Diego Serna

Now in his fourth season with the Miami Fusion, Diego Serna has established himself as one of the premier talents in Major League Soccer. The 27-year-old Colombian’s level of play only seems to increase each season and at the rate he is going many great things are sure lie to ahead in his career. Right now, however, Serna has set his sights on one thing: the 2001 MLS title.

Serna began his professional career as a midfielder with Deportivo Tulua of Colombia's first division, scoring six goals in 1995. The following season he transferred to Deportivo Independiente Medellin. Serna spent two seasons with that powerful club and scored eight goals before making the move to the U.S. and Major League Soccer.

Switching from the midfield to forward with the Fusion, Serna has turned into a prolific goal-scorer. Thanks to his power and great bursts of speed, he scored 16 goals and had 10 assists during the 2000 season. As impressive as those numbers are, Serna looks set to easily pass both of them this season.

Eurosport’s Rachel Kolbinsky recently had the chance to talk with the MLS superstar at Kelme’s US headquarters in Miami. The Fusion forward was kind enough to take time out of his busy training schedule to answer a few questions about his career, his future, and the things he likes to do when not on the soccer field.

What do you think of the beaches in Miami?

The beaches in Miami are the best that there are to have a good time and to meet new girls.

Do you go to the clubs in South Beach a lot?

In South Beach and in downtown Miami, I like to go out on Thursdays and Fridays, but not every Friday because I have to rest when I have games on Saturday.

Do you dance well?

I dance a lot of Salsa. Merengue and Salsa are what I like.

Have you seen any of Miami’s famous celebrities like Jennifer Lopez or Gloria Estefan?

I might have had the chance to see them but they are not very big soccer fans and they like to keep a low profile.

And what do you do when you are not playing soccer?

Right now I have some business deals that I am working on, and besides that I train every afternoon. Otherwise, I work in the office with my business ventures. And then after that I like to go out to the movies, or I like to go eat at nice restaurants and meet new people.

And to dance salsa?

Yes!

What kind of car do you drive?

BMW X5.

Is that the ultimate car for you? Or would you choose another?

Right now it is the best for me. It is really fast and comfortable.

If you were not a professional player right now, what would you be doing?

I don’t know. I’d really like to go back to school. I think after I finish playing soccer I would like to study psychology.

Which sport is your favorite, besides soccer?

Apart from soccer, my favorite is basketball.

They play that in Colombia, right?

Yeah, they play there. It is a growing sport.

You have had a lot of success in your career in Colombia as well as in the US, do you think you would like to look for other challenges, such as in Europe perhaps?

For me, it is very important that I have played in Colombia. Then I moved up to the US to play soccer and I really enjoy it here. I have tried to be a good Colombian and represent my country well. Now the dreams that I have are to play in Europe and to play on the Colombian National Team.

So you haven’t played with the national team?

No, not yet.

You are from a country that is very famous for its coffee. Do you believe that the Colombian coffee really is the best in the world?

I think so. I have made it a custom to always drink a cup of coffee before a game to get motivated and to be one hundred percent.

What about those little cups of Cuban coffee that are so popular in Miami, do you like those as well?

It is really strong, but it is coffee all the same and I still drink it, but just in smaller amounts.

But Colombian coffee is still better?

Yes, I think so.

Do you think the Fusion have what it takes to win the MLS title this year?

Definitely. We have high ambitions and one of those is to end up as league champions. Lately we have been playing really well, and little by little our skills are improving and the energy level is going up. The energy is something that spreads throughout the team and it is contagious.

Outside of Miami which American city is your favorite?

New York, I am a person made for New York. It is the capitol of the world for me.

What were the biggest changes that you had to make in your game when you came to the MLS?

Well, there was a change to my soccer game, from one type of soccer to another. The biggest change coming to the US, however, was the change in cities. I think I have handled that pretty well because the soccer ended not being as hard to adjust to. I had to just deal mostly with learning about American culture.

What are your thoughts on the future of MLS?

It is a league that is growing, where they have been trying to do some good things. The people who have created it have had a good mentality, they have tried to do some big things but I think that one thing that is missing is their ability to sell the league to the public so that it grows a lot more.

And what about your future with the Fusion?

I have a contract that I have made with the league, and I have to respect it until the end of the year, until December 31^st. I would like to stay here and there are some things developing, but I do not have solid plans yet. Who knows, at any minute, something might come along.

Tell us what you like about your Kelme boots.

Besides the fact that I play really well in them, all the women are always asking me for my boots! They always say they are really nice and everyone around me is always asking for my shoes. They are all fascinated by such good-looking shoes. But most importantly, they are very comfortable and give me great traction.

Go to the Owen Interview
Go to the Irwin Interview
Go to the Guti Interview
Go to the Reyna Interview