COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – It was a case of Fútbol Meets Football, when the Colorado Rapids hosted their crosstown NFL counterparts, the Denver Broncos, with the teams pairing up to host 100 Denver area kids in a skills and drills session showcasing the skills of both sports.
It marked the second of two events for the clubs in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
In Tuesday night’s session, Rapids players Shkëlzen Gashi, Michael Azira and Bobby Burling were on hand to show the finer points of the beautiful game while Broncos players Brandon McManus, Riley Dixon and Casey Kreiter gave tutelage in gridiron skills.
Here's a look at the proceedings:
“These kids are doing a great job, they’re having a lot of fun and one of the great things about sports is that it creates a friendship and a bond that you can talk about with kids at school the next day,” McManus said.
Added Burling, “It was great to get some kids out here and get some hand-eye coordination and some footwork stuff going. Although our sports are quite different, the Broncos are a class organization so anything with them is always a good time.”
Had things gone a bit differently, McManus and Burling might have ended up as teammates.
McManus grew up playing soccer as a defender and sweeper in his youth, while Burling played American football as a receiver and tight end -- taking after his father Jim, who played at the Air Force Academy in the 1970s.
In addition to playing, McManus had his eyes glued to the TV set when he followed his favorite childhood club.
“Growing up, my favorite team was Arsenal because I loved watching Thierry Henry,” he said. “He was such an amazing and talented player.”
Yet the transition between the two sports may not be as easy as some might perceive, despite the fact that both athletes decided to specialize in their respective professional trades due to circumstance.
For Burling, it was a broken collarbone suffered while playing football in eighth grade, while McManus decided to focus solely on kicking field goals in pursuit of a college scholarship at Temple.
And while Rapids goalkeeper Zac MacMath was able to comfortably hit a 54-yard field goal at the Broncos practice facility during the team’s visit to Dove Valley earlier this month, the transition between sports may not be as easy as former FC Dallas ‘keeper and current San Diego Chargers placekicker Josh Lambo makes it appear to be.
“No, it’s not easy,” Burling said. “There’s a lot of pressure and there’s a shorter walkup. It’s always cool to think 'What if,' but Josh Lambo is doing a pretty good job. It’s really cool to see success transfer over.”
For Gashi, the experience of American football has been a new and foreign one, but one which has already made a profound impact on him. The Swiss-Albanian midfielder and Designated Player experienced the NFL firsthand as an attendee of the 2016 season opener between the Broncos and Carolina Panthers in a rematch of Super Bowl 50.
“I’ve learned that American football is very important to America,” Gashi said, noting the similarities between crowds at NFL games and UEFA Champions League matches. “It’s beautiful and it’s big. I love the Broncos and I love American football.”
At the end of the day, Broncos and Rapids players alike were able to find common ground in an aspect which encompasses all sports.
“What you can learn is very positive,” Gashi said. “When you speak to the guys, they know what they want. We also have these kinds of players. We speak the same language. Sport has one language: everyone wants to win.”
