Chicho Arango remembers Gamero after shining with LAFC
The Colombian sent his team to the MLS Conference finals with a goal in the last seconds of the recent Los Angeles derby.
It seemed that the derby was going to head into extra-time, but then the Colombian appeared. Out he came in the third added minute after the clock struck 90, level at 2-2 and with a corner kick for LAFC. The ball was sent to the far post and a shot came in that was saved by Jonathan Bond, whose parry kept it alive in the box; Cristian Arango was quickest to tap in the boucing ball and the stadium erupted. He earned his team a 3-2 victory to classify LAFC to the MLS Conference final.
At the end of the game, Chicho spoke to the LA Times en Español and recalled another important classic match that he has experienced in his career: “There are many classic games. In Colombia I experienced a very special one, a Millonarios-Santa Fe, we hadn’t won the Clásico for a long time and we were able to break that run. A Clásico is experienced very differently and winning it this way is something special”.
On the winning goal against the Galaxy, the Colombian added: “It’s a huge sense of joy to score against a great rival. Because of how these games are experienced, it’s very special and winning it like that gives you an extra sense of joy. I feel like it’s a team goal, to feel my teammates run the way they did, to defend the way they did, attack the way we did, this goal represents all of that, the effort of the team”.
Chicho thanks Gamero
During the interview, Arango took the opportunity to dedicate a few words to the Millonarios coach: “There was a person in my career who helped me strengthen myself mentally: the teacher (Alberto) Gamero, at Millonarios. He had that nous to know how to help me, to know how to face difficult moments and good moments; now I know how to handle them, I know how to transmit that and it’s something beautiful that I thank him for”.
Chicho went to Millonarios in 2017 after shining with Envigado. There he was under the orders of Miguel Russo before going in Portugal. He returned under the management of Jorge Luis Pinto, but It was with Gamero that he consolidated himself as a starter, scorer and eventually captain of Millonarios.