‘In every way it made sense’: Veteran forward Luis Gil discovers a family fit with Spokane Velocity
The Marlin and Dory figurines were perched on a “Finding Nemo”-themed birthday cake as Luis Gil’s wife Salua put the finishing touches on Luis Jr.’s first birthday party preparations in January.
Gil’s family of three was spending its soccer offseason in California after spending two seasons with the Union Omaha of United Soccer League’s League One.
Before the party could begin, his phone lit up: His agent had a potential next opportunity for Gil’s soccer journey – Spokane and its new USL entry, the Velocity FC.
But it was time to celebrate his son first, so the news and the final decision could wait.
After discussing it with his wife later that day, and taking the weekend to decide, they agreed: The Inland Northwest would be their next destination.
Gil was officially announced for the Spokane USL League One expansion team on Jan. 22.
“I think everybody wanted Luis in the league, to be honest,” Velocity FC head coach Leigh Veidman said. “He fit the profile I was looking for.”
Gil and Veidman had a conversation about goals and ambitions – something Veidman said Gil had in abundance – and the connection was immediate.
“He connected on the personal side and of course on the playing side,” Veidman said. “In every way it made sense.”
Veidman said Gil’s vast and quality playing resume speaks for itself.
“From the personal side, he’s a great human being,” Veidman said. “Off the field, he’s a fantastic guy.”
But the powerful connections didn’t matter if it didn’t make sense for Gil and his family.
It came down to his son. When asked about his son, Gil’s face lights up while he leans back.
“I gotta have my boy,” he said.
Gil had hoped to settle into a place where he felt he could raise his son and be comfortable doing so.
His son’s birth just over a year ago has provided Gil with a fresh perspective on life and his career. Everything changed overnight.
“I love them, love them to death, man,” Gil said of his son and wife. “It’s an experience for me. It’s something that I’ve loved, and I never thought would come so quickly for me. He’s my motivation for doing better whether it’s in soccer, or just in life in general.”
Gil has enjoyed his month-plus in town. His appreciation of the outdoors, with its serenity and fresh air, is only trumped by his family.
“It is my first time to Spokane, and it is a beautiful city,” Gil said.
Gil considers himself a simple man when it comes to where he lives because he doesn’t value the typical city vibes. He’d rather be surrounded by mountains and water than a bustling cityscape.
Once the weather fully flips to spring, he will spend his free time hiking the miles of trails and exploring the lakes and rivers around the area.
His first adventures will revolve around fishing, which is what he and his dad would do when he was younger. It was more of just casting a line and waiting for the fish to bite. Gil found he enjoys more action while fishing, and he’s searched for the best spots as he travels from city to city throughout his career.
“It kind of grew on me to do a little bit of bass fishing, a little bit more live action and stuff like that, being in the rivers,” he said.
Spokane already feels like home, he said, and he loves the local feel the city has flashed.
“I’m very comfortable here,” he said. “And I’m loving every single moment of it so far.”
The location is also perfect for his family in California to make a quick flight up the coast.
“The older I get, the more I appreciate my family,” Gil said. “And the more I want to be close to family. This was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up on.”
For a few years, he was about as far away from his family as he could be.
The beauty of sports in general is where it takes you. For Gil, that has been to every corner of the United States and to the Czech Republic for his club career and a few spots around the globe in his international career.
Being a kid from Orange County, California, Gil never imagined he would be living in Prague, playing soccer for one of the oldest clubs in Czech Republic – FK Viktoria Žižkov. He followed that up by playing a season for FC Silon Táborsko.
“I did it for the love of the game and I wanted to be in Europe, to have that opportunity,” he said.
Prague became one of his favorite cities – it’s where he grew the most as a professional and where he became more cognizant of the pressures he faces as an athlete.
As a kid, he first began to dip his toes into the world of professional soccer as he signed a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer in 2010.
Generation Adidas is a partnership between MLS and U.S. Soccer, designed to foster the level of young professional soccer talent in the states.
The GA decision brought outside noise from U.S. Soccer fans and supporters.
In 2010, Gil had just turned 16, but more important to the United States, he was seen as a part of the next great wave of U.S. soccer players, following former GA athletes Clint Dempsey (2004), Michael Bradley (2004), Tim Howard (1998), and Gil’s teammate future teammate, Kyle Beckerman.
