of the time when I wake up in the morning, I just sent her a text message or I will just I will call her, and sometimes if she doesn't hear from me for a day or two, she will message me and be like, I'm checking in. But I'm always talking to them at least three or four times a week.
What about your relationships with teammates with Georgia Impact. Do you have any teammates that you're in like a WhatsApp group or anything where you guys can compare notes, or in college teammates or anything like that.
I do. I do. I have a few from the Georgia Impact and my college days. I actually still talk to them sometimes we will message each other and she's just talk. Before I came here, I was actually training with one of the players from The Impact. We were training with a personal trainer. He's a good guy, Mike from Process FC, So yeah, we would do individual training trainings with him. Some of my really good friends and old teammates from Mississippi State as well. Some of them
are living in Atlanta. They don't play soccer anymore, but we still talk about the game and we just hang out. So those are the friendships and relationships that I cherish because those people have been by my side throughout this whole journey, so I appreciate them a lot.
Did you get to take anything from home with you there to where you're staying in Guatemala? Do you have any do you have any like little Impact? Do you have a do you have a Mississippi State bulldog? Do you have any of your old jerseys? What's what's there in the apartment, anything that you were able to bring with you?
Yes, yes, I I have some of my my Misisispi State gear that I still wear. I don't want to picture of my dog.
There you go.
And then yeah, another thing is there's a pillow that my my dad got me.
I was gonna say, yeah, go get it. Hey, yeah, there you go.
That's that's something that my my dad got me. So I take that everywhere I go, even if I'm just going for a little trip anywhere. So those are the things that just reminds me of home or back.
You know, moneygo Carnally hanging out with us here. She is now getting ready for the Guatemalan season with the UNIFOOT and they are the big dogs in the so it makes sense that you play your bulldog and now you're with the big dogs in Guatemala getting ready for the season down there. What excites you the most about the season coming up?
Everything? You know, this is my first professional contract, so I just want to I just want to play. So I'm excited about the first game. I'm excited about playing our home stadium. I'm just excited to play. I'm excited to play with these girls that we've been training with. So I'm just saying I'm itching to get them a feeling and stop playing. So the excitement is definitely there.
All right, go ahead, let everybody know one more time when the first match is and I know that you're gonna be posting all the links on your social media about where to watch. So give me the where and the when and how folks can hang out with you. Hello, yep, let let everybody know how you can. Let everybody know how they can watch. Yep, I got you. You're good. I got you. Nothing like Oh it's it's look. I'm in Atlanta and you're in Guatemala. Trust me, I trust me.
I know it's all good. Uh, Like I said, just let everybody. Yeah, let everybody know how they can watch.
Yes, So our game we're going to be playing this weekend where you're going to play on Sunday. The time is to be discussed, so we don't know the time yet, but we're going to be on Facebook Live. So I will go ahead and post that on my Instagram and my Facebook so everyone can go ahead and watch. So you guys can go ahead and just cheer us on from back home. I definitely post that on there, probably on Friday or Saturday, just so we all are aware.
Looking forward to it. Money go Carnly hanging out with us, and she is getting ready for the Guatemalan season, and we could not be happier to see things with this first professional contract be safe, be well, stay healthy. Thanks for letting us know what's going on from down there in Guatemala up here to SDH network headquarters in Atlanta. Thanks for dropping by, Thanks for taking the time. I know you're super busy. I know you're crawling the walls.
I know that you want to get things moving. But thanks for hanging out for a one v one. We'll be keeping an eye on things, and especially when you post those links for all those matches down there in the guatemal Like Thanks for dropping by.
Thank you so much for having me have a good day.