[Jorge] Vergara [taking over]," he said. "At the same time, he brought Saprissa. He changed everything. The people that were there who knew me were not there any more. So it was going to be harder for me to go back and try to get it. Three years gone, nobody knew me."
But when it came to the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, the 5-11, 162-pound Segares was ignored in the early rounds despite his credentials and potential.
Former Fire assistant coach Craig Reynolds was an assistant at the University of Virginia and he recommended him to then Fire coach Dave Sarachan. Segares was taken in the third round as the 35th overall pick.
"We saw him at the combine," Hamlett said. "The kid did well as a pure defender. He was a hard-nosed defender. For whatever reason, people were scared away from him because maybe he was a foreigner. He kind of fell late and we picked him up. He was very comfortable on the ball and he could get forward. Over the years you could see where he has fine-tuned all parts of his game and he has become a fine two-way player. ... As a result of that, he has been rewarded being part of the national team of Costa Rica."
Like many rookies, Segares started the season on the bench. But he got an opportunity to prove himself in reserve games.
"He took those reserve games very well and showed us that this is a guy we had to get on the field," said Hamlett, who added that Segares showed "poise, in terms of how he dealt with the game as a first-year player, getting out there and doing all of the things. The moment he got his chance with the first team, he just took it and ran with it. But it was that stretch leading up to his first start we could see he was learning real fast. He was picking things up for a first-year player and that was a sign he could be a first-team player."
On May 21, 2005, he made his MLS debut in a 2-1 win against the Colorado Rapids and has been a fixture in the Fire starting 11 since.
"I got a pretty good chance here with the Fire," Segares said. "It was hard in the beginning. It was definitely different speed of of play it took me awhile to get used to. I think the reserve division definitely helped me a lot, to get more comfortable with the game, with the style."
Former national team coach Hernan Medford certainly noticed. Segares made his international debut against Honduras on Sept. 7, 2007.
On Wednesday, Costa Rica plays the U.S. at Estadio Saprissa, Segares' old stomping ground. While the USA has never won a qualifier in Costa Rica, Segares has respect for the current leaders in the CONCACAF hexagonal, especially after playing in MLS.
"History is on our side, but this game is completely different," he said. "It's a whole new different stage. I think the United States is a pretty good team on the road. They always get to scratch a point or the three points."
Costa Rica struggled last year and Medford was fired, but Rodrigo Kenton came aboard and righted the ship.
"The mentality of the national team has been great with Kenton," Segares said. "He brought something different, a confidence. And most important, he brought the trust of the fans that we had lost for a while back at home. They weren't sure the national team wasn't going to do well anymore. Nobody was going to the stadium anymore. So that was pretty hard. That brought back people's confidence in the team and definitely the spirit up. Right now we're in good shape, as long as we win the home games."
With a second place standing to the U.S. in the hexagonal, Costa Rica (2-0-1, six points) has gotten off to a solid beginning to start in its quest to clinch a spot in South Africa. The top three CONCACAF teams book a spot in South Africa, with the fourth-place side meeting South America's fifth-place country in a home-and-home playoff.
Costa Rica has participated in three World Cups -- 1990, 2002 and 2006 -- and Segares would love to be part of a fourth.
"It would be a dream come true," he said. "Sure, every soccer player would love to be in a World Cup. It's the biggest stage in the world. The eyes of the world are looking at you."
But you don't have to remind Segares how fortunate he is.
"Right now, I am also living a dream, playing for my national team in qualifiers is great, something I dreamed as a little kid and worked hard to try to be there and now it's coming true," he said. "I'm really excited. It's a great opportunity for me."
Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