Gil was one of 14 players to sign a GA contract at age 16, and the third youngest in history. No one 16 or younger has signed since Gil.
Freddy Adu was the youngest to sign, as a 14-year-old in 2004.
These contracts and the press that follows put tremendous weight and expectations on the shoulders of kids who are just old enough to drive, but it also opens doors at a much younger age.
An ESPN story titled “Gil could be the next best thing” was written in 2010 and chronicled the early life of the U.S. international.
“In the moment, I don’t think I really realized what it meant, I was super young,” Gil said. “I can say, I’m fortunate to be blessed with that opportunity at such a young age, especially here in the United States, where the majority of players are getting drafted after college at 20 to 23 years old.”
Gil rejected a career overseas – from teams such as Arsenal – and spurned teams in Mexico, for a domestic start.
He started in the Midwest, where he was drafted in 2010 by the Kansas City Wizards, but a trade sent him west to Real Salt Lake a day later for a second-round draft pick, an international roster spot and a portion of future transfer fees if Gil was sold to an foreign club.
Real Salt Lake’s general manager at the time – Garth Lagerway –went on to lead Seattle Sounders FC through its heyday between 2015 and 2022.
His first head coach was Jason Kreis, who is the head coach of the U.S. under-23 team.
“(Lagerway and Kreis) kind of kept that pressure off of me and kind of let me just flourish and learn as well,” Gil said. “I was a kid at the time. I was a teenager.”
He leaned on Beckerman, one of the feistier players in U.S. history, who was the captain of Salt Lake. He finished his career with 58 appearances – or caps – for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
“This is what it takes to be at the top level,” he said in playing with Beckerman, Robbie Findley and Álvaro Saborío.
“They were always leaders for me,” Gil said. “Sometimes guys are going to be hard on me as part of the game. They expect me to be at their level. And these guys, they were always there behind me to be that support system as well.”
Gil appeared in 134 games for Real Sale Lake between 2010 and 2015, reaching the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League final, the 2012 U.S. Open Cup Final and the MLS Cup semifinals in 2012.
In that time, he had 64 U.S. caps, including two for the USMNT.
“It’s a journey, for sure,” Gil said. “And then being part of the World Cups at a youth level, when you look back on it, you’re like, ‘Oh, my God. How many can say they even had the opportunity to put that jersey on?’ I am very fortunate I was able to do that and something that I’m very happy that I was able to be a part of.”
His first senior appearance was a 2-0 victory in a friendly against South Korea in Carson, California, at the StubHub Center (now Dignity Heath Sports Park).
Gil was born in Garden Grove, a 25-minute drive from the stadium.
“Having family there to watch it and witness it was a spectacular feeling,” he said. “And that was my motivation from there.”
Gil, the 10th signing in Spokane Velocity history, will wear the No. 10 jersey for Velocity FC, the same number he wore for Real Salt Lake and for the U.S.
The No. 10 traditionally operates in a role between the backline of the defense and the forwards. They’re termed magicians because of their technical abilities in tight areas and skill to advance the ball in a way that benefits the attack.
“They’ve got to be really creative in those moments and find ways to start the attack and/or continue an attack,” Veidman said. “It takes a very sharp and quick mind from a football perspective.”
Veidman agreed that Gil was the man for the job in the middle of Spokane’s squad to help produce goals and assists from that position.
“He is arguably up there as one of the best No. 10s in the league,” Veidman said. “He brings a very high level to our team … he is a connector, he is the magician between the lines, but he’s also a producer.”
Velocity FC will take the pitch for its first game in franchise history at 4 p.m. Saturday at Greenville (South Carolina) Triumph SC. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
It has been a quick road for the expansion team, which has been constructed within the past two months.
“It’s been somewhat of a short preseason for us,” Gil said. “We’re itching for that first game. I know we want to hit the ground running. We’re ready for this, and all the guys are prepared for day one.”
Gil has the opportunity to share his experience and knowledge of the game into this fledgling project.
“Now I feel like I’ve taken on a role where I’m kind of a leader for the team,” Gil said. “I have to be a leader for the young guys, and also show it out on the field. I’m not just here just because of the name or just because of the experience, I still have to put on a performance and do my job just like everybody else.”
The expectations are to win, and the 30-year-old Gil provides the perfect blend of flair and seniority to make that happen.