Uri Rosell is a busy man these days, what with CONCACAF Champions League and MLS Cup playoffs on the brain. I caught up with him to get the easy answers: His favorite foods, his favorite musicians, and why Peter Vermes could easily take on a bear. Check it out!
Jamila St. Ann: When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up, outside of sports?
Uri Rosell: I wanted to have my own business, my own company. That’s why I’m learning English and I speak it well. Next year I will start at the university to learn more. Football, soccer, is my life but you have to have other plans because you never know what will happen.
JS: So you like music. If you were a performer, what would stage or band name be?
UR: That’s tough. It depends who would be in the band with me.
JS: In your video series “Uri Rosell: Music Critic”, people were surprised that you like Phil Collins. What other artists would they be surprised you liked?
UR: Bon Jovi maybe because of my age, maybe. I’m a little young for this kind of music. I like Bon Jovi and I like jazz. I like the kind of music that, maybe in Europe, isn’t popular.
JS: What scares you?
UR: A lot animals! Snakes scare me. Big spiders. It’d scare me if I found one where it wasn’t supposed to be. I don’t want to see those. And sometimes food! Weird foods, foods I’ve never seen before, I stay away from those things too.
JS: If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
UR: Ham. Spanish ham. I would pick that. You can’t find it anywhere except in Spain. It’s delicious.
JS: What do you like most about Kansas City?
UR: A lot of things! Parks, good places to go, but I like most the people. They are so sweet and have a lot of patience with me. When I arrived, I couldn’t speak English and they helped me. They were all nice. It’s like a family.
JS: When you go on a trip, what do you make sure you always have with you?
UR: I’d like to make sure that my family comes. That’s the most important part. The material things I bring are my phone and headphones. I always bring ideas too! To have things to do there.
JS: If you could be any animal, what animal would you be?
UR: Hmmm. (Fitness Coach Mateus Manoel enters). Mate, ¿puedo ser un animal, qué animal sería?
Mateus Manoel: ¿Yo?
UR: Yo.
MM: ¿Tu?
UR: Sí, si yo fuera un animal…
MM: Well, I would be a lion. He’d be a squirrel. both laugh
UR: No…
MM: He’d need to be an animal that gets surprised often.
UR: Pequeño pero efectivo.
MM: Small but effective.
JS: Chinchilla?
UR: No! Something more fierce.
MM: What animal hides, then attacks?
JS: Foxes?
MM: A fox. I like a fox for