One Year Later: Paul Arriola
It’s been a little over a year since we last caught up with FC Dallas forward Paul Arriola. Since then, he’s earned the captaincy of the team, there’s been a World Cup, and he’s enjoyed traveling with his teammates all over the US. With so much going on, we decided to send him a disposable camera at the start of the season to capture an unfiltered look at his life these days. After developing the photos, we sat down with him for a quick chat on his time in Texas, his mindset to overcome adversity, and his goals for 2023.
You’ve been over in Dallas for quite some time. How’s the city treating you?
Being here has been great, and this year has been particularly special. I think we’ve had almost all sellouts, so that’s huge for the club and for us players. Getting to play in front of a full house and seeing the support from the fans every week works wonders because it’s the best way to reward us for the effort we put in day in and day out.
What would you say has been the most enjoyable part of being there?
I think we’ve had a lot of team chemistry within our team that’s carried over from last year. We’re not a club that gets a lot of media hype – I think we only have one game on national TV this year – and we’ve embraced that and it’s made us lean on each other even more. It gives us an extra push and a chip on our shoulders. For us, it’s all about embracing each other and the fans. We’re a team that has really good chemistry on and off the field. We’re not very cliquey, and I think we’ve succeeded at being one cohesive group – which doesn’t happen often.
What about off the field? What’s your time in Dallas been like?
My wife and I have loved moving here. We’ve bought a home, and we’re building a pool right now, which is exciting. We’ve also been able to make new connections – not just in soccer but just in regular life being normal people.
We’ve had a lot of our family and friends come because it’s only a two-and-a-half-hour flight from California to visit us, which is different from what we’d experienced in the past. It’s special to be able to be close to family and have them come out for a weekend and catch a game. Dallas isn’t one of those cities that has big attractions that draw people in, so a lot of the time it’s down to the people and who you surround yourself with. Thankfully, my wife and I have always had each other, and we’ve been able to make great connections here in the city with my teammates, her coworkers, and family, so we have a good group of people around us.
With disposable cameras, you only have a set amount of photos that you can take. It really forces you to choose what moments to capture. What was that like for you?
Disposable cameras are really cool, and they’re very much in style. For me, I was just trying to capture everything I could. I think it gave me an opportunity to document the moments before and after traveling. Sometimes you’re so focused on the game itself that you really don’t stop to think about those moments on the road that are so special. I tried to capture whatever was in front of me and get my teammates in on the fun.
I’m glad I was able to capture our trip to LA because away trips are always fun. Jimmy Maurer and I will always go get coffee on matchday mornings, for example. We usually wake up pretty early and walk to any shop that’s around us. This time, we decided to grab our breakfast and walk over to the beach. We sat there for a little bit just taking in the view, and I thought it’d be the perfect moment to capture. It was so serene. When we were at the coffee shop, I also asked Jimmy to get a photo of me. So that’s me with my latte and my chocolate croissant. Absolutely essential on gamedays.
How did you choose what people to highlight?
I feel like our group is so connected, humble, and open that we all just have great relationships. Anyone can talk to anyone and we all joke around. I was walking on the bus with my camera, and just trying to capture those funny moments we have on the bus. I also wanted to be unpredictable and different, so I even got some shots of my head coach Nico. I just asked him to smile and I snapped a photo. I love that with any disposable camera, if you ask someone to smile, they’ll light up.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about these photos?
It’s funny because I feel like in today’s world, we’re always glued to our phones and obsessed with recording and taking photos. We’re not really present in the moment. I feel like when it comes to a disposable camera, you only get one shot, so you have to be part of the moment. You don’t get to do it again and again, so it makes capturing the moment really organic. This is exactly what was going on in those moments – you’re not making something up or redoing it a million times. It doesn’t take you away from the moment in a way, and I really enjoyed being able to experience that process on this trip.
You do get a lot of candid intimacy out of disposable cameras. We got to see a lot of what your life looks like thanks to it. Aside from everything you captured, what’s life like over there these days? What are you up to daily?
There’s a lot of the regular stuff that soccer players have to do. Waking up early, having a good breakfast, training, and getting treatment are all part of it. When I go home, I just like to hang out, and I’ve actually started playing a lot of golf this year. It does get a bit competitive with my teammates, but other than that, it’s just calm. Once our pool is ready this summer, I think my wife and I will be outside most of the time just relaxing in the afternoons.
