Wilman Conde didn’t learn English in school or from instructional tapes. He learned it from playing video games.
“I would play Zelda and role-playing games — Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy,” said Conde, a native of Colombia and the Fire’s newest signing. “I was about 15 or 16 and would have a dictionary right next to me. It took a lot of patience.”
As the son of a soccer player, Conde believes it was in his blood to play the sport. He is, however, disappointed he wasn’t able to continue his studies when he turned pro at 17 years old.
“I wanted to play and study, but in Colombia that’s hard to do,” Conde, 25, said. “I would have come to the United States to play at a university, but I didn’t have any contacts here.”
That dream recently became a reality when his former coach and current Fire head coach, Juan Carlos Osorio, convinced the Fire to pay Colombia’s Millonarios a $300,000 transfer fee for Conde. It was Osorio who brought Conde to Millonarios in the first place.
Before Osorio left Millonarios for the Fire, Conde told him he would consider going wherever he went.
“He treats you like a person and not just a player,” Conde said of Osorio. “He starts working at 5 a.m. and comes up with methods for you to improve every day.
“Some [Millonario] fans felt he left the team for dead, but I know he didn’t have bad intentions when he left.”
Conde’s plans include getting his degree and taking his two daughters to Disney World during the off-season. But those aren’t the only things on his to-do list.
“I want to wear the U.S. national team jersey,” Conde said. “I know it’s not easy, but I’ve always wanted to play for them.
“I never had that opportunity in Colombia.”
Conde played for Colombia’s U-15, U-17, U-20 and U-23 teams. Because he never played for Colombia’s senior national team, he is eligible to play for the U.S. as long as he receives his citizenship here.
For now, Conde will concentrate on the Fire’s season. He could make his debut this Saturday against the Columbus Crew,depending on when he receives his visa (this sentence as published has been corrected in this text).
Fire general manager John Guppy has said Conde will be a starter once he gets his papers in order, which likely means C.J. Brown, Dasan Robinson or Gonzalo Segares will be used off the bench.
Conde admits he is somewhat unfamiliar with the MLS after having seen only a few games in Colombia. But by the way it sounds, he will have plenty of time to catch up.
“If it was up to me, I’d be here my whole life,” Conde said. “I’m really happy.”
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larroyave@tribune.com
