Andrew — CLUBELEVEN

“We had a big garage sale, and I just remember thinking, ‘Why are we moving?’”

Andrew Farrell took his first steps with a soccer ball in Kentucky, training with his mom at a local high school. By the time he was five, he’d already joined soccer camps in the area, donning yellow jerseys, long socks, and oversized shorts. Little did Andrew know that he’d end up trading the classic youth soccer scene in North America for the streets and parks of Lima, Peru.

“My parents were missionaries at the Presbyterian church, so they were doing work in Peru, and we all just moved down there when I was five,” recalls Andrew.

Andrew and his family settled in San Borja, one of the greenest neighborhoods in the Peruvian capital. At just five years old, the move wasn’t too much of a shock for Andrew, and the passion for soccer in the country allowed him to settle in even more seamlessly. Although the soccer culture was different than what he was used to, everything he experienced down in Peru helped nurture his love for the sport and set him up on the path to the pros.

“Soccer was just everywhere. I remember watching some of the kids playing in the streets and the parks around my neighborhood, and I just joined them one day. We would play in the middle of the road and put down rocks to make goals. When a car would drive by, we would have to pick those up and run off to the sidewalk. Then, we’d also play in this park with really nice flowers, and we’d get the cops called on us to kick us out all the time. Those were some fun times.”

At school, Andrew would also play soccer with his peers, and the community embraced him as one of their own. “We met a bunch of great people -- friends from school, neighbors, you name it. It was a warm sense of community of just everyone looking out for each other, and making those connections playing soccer at school or around the neighborhood just helped me feel at home, and I also just picked up Spanish like a sponge.”

While his experiences with soccer in Lima were initially limited to pick-up games on the streets or in parks, soon enough, Farrell would end up joining his school team at Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt as well as an academy team in Lima.

“I was twelve when I joined the school team. I’d practice with them, and then I’d take the bus all the way out near the beach in Lima -- like an hour and 45 minutes away -- to go play with my academy team. And public transport sucks in Lima, so it was a trek. My parents would give me money and just send me off for the day, but all I wanted to do was play. It didn’t matter how, but I just wanted to play.”

At school and at his academy, Andrew stood out from the crowd, and he’d often have to play a few age groups up to remain competitive. But while he was excelling on the field, Andrew would also take the time to go to the stadium to catch matches with his friends.

“I went to a good amount of national team games. Those are the most fun because everything's shut down. I don't even know how to describe it. The whole country just stops and supports the team. I don’t think there’s anything quite like it here; it’s just different. I really miss that feeling.”

When Andrew turned 15, though, he and his family returned to Louisville, Kentucky. No more Ceviche or Lomo Saltado, no more soccer in the streets, and no more sweaty public transport rides to train near the beach.

“Moving back was definitely a culture shock.”

“I remember moving to the States and just seeing all the fast-food restaurants and bigger people overall,” remembers Andrew with a smile. “It was just interesting for me to see.”

Just like it’d happened when he first moved countries at the age of five, soccer was the perfect tool to help him settle in his new environment.

“We had a really diverse soccer team at my high school, and a lot of the players were Latino. That helped me transition pretty easily, and school wasn’t too hard. I only struggled with math because I’m really bad at math, but I don’t remember too much about classes when I moved. I remember more about being focused on girls and soccer,” says Andrew with a laugh. “Mostly soccer.”

Over in Louisville, Andrew joined multiple club teams, and he would play in several showcases and tournaments a year to get noticed and hopefully make it to a Division One college.

“I started to get offers, and I remember AJ De La Garza and Omar Gonzalez touring me around Maryland. I was like, ‘Man, these guys are going pro, I want to be like them.’ But I toured Ohio State, Kentucky, and a couple of other schools. But Louisville offered me the most money, and it was right at home, so I ended up committing with them.”

Andrew’s college career got off to a flying start, and his debut against Duke was one for the ages. “I started as a right back. It was my first game, and I played out of my mind -- probably the best game of my entire life. Then we played Wake Forest, and I ended up getting mono right after that game. So I was sidelined for a while, but I came back for the Big East Tournament, which we ended up winning. Then we played in the NCAA Tournament Final, but we lost against Akron. Scottie [Caldwell] scored in that game, and he used to talk so much crap about that. But now that we’re older, he doesn’t bring it up as much.”