Obviously, with building the pool it seems you’re putting down some roots. Do you see Dallas as a long-term home for you?
I think it definitely can be. It’s a place that my wife and I already see as a home, and we’ve created a lot of memories between just us too, and with other people. I give my wife a lot of credit because she did a really good job at making Washington DC feel like a home, and she did the same thing here as soon as we bought our house last year. Being in Dallas just feels warm and nice. It makes you want to be here and not look too far into the future. It makes you want to enjoy the present and not get too caught up in what’s gonna happen in the next few years. I really enjoy where we are. We really enjoy the city, the food, the people, and everything that comes with living here. Of course, it’s also great that we’ve had success as a soccer club as well, so it’s a win-win.
Speaking of the future, what are some of those goals that you have for this year?
I think after not being part of the World Cup squad – which was my goal for four years – I’ve had to learn to recenter. You have to reevaluate what your motivation is. After ending last year on a really tough note and kind of looking forward to this year, it was just about winning. I want to win a championship. I had a breakout season last year with Dallas, and I really enjoyed it, but my goals are a lot higher than that. I’ve started the season a bit slower than I would’ve liked, but there’s a lot of ground left to cover. I’m 28 years old, and I think for me now it’s all about winning. You don’t get a lot of opportunities to win something big as a professional. There are thousands and thousands of athletes that play their entire careers without winning anything. I’ve been fortunate enough to win a couple of things at the international level, but never at the club level. Now, I’m completely focused on our club and just putting the team in front of myself. Putting our team goals above my individual goals. At the end of the day, if you focus on your team goals and how you can help the team, naturally, you’re going to be better as an individual.
This year, I was named captain of the team, which I take a lot of pride in. It’s one of those things that act as a constant reminder to put the team first – to show up when your team needs you. I want to be that type of player for my team and be able to help all of us achieve a championship. I believe we have a team that really deserves it, and we have the ability to do so. It’s just a matter of execution.
You mention “recentering,” after the World Cup. I think many people have experienced disappointments where maybe they don’t reach that long-term goal they’ve had for years, and they struggle to cope and bounce back. How does one do that?
I think it’s about understanding that moments are just moments unless you allow them to be more than that. From a human aspect, I don’t define myself as a USMNT player or an FC Dallas player. I define myself as the person that I am off the field. Still, everyone has their own way of handling things. The way that I wanted to get over not going to the World Cup was just getting back on the field, continuing to play, and trying to enjoy it. I wanted that moment to pass so fast. Of course, I watched the World Cup, and I was cheering us on, but at the same time, I wanted the tournament to be over as fast as it could. I really just wanted to get back up, and I wanted to keep going because I feel like I’ve gone through harder things in life. Just being able to understand that I’ve gone through much worse really helped me in the moment. At the same time, it really helped me to focus on keeping going for myself, for my family, and for everything I’ve already accomplished. I was able to realize how far I’ve come, and how great it is to be in the position that I have been in. It just gave me a sense of gratitude and thankfulness. To me, it was a failure that I wasn’t there, but to others, I’m not a failure. People look at me as a national team player, as a leader, as a friend, as a motivator, all these different things. It was just about reacting in the right way to be able to use it as a message towards others who have had failures and kind of show that it’s vital – and possible – to recenter and focus on another goal.
I think a lot of times the strength to refocus and recenter comes from those around us.
I think one’s support system is crucial, for sure. My wife has obviously been my biggest supporter and the person that’s always been there for me. Just like with anything in life, the people that go through these adventures with you always end up feeling the heartbreak as much as you do – if not more. My wife and I have faced a lot of challenges in our relationship – with people in our families passing or people fighting cancer. I think both of us have that kind of understanding of reality that has helped us get through the World Cup situation because we’ve been through a lot harder. It sucks, but we really have gone through a lot harder, and we always have each other to lean on. At the end of the day, it’s not about Paul the soccer player, it’s about Paul the husband, the dog dad, the friend, the son. Just being me is more important than whether or not I failed or succeeded in making a World Cup.
I think one big thing that really helped me with that was just knowing that I did everything I could. I gave everything I had to put myself in that position. I think many people can relate to that feeling of ‘I did everything I could, but it just didn’t happen for a reason.’ It’s just kind of like living without regret and just knowing you did everything in your power to put yourself in that situation.
It’s one of those things that you just have to accept, and I’m happy that I don’t have to live with any regret about the way I handled anything over the past four years.
