Getting to know Inter Miami goalkeeper Luis Robles, the Cal Ripken Jr. of MLS
Inter Miami goalkeeper Luis Robles and his wife, Cara, are Arizona natives; so, they are looking forward to year-round sunshine and warm weather after six seasons in Germany and eight in New York. Their three young children are excited about the idea of swimming in the winter months.
“We have a pretty extensive collection of winter coats, and now we’re going to have to figure out what to do with them,” Robles said Monday during an interview at team headquarters. “Maybe we’ll explore Poshmark [a social-media clothing marketplace].”
But the main reason Robles, 35, was delighted to sign with Inter Miami after eight seasons with the New York Red Bulls is that he wants to be an integral part of the expansion club that owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas are putting together. He plans to be a team leader, role model, and calming influence, on and off the field.
This is a guy who holds the Major League Soccer record for consecutive regular-season starts with 183, from September 2012 to May 2018 with the New York Red Bulls. He did not miss a single minute of action for five and a half years, earning the nickname “Ironman” and drawing comparisons to baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. In 2015, Robles was voted MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
He was a team captain, advised teammates on soccer and finances, and was making $490,000 last season.
Before joining the Red Bulls, he spent six seasons in the German Bundesliga — four with FC Kaiserslautern and two with Karlsruher SC.
“As an experienced, older player I always tell younger guys, `It’s your talent that got you here, but it’s not your talent that’s going to keep you here’,” Robles said. “It’s your understanding of what it takes to be a professional, the rigor, the ups and downs. It’s not always going to be up. And really what defines you is how you handle the downs.
“What I can bring to this team is that locker-room experience, the voice of reason and calming presence when times can be very hectic.”
One of his immediate goals is bettering his Spanish so he can engage with Hispanic teammates and fans in Miami.
Robles, who visited Inter Miami’s Coral Gables offices and Fort Lauderdale construction site before Thanksgiving and again Monday, is impressed with what he has seen.
“Inter Miami is not just a concept anymore; it’s real,” he said. “Once I got down here and saw the scale and scope of the project, I felt like this is something I can really sink my teeth into. It starts with the owner. David Beckham is one of the most iconic players in this sport, and having his name and brand attached to the organization you know they’re going to do very impressive things.”
He and Cara, and their kids (7-year-old Eli, 5-year-old Olivia, and 3-year-old Emily) toured the Fort Lauderdale site where the $100 million temporary home stadium and full-time training complex are being built.
“To think this organization is going to build a stadium with the understanding that it’s temporary and that it’s as nice as it is ... I’m telling you, there are teams in this league that would just take that as their full-time stadium,” he said. “The training site will be top in the league, one of the best in the world. That’s just the introduction, and when you think what this project will be long-term, I want to be part of it.”
Robles, the son of a Puerto Rican military father and South Korean mother, never envisioned he would be a pro soccer player when he was growing up in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, 15 miles north of the Mexican border. His father’s two favorite sports were baseball and basketball. Robles was a natural at baseball as a first baseman and shortstop; and started getting recruited by colleges early in high school.
But his best friends — Sean Malarchik, Donnie Veal, and Miguel Guante — all played soccer; so, he tagged along and at age 14 became goalkeeper of a club team to replace Veal, who chose baseball over soccer. Veal wound up playing in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, and Atlanta Braves. Robles and Guante got soccer scholarships to the University of Portland.
“I fell in love with the position and embraced the challenge,” Robles said. “You deal with failure a lot. You learn to get up, brush yourself off and realize that it’s not a matter of if you fail, but when.”
His father still jokes with him that he potentially gave up millions of dollars by choosing soccer over baseball. He has never regretted the choice.
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 1:16 PM.