University of North Carolina Athletics
Amato: Farfan's Calming Influence
December 2, 2010 | Men's Soccer
Dec. 2, 2010
by Neil Amato, TarHeelBlue.com -
Stats don't do Michael Farfan justice. When "calming influence" and "pass before the pass" become official measurables, then he might really stand out for the UNC men's soccer team.
Farfan's numbers are valuable, without a doubt. The Tar Heels wouldn't be playing for a trip to their third consecutive College Cup without Farfan's ability to create scoring chances for others and for himself at key moments.
It is his intangible ability to slow the game down, to create amid chaos that makes him indispensible for Coach Elmar Bolowich's team.
"When games get a little bit hectic, he's our stabilizing factor," Bolowich said.
The Tar Heels recognize it, and so do outsiders, even though Farfan is second on the team in goals and tied for fourth in assists. On Thursday, Farfan was named one of 15 semifinalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which goes to the nation's top player. The winner is announced Friday, Dec. 10, the day of the national semifinals in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Southern Methodist visits UNC on Friday at 7 p.m., with the winner getting that West Coast reward. For the 16-3-3 Tar Heels, another College Cup trip would be significant. The trip to SoCal would also be meaningful for Farfan, who created his reputation there and played two years in the Big West Conference. He has a comfort level with Santa Barbara, for many reasons.
"It would be awesome to go play in California," he said. "I've played there a couple times. They were in my conference. It's an awesome stadium, awesome atmosphere."
The weather should be warmer, and Farfan will get the opportunity to play in front of his family. Mom Kathy Ollier saw her son play in person only a few times as a Tar Heel, so she would relish this chance to get in a car instead of hopping across three time zones on a plane.
Farfan is critical to UNC because he knows the strengths of those around him. He's the point guard who understands when to make a bounce pass or drive to the basket himself, when to push the tempo or regroup. Give Farfan the ball at his feet, and good things are bound to happen for the Tar Heels.
"When you give him the ball, chances are, we're still going to connect through him," Bolowich said. "He's going to give it to somebody else, or he's making something happen. On top of that, he can also score some nice goals."
UNC won its first outright ACC regular-season title, going 7-0-1 in league play in what is regarded as the best conference in the country for men's soccer. Farfan had the winning goal or the assist on the game-winner in five matches (he missed one because of an ankle injury). That just about accounts for all his five goals and three assists. On senior night, with his mother having made the trip just to be there, he surprised her by coming back early from the ankle injury, and then scored the first goal in a 2-0 victory over Clemson.
"I didn't think he was playing," Ollier said. "There was no way. We were down on the field, and he whispered in my ear, `Mom, by the way, I'm gonna play.'"
The desire to just get out and kick a ball around has been Farfan's idea of fun for close to 20 years. He got his start in a YMCA league in Chula Vista, Calif., where those first, 4-year-old opponents had to be seeing double. Farfan has a twin brother, Gabriel, who now plays professionally for the Mexican team Club America.
Gabe and Mike played one-on-one in the back yard, they played on club teams together, they played in residence for U.S. national age-group teams, and they both went to Cal State Fullerton. After two college seasons, they thought they'd investigate pro soccer.
Gabe made it; for his brother, the timing wasn't right, but Farfan wanted to step up his level of play, and he knew of the ACC's reputation.
"I wanted to see what I could do in the league and see if I could make a career out of soccer after college," he said.
Kirk Urso, a UNC midfielder who had competed against Farfan in national team training, understood the skill set Farfan brought to Chapel Hill.
"I knew he was a great player," Urso said. "Everything he's done, I've expected it. I see it every day in practice."
When Farfan missed a handful of late-October games with the ankle injury, other Tar Heels had to take on different roles. Enzo Martinez, a first-rate goal-scorer, suddenly had more quarterbacking and less pass receiving to do. It wasn't his thing, so he welcomed Farfan back to the lineup.
"Any ball that goes to Michael, you don't really think twice, `Is he going to win it or not?'" Martinez said. "You know he's going to get that ball ... and we're going to play (through) him. It takes so much off you, where you know you have a guy when things get tough, he's always three steps ahead of the whole game. That's what makes him the best player I've played with. He's just so smart."
Farfan likes being the guy in charge, but he acts very much like a guy who doesn't want to take the credit. He downplays his skills, a fact that didn't surprise Bob Ammann, his coach at Cal State Fullerton.
"He's so humble, and a very, very good kid," Ammann said. "I'm confident when he's done kicking a soccer ball, he'll be good at whatever he decides to do."
Farfan won't talk about how good he is, but he will talk about the effect he can have, the way he can control a game without piling up goals and assists.
"I'd like to think of myself as the creator, the quarterback of the team," he said. "I like to get the ball and create stuff, keep everyone calm. I like to control possession.
"I'd say I'm pretty calm. I'd like to think that I don't get too riled up in pressure. I think it's something that a team needs, to make sure everyone's on task, make sure no one's freaking out too much or putting too much pressure in their head. If the game's getting a little hectic, we need someone to control it. I enjoy being that person."
