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Manel Busquets knew he didn’t have to leave Spain. He’d already made his professional debut for his club UE Sant Andreu in the Spanish third tier of professional soccer. He played regularly for Sant Andreu’s U-19 squad in the Spanish first division. 

But at just 19 years old, he decided to leave a promising career in his native Catalonia for Pittsburgh, 4,076 miles away.

Busquets didn’t like the degree he was working toward at a Spanish university, but he knew he could combine athletics with an education in the United States, Busquets said. So through an agency, Busquets took part in a trial game showcase in front of numerous U.S. college scouts. Even with his pedigree, though, Busquets didn’t exactly shine, Duquesne head coach Chase Brooks said.

“He was a late addition to the showcase, he wasn’t playing for the most well-known club in Spain and he was awkward,” Brooks said. “He was (6-foot-2), so you could clearly see the size, but the ball was bouncing away from him.”

Still, watching the showcase on video back in the U.S., Brooks was intrigued by Busquets’ physical attributes, and at the recommendation of his assistant at the time who’d gone over to Spain to see the showcase, Duquesne made Busquets the only Division I offer he’d receive at the time.

And after two years at Duquesne, which saw him earn All Atlantic-10 first team honors following a seven goal, four assist sophomore season, Busquets and Brooks’ gamble paid off. He transferred to Syracuse shortly after the 2019 season and has made an immediate impact, starting three games and playing a key role off the bench in the other two despite not registering a goal or assist.

“Manel is a very talented player,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. “I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet.”

Yet early on, Busquets nearly quit playing soccer altogether. He’d always been one of the taller players on any team he’s played on, so when he first started playing at 5 years old, coaches played him at center back because of his height. After five years in the heart of defense, Busquets was sick of it and ready to quit, but his dad convinced him to switch teams — where a new coach couldn’t pigeon-hole him into a position.

“When I went to the new team, I said to the coach, ‘Yeah I’m a winger, I’m a center forward,’” Busquets said. “He didn’t know anything about me, so I started playing there.”

Busquets’ coaches often initially tried playing him through the middle because of his height, he said. But it was on the wing, which allowed him to use his speed and quick feet, where he flourished.

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Playing out wide was virtually the only piece of continuity for Busquets, who had to adjust to a completely different culture in Pittsburgh, he said. His English wasn’t as good as it is now, Busquets said, and the concept of conferences and overtime games in the regular season was “shocking.”

In his freshman year with the Dukes, though, he settled quickly into a team that featured a large international recruiting class, Brooks said. Busquets started all but one match and bagged four goals and three assists en route to Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors. But Busquets knew he needed to do better if he was going to achieve his goal of playing professionally again.

So, in the summer of 2019, he played for Kaw Valley FC, a team in the USL League Two. Busquets played under head coach Istvan Urbanyi, a former player for the Hungarian national team, who taught him the nuances of playing as a winger, he said.

“(Urbanyi) was trying to tell me like, ‘If you run (in) behind, with your pace, no one will stop you,’” Busquets said. “And he was right and that’s why in my second season at Duquesne I improved so much.”

Along with Urbanyi’s advice, the addition of two new assistants ahead of Busquets’ sophomore season, Adam Mitchell and Sebastian Pineda, keyed his development, Busquets said.

Mitchell recalled Busquets saying that even though he scored four goals the season before, they were “crappy goals.” He had created a lot of chances in his first year, but wasn’t able to find the back of the net at the rate they knew he was capable of, Brooks said.

“I was like, ‘Manel, they all count as one. It’s good, you’re in the right place to score the crappy goals,’” Mitchell said. “So if we can add the ones where your finishing gets a little cleaner, you’re going to score seven to 10 goals a season.”

Busquets “constantly” stuck around after practice to work on finishing with the Dukes’ assistants, Mitchell said. They started small, at first just working on his technique as Busquets learned how to find the corner by aiming his shots at the post, he said.

Then they progressed into replicating game situations, practicing one-twos and driving forward from the wing before cutting inside and looking to find the corners of the net, Busquets said. On road trips, Busquets, Mitchell and Pineda would always watch film and live matches as a trio. Sometimes, it was Manchester City to watch the movement of winger Raheem Sterling.

Oftentimes, though, it was MLS and USL matches, as Busquets recognized the need to familiarize himself with the style and level of competition he’d likely play at if he went pro, Mitchell said. Busquets’ mentality to always improve and seek out criticism was what set him apart, his coaches said.

“For me, it was super refreshing,” Mitchell said. “A lot of kids talk a lot but don’t actually put that work in to go to the next level.”

The work began to pay off in his second season for the Dukes as his scoring output improved. Against St. Bonaventure, Busquets received the ball around midfield on the left wing, quickly driving forward and inside as he laid the ball off to a teammate for a one-two and from well outside the box, Busquets rifled a shot into the bottom corner at the near post. Just like they’d done time and time again after practice.

But Busquets’ performance against St. Joseph’s crystallized his development as a finisher, his Duquesne coaches said. In a 2-1 Dukes victory, Busquets scored both goals with two very different finishes.

The first was a quick curling shot at the near post after the ball had come to him on the right corner of the box and he slotted past the onrushing keeper. But the second, where Busquets played another one-two and as he brought the return pass out of the sky, the angle was narrowing as he ran further down the right side of the box. Busquets tucked it into the bottom left corner this time.

Busquets knew he needed to challenge himself in a more competitive conference after his sophomore season, and this time, plenty of Division I programs were interested in him. Most of the top-30 to 50 schools in the country had made calls or at least inquired about Busquets, Brooks said. When Mitchell heard of Syracuse’s interest in Busquets, he reached out to his friend, Louis Clark, who had played under McIntyre for two years, and told Mitchell that Busquets “would have a great time,” at SU.

The COVID-19 pandemic hampered Busquets’ adjustment to Syracuse, as the lockdown back in Barcelona meant Busquets couldn’t leave his house for a month — relegated to team Zoom workouts led by strength and conditioning coach Corey Parker. When he arrived at SU, McIntyre constantly experimented with how to get his best four attackers — Busquets, Hilli Goldhar, Luther Archimede and Deandre Kerr — all on the field at once.

Busquets said it’s an adjustment not getting as many shooting opportunities as he did at Duquesne, where he was the focal point of the Dukes’ attack. Yet even in flashes, Busquets has displayed the talent that made him such a sought after transfer.

In the season opener against Pitt, Busquets’ driving run from midfield down the left wing set up Jeorgio Kocevski’s cross that Goldhar headed in. And facing Louisville 10 days later, McIntyre said Busquets was “excellent,” as he nearly found his first goal after weaving his way into the box from the left wing and curling an effort that smacked the far post.

Busquets, who has two years of eligibility remaining, said he feels “close” to his first goal for Syracuse. Those who’ve coached him know another professional career won’t be far behind.

“There’s no question he can play at the professional level,” Brooks said.

Published on November 3, 2020 at 10:06 pm

Contact Alex: athamer@syr.edu