Mateo Restrepo trades one dream for another, leaving pro soccer for med school

At 25, Mateo Restrepo has already achieved one dream by enjoying professional soccer. Now the HFX Wanderers FC defender is embarking on one other, quitting soccer for medical college.

The Toronto native left Monday for New York Metropolis the place he’ll begin on the Icahn College of Drugs at Mount Sinai come Aug. 8.

Restrepo admits to a swirl of feelings as he switches careers.

“I do know that it’s going to be fairly a transition from coaching each day and type of having a number of off time to only being on the go on a regular basis,” he stated in an interview. “However I’m excited and I’m able to put the work in.”

There will likely be loads of that. He’s taking a look at 4 years of med college, adopted by three to seven years residency. That timeframe helped him make his thoughts about transferring on.

“The coaching for medication is so lengthy that I didn’t wish to begin at, let’s say, 30 or 33,” he defined.

He’s not giving up on soccer. He’s already exploring choices on enjoying in New York, by a buddy.

“I plan on persevering with to play soccer. It’s been a part of my life for the previous 20 years and I don’t plan to let it go utterly,” he stated.

However college will take priority.

His final sport was July 23, a 1-1 tie with FC Edmonton at Wanderers Floor that noticed Andre Rampersad hand over the captain’s armband so Restrepo may lead the staff out on his Canadian Premier League finale.

It was an emotional day for Restrepo, who has known as RisePEI dwelling since becoming a member of the staff in January 2020.

“It was rather a lot to say goodbye to everyone,” he stated. “A few of my finest pals are over there. It’s all the time laborious to say goodbye. However at this level, I’ve relocated a lot, I don’t know, it nearly type of feels regular.”

Born in Colombia, Restrepo was 5 when he got here to Canada together with his dad and mom.

He began enjoying soccer at six or seven, with Woodbridge SC his youth staff. At 13-14, he was invited to check out for Ontario staff and ended up captaining the aspect. He was 14 when he made his debut within the Canadian youth program in 2011 with coach Sean Fleming.

As a Canadian youth worldwide and member of the TFC academy, he acquired to develop on and off the sphere.

He went to highschool, Dante Alighieri Academy, with Canadian worldwide Richie Laryea, a former Toronto FC fullback now with England’s Nottingham Forest, and Kwame Awuah, now with St. Louis Metropolis SC 2. Restrepo additionally counts former Toronto midfielder Liam Fraser, now with Belgium’s Deinze, and present TFC midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye as pals.

His roommate in RisePEI was midfielder Aidan Daniels, one other former TFC academy product.

He spent three years with the Toronto academy and, in 2014, had a coaching stint with the Brentford FC academy in London.

“The extent was unbelievable,” he stated. “It was an excellent eye-opening expertise and one I nonetheless look again on.”

A 12 months later he moved to Germany to affix the under-19 aspect at FC Ingolstadt 04, which transformed him from centre again to fullback.

He had been scouted whereas at a youth match in Austria when he was 17. He remained in Europe and went on a month-long trial. Three days earlier than graduating highschool, he acquired the decision to return over. He left the following day.

“The soccer was completely superb,” he stated. “We had been enjoying Bayern Munich one week, Hoffenheim the opposite within the U-19 Bundesliga. It was top-quality, top-class soccer. It actually helped me develop in a number of methods, that have.”

In 2016, he began at UC-Santa Barbara the place he studied mobile and molecular biology — and performed 66 video games for the Gauchos.

“Soccer gave me the whole lot,” he stated. “It gave me an avenue by which I might work on myself and develop, as a human being, as a person. It took me all all over the world and allowed me to characterize Canada, the nation that took in my household at our time of want. It gave me an schooling.

“I don’t suppose I might have requested any extra from soccer. The sport was actually actually very nice to me.”

Restrepo spent months finding out for the MCAT (Medical Faculty Admission Check), ultimately taking it previous to the 2021 season. He came upon he had been accepted in January.

He considered deferring for a 12 months so he might end out the season however ultimately determined the time was proper to return to high school.

“I had a number of anxiousness about bringing it as much as the membership. I type of felt I used to be letting the staff down by leaving in the course of the season. However as soon as I informed them, there was nothing however assist, nothing however good needs. They utterly understood … It made it simpler to maneuver ahead and let go, I suppose.”

Icahn College has a stellar educational status and appealed to him for its emphasis on working with “underserved populations.”

“And me being an immigrant from Colombia, it’s all the time been one thing I’ve wished to concentrate on,” stated Restrepo. “I wish to assist people which have an analogous background to my household, who perhaps don’t have entry to well being care or perhaps can’t converse the language. I wish to assist facilitate these interactions and make them really feel taken care of. And that’s on the centre of Icahn’s scope.”

“I’m blessed to go to a college like that,” he added.

He leaves with fond reminiscences of the CPL.

“It was so nice to have the ability to come again dwelling and play in knowledgeable league,” he stated. “It was one thing that didn’t exist after I was rising up. It wasn’t actually an avenue to sit up for after I was a youth participant.”

He savoured travelling the nation enjoying soccer.

“Having the ability to expertise completely different features of Canadian tradition was an absolute blessing. So I’ve nothing however good issues to say in regards to the CPL,” he stated.

“I feel it’s going to develop, it’s going to continue to grow. The extent’s going to maintain getting increased. The curiosity goes to maintain increasing. And I’m excited to see the way it’s going to be in 10 15 years … And I’m excited that the youth has one thing to sit up for. That there’s skilled golf equipment of their yard. Not in every single place, however in a number of locations now.”

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Comply with @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Aug. 1, 2022.

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