Ezequiel Barco enjoying life in Atlanta

Barco recently talked to Muy Independiente Radio, a radio station that covers his former club, Independiente, in Argentina.

When the 19-year-old Argentine first got to Atlanta he didn’t know what expect but he was quickly helped by some teammates that may know a couple of things about moving to a new country:

“I didn’t know what to expect, I got here and it was amazing, the city, the club, the stadium. The fan atmosphere is great, I’m very happy here. Miguel and Leandro helped me a lot when it came to getting an apartment and a car, that made it easier for me to adapt faster.”

Having teammates that have recently moved from South America also has help him settle quite well in the Atlanta United locker room:

“Here I have several Argentine teammates that make me miss Argentina less. We listen to music in the locker room, we drink Mate, we always have fun.”

When asked about the language barrier, the Argentine playmaker said he’s already learning English:

“Every Tuesday I have a teacher who gives me English classes, its hard but my teammates help by teaching me the basic words, so we can understand each other on the field.”

The sky is the limit for the MLS record signing. He’s clearly enjoying life off and on the field in Atlanta, but he knows that in the future he’s going to move again to a bigger city, bigger league and possibly playing with the Argentina national football team... but he doesn’t want to talk about all that just yet.

“I’m not thinking too far ahead, I’m focusing on the present with Atlanta United. But the idea is to stay here for a couple of seasons and then hopefully go to Europe. I always think about defending Argentina’s shirt, it’s dream for every player, but I know I have to keep working hard to achieve that.”

In his conversation, Barco admitted that there hasn’t been much discussion of the World Cup in America — at least not in comparison to his native Argentina — no doubt down to the fact that the American team is not in the competition. He explained a little more about his role in the team and the league.

“We’re basically playing a 5-3-2, I’m playing behind the number 9, Josef Martinez... Playing against Ibrahimović and David Villa was a great experience, they are top players.”