Funnily enough, both Scottie and Andrew would end up signing for the New England Revolution right out of college. Andrew was drafted number one overall in the MLS SuperDraft, and he was the first number one overall pick in New England Revolution history.

“The draft was in Indianapolis that year, and I remember hearing that New England traded up, and there was talk that I could be going as one of the top picks. So I was asking around, but no one really knew. Then Don Garber is just doing his speech up on the stage, and I get a text from my agent saying, ‘you’re going number one,’ and I just didn’t believe it.”

“Then they called my name.”

Since that fateful day in 2013, Andrew has brought silverware to New England, he’s made 271 appearances for the club and broken the record for most appearances in a Revolution jersey.

“I feel like that hasn’t really hit me yet,” Andrew confesses. “But sometimes, I stop to think, and it’s just like it’s a really cool accomplishment. I think it’s awesome, especially being at one of the founding clubs for so long. Having my name in the record books like that is just humbling. The one thing I’ve always wanted to do is just give back to the club for the confidence they had in me all those years ago when they drafted me. I just want to be out there every game.”

And Andrew hasn’t really failed on that front. Since 2013, he’s missed out on less than ten games, which speaks to his professionalism, discipline, fitness, and unique routine.

“I stay out of the treatment room. I don’t do massages or anything like that. I just go into the hot tub every morning, do some light core and leg work out in the gym, and I’m good to go. It’s funny in my head I never want to go into the treatment room because if I start thinking something hurts or I’m injured, then I’ll actually be injured. It’s a mental thing for me, and maybe it's a little superstitious, but that’s what’s worked for me so far.”

If it works, it works, and it’s what’s allowed Andrew to enjoy eight successful years with the club.

“There’s been some crazy times throughout my time at the Revs. One of my favorite moments so far was when we played in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals against the Red Bulls at home. Gillette was packed, and it was that crisp, chilly air. Playoff season. And we won on aggregate, which was the cherry on top, so that was definitely a highlight for me.”

Besides the moments on the pitch, living in New England has also been quite an experience for Andrew.

“I remember my first year, we were staying at a Best Western right when there was a huge nor’easter. I kid you not, the snow was up to the window, and I was like, ‘what the hell am I doing here, this is crazy!”

“Another shock that I had was that people here don’t sugarcoat things -- they’re always very blunt. Back in Kentucky, I’d always say ‘yes, ma’am’ or super formal things like that, and here they’re like ‘no, we don’t do that here.’ So the weather and those small things with people are very different from what I was used to."

Beyond those few hiccups, though, Andrew has also cultivated special friendships at the Revs that have slowly made New England his home.

“I’ve become the third wheel with Matt [Turner] and his girlfriend. He asks me if I want to go to brunch, and I’m like, ‘I’m there, let’s go’”

“But both on and off the field, we’re just very competitive people, so we gravitate toward each other because of that. In training, we’re always pushing each other, and then off the field, we hang out a lot and just talk about what’s going on with us. It’s not only about soccer, but it’s just talking and being in that kind of unison. We vibe really well, and that just translates to when we play together. It’s great to have that with a teammate and a friend.”

Apart from his good relationship with Turner, Andrew has also taken over the role of mentor for his center-back partner, Henry Kessler. “He’s a baller, and he just has the tools to be one of the top center backs in the league -- if he’s not already. But he’s always willing to learn and improve. And he’s just super funny off the field. Our Instagram threads are crazy, and we just talk about anything and everything.”

One could say that those solid relationships in the New England backline were a key component to the Revolution breaking the MLS record for most points in the regular season this year and securing the club’s first-ever Supporters’ Shield.

“We checked off that major accomplishment as a group, but there’s still that big trophy that we want at the end of the road. The playoffs are gonna be fun, and people here will love it, even those that might not be big soccer fans. When you’re winning, and you’re in the playoffs, people will come and watch. It’s going to be fun, I really can’t wait,” says Andrew.

Still, while the playoffs loom on the horizon, it’s business as usual for Andrew. Hot tub in the mornings, ultra-competitive training with Matt [Turner], and a good dose of Peruvian food to top it off.

“I’ve been going to this really good place that I found in Boston called El Rincon Limeño. It takes me back to my time in Peru, and they treat you right. Lomo Saltado, Ceviche, and Aji de Gallina, that’s my fuel right there.”

If that’s what’s helped Farrell on his way to the Supporters’ Shield, we hope he doesn’t change anything until the end of the year.

Photography by Luke Stergiou.