“It Brings Back Memories”: William Yarbrough Soaks up Time in Home Country During Rapids’ Preseason

January 26, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Colorado Rapids News Release

Less than four hours from where the Rapids’ are currently preparing for the 2023 season, the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico remembers a young William Yarbrough who once played in its streets, dreaming of becoming a professional soccer player.

The Mexican goalkeeper and back-to-back Liga MX champion returned to the country that raised him and advanced his career earlier this month when Colorado embarked on a weeks-long preseason trip to Querétaro.

Yarbrough was born and raised in Aguascalientes. Day in and day out as a child, he played baseball and soccer, Mexico’s two most popular sports, before deciding to stick with soccer when he was about five years old.

The goalkeeper was one of thousands of youth players dreaming of turning soccer into their career, but it was a goal he fought hard for.

He finished his homework as soon as possible to get out on the streets to play with friends. He begged his parents to get up early and take him to games so he could be the first one there. The ‘keeper finally saw his talent and efforts pay off when he left home at 15 years old to join the academy of C.F. Pachuca, where his training between the sticks earned him a spot on Club León’s first team just five years later.

After relegation in 2002, León returned to Mexico’s top flight in the 2012-13 season. Yarbrough went on to win the Apertura in 2013 and Clausura in 2014 with the historic club.

The Rapids’ training stint in Querétaro is the first time the ‘keeper has played on Mexican soil since leaving León in 2020.

“[Querétaro’s] only a couple of hours away from León. It brings back memories. It does make me a little nostalgic,” he said. “I grew up in Mexico, and I love everything about it. Obviously, we have a little bit better weather than we have in Denver right now, we have altitude, which is great for preseason training. The food is great, the facility where we’re training is great, and the way that people have treated us is exactly what I expected.”

Yarbrough has trained at the facility the Rapids are currently using and played each of Colorado’s preseason opponents before in his career. He’s also used to the high levels of physicality and intensity seen from Mexican teams. Playing Celaya, Mineros and Querétaro will give the Rapids a good expectation of what’s to come in Leagues Cup play this year, he said.

While the feelings of nostalgia on the pitch are undeniable for Yarbrough,…