SOCCERCAST CHICAGO: A CONVERSATION WITH CHICAGO FIRE MIDFIELDER MICHEAL AZIRA

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This conversation was originally recorded for an episode of SoccerCast Chicago. Unfortunately, due to a technical issue with my recording software there was significant damage to the audio file and I was unable to use it in the podcast. I have done the best I could to transcribe Micheal and my’s conversation, which has been lightly edited both for clarity and due to certain sections being inaudible


Alex Campbell: My guest today is Chicago Fire midfielder Micheal Azira, Micheal thanks so much for taking the time to come on the show.

Micheal Azira: Oh, thank you for having me, Alex


AC: So the main reason you are on the show today is to talk about the Micheal Azira Youth Foundation, but before we get to that we at least have to touch on the result from last night. We’re recording this on Thursday afternoon the day after you guys just demolished the Houston Dynamo, so what was the mood like after the game and going into today for you guys?

MA: It’s been really great, we really needed it, for our fans, Coach Rafa as well, and for the city. I’m glad about the win and hopefully we can build off that.


AC: Before we get into the Foundation, I do want to talk a little bit about your personal journey as a soccer player which is something I and a lot of Fire fans learned about through a piece by friend of the podcast Jeremy Mikula in the Chicago Tribune last fall detailing your journey. You grew up in Uganda, how old were you when you realized that you wanted to try and play soccer professionally and saw the opportunities that you thought soccer could provide for you

MA: Around 14 or 15 we went to Denmark for a tournament. And when I went there I saw these nice facilities and was like ‘man, I need to go play in Europe at the highest level possible.’ When we got [back] to Uganda I made up my mind that I want to do all that I have to do to play at the highest level possible...I want to be a professional soccer player.


AC: You ended up playing soccer in the United States, how did that happen? How did that opportunity present itself?

MA: So I have a friend who went to Winthrop University, and he was from Uganda like me and he recommended me to his coach at Winthrop who ended up coming to Uganda to watch me play. He watched me for a few days and then said ‘we’re going to offer you a scholarship.’ So I’m thankful to my friend Henry, who lives in South Carolina now, thankful for him telling his coach about me and the coach for getting on a flight to come watch me play….[especially because] in the end I didn’t even end up playing for Winthrop. It took so long for [my immigration paperwork] to get processed, and I ended up at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky.  So I was there for three years, and the coach actually told me I could come back to Winthrop but I said I was about to graduate anyway but that I’m thankful for all that you did. So now we talk and I keep in touch with him and I am truly truly thankful for the opportunity to come [here].


AC: So you don’t end up playing for Winthrop, you instead end up at a small school in Kentucky. What was that transition like as a college kid going from Uganda to a small town in Kentucky?

MA: Oh man. When you’re from Uganda, or from any other part of Africa, and you think of the USA you think of big cities, you know? So I always see these cities like New York, Chicago, LA, you know all these big cities and you’re thinking that everything’s like that. So leaving I was so excited, I’m going to the US….so, we go through Chicago...and then to Louisville, and you see these cities at night with all the lights….But I got to Louisville and I was thinking it was going to be like that, and in the car I took a little bit of a nap and when I woke up a deer goes running in front of the car and I’m like ‘where are we going?’ I’ve never seen this, I do not live in America...I [don’t know anything about] the other parts of the US besides cities like LA, Chicago or New York.  I assumed everything was like that but this….corn farms all over the place. Our college was in the middle of nowhere. We had one Mexican restaurant and one Chinese restaurant and that’s all we had around. I was like, ‘wow.’ I struggled at the beginning but I was like, you know, I’m here for a reason and that reason is to get an education. To me, I saw that as an opportunity to complete my school as I pursue my career. So in the back of my mind I knew I wanted to play professional soccer but I promised myself I would finish school first…


AC: So after college you started the process of working your way up the ladder through the lower leagues in the US eventually playing for Charleston Battery in the USL and after a few years making it to MLS with the Seattle Sounders. Through those years working your way up, what was your driving motivation to get to the top level, all the way to MLS?

MA: So I told you about that tournament in Denmark when I was 15? That was an eye-opener for me to want to [play at the highest level]. You know, soccer was growing at a fast rate and [more] people were [starting to make] money off it, but that wasn’t my motive that I wanted to make money. I just wanted to play at the highest level possible. I knew that as soon as I finished school I needed to find a team where I can go play. I didn’t care where, I didn’t care about the club, I just needed to get my foot in the door. So I ended up playing in Mississippi for Mississippi Brilla (Brilla are an amateur club that now competes in USL League 2, the 4th tier of American soccer). The coach there knew some people in the USL, so they invited me over [to the USL combine]. I knew this was an opportunity now to give my best and if anyone sees me and gives me an opportunity I’ll take it. So I did well enough at the USL Combine, Charleston Battery picked me up, I think it was like $1,500 a month or something like that, and that’s before taxes. But I didn’t care about that, I got the opportunity and was like ‘man, you’re in.’ So I seized it with both hands, I went in there….and I got to score in the Championship game when we won the league (I found the goal! https://youtu.be/04c6Spq8R1c?t=52 )...And I was just excited because I’m starting to live my dream. But my second season in Charleston the coach, who also knew the coach in Seattle (the late Sigi Schmid)...and they called Seattle and said ‘you should look at him.’ So I went there, and we had the reserve league at the time, so I went there and they put me on the bench…..so I said ok, when I get an opportunity I am going to take it; to play for the team and give my best. {rest of answer is inaudible due to audio difficulties, but that season he not only worked his way into the starting lineup for the reserve team but got called up to the 1st team and made his MLS debut}


AC: So you’re now in your second season with the Fire, you set up your foundation last year, the Micheal Azira Youth Foundation. What made you decide to start the foundation and what sort of impact are you hoping to have with it?

MA: So, we started the foundation because of what allowed me to get here……… the guy’s name is Ken Davis, he payed for my tuition because my parents couldn’t afford it. He payed for my high school and even for my first ticket to come to the US. I told him I got a scholarship and he told me he would pay for my ticket. My parents didn’t have the money...so all that he did for me, and I asked how I could pay him back, and he said ‘Micheal, you don’t have to pay me back. What I want you to do is pass it on.’ So when he said that to me it gave me a different perspective about things in life….This is an opportunity for me to use to give back to my home. Having Ken Davis in my life allowed me to be who I am and allowed me to start the foundation. So we’ve been holding a soccer tournament for two years now…..[and we thought] maybe if coaches came to this tournament they would see the same things that the coach from Winthrop saw. Let’s do the same thing, you never know. Kids might get scholarships….so we [kept doing] the tournament but decided to start the foundation so that we could build something bigger and something better for the kids. Some kids struggle with a place to live, or to find a meal. And we believe they should have a place where they can go and be safe and play and think about pursuing their dreams: having an education, playing professional soccer, or pursuing any career that they want...We built a classroom where they could come and express themselves and reach their goals….We want to be able to help the kids reach access to different opportunities. It’s been good so far and several kids have gotten scholarships….we also have [partnerships] with clubs who provide us with equipment and other things financially, [we do] everything so that those kids can have an opportunity. 


AC: That’s amazing work. On that note, if people listening or anywhere out there want to contribute to the work you’re doing, how can they help financially or otherwise?

MA: So we have our website, aziramichealyouthfoundation.org and people can reach out to us via the phone number or email. If you want to donate you can click on the “Donate” button and [contribute] financially...We [also] struggle with equipment back home. Soccer being the number one sport, there just isn’t enough. Kids go through balls so quickly, so if people go on the website and they want to donate equipment, they can reach out to us and we can tell them where to drop off equipment they want to donate….Also, if you want to volunteer, if you want to come to Uganda someday you can come with us and watch the kids play soccer…..{largely inaudible, but talked about how they have a partner program if a business or organization wants to become a sponsor and work with them}. We also have a page for the foundation on Instagram, so they can also reach out to us through that {see below}.

AC: You first had that trip to Denmark as a teenager and in that moment kind of knew ‘this is what I want to do.’ What would be your advice to kids in a similar position: 14, 15, 16 years old and have this as a dream but aren’t really sure how to make that dream a reality. You’re obviously someone who’s worked incredibly hard for a very long time to turn that dream into the reality it’s become in MLS. So what would your would your advice be to someone in the position you were in a long time ago?

MA: My advice to any kid out there would be to believe in your dreams. If it’s your dream to be a professional soccer player, trust and believe in it; believe in yourself. Each and every day believe in yourself. Train really well, stay out of any kind of trouble like drinking, smoking anything because you need to take care of your body….But mostly it’s about {inaudible}, believe in your dreams and don’t let anyone take that… protect it with your life. Because you’re going to find a lot of obstacles. A coach might tell me I’m not good enough, but if I believe in what he says, I wouldn’t be here right now. I believed in myself, I believed in my dreams...I pushed myself every day so that I can get to my goal.


Micheal Azira is a midfielder for the Chicago Fire and the Uganda National Football Team. He has previously played for the Seattle Sounders, Colorado Rapids, and Montreal Impact before joining Chicago in 2019.

You can find more information about the Micheal Azira Youth Foundation at https://www.aziramichealyouthfoundation.org/ 

Follow the foundation on Instagram @aziramichealyouth and on Twitter @aziramicheal

For more on Micheal’s journey and his foundation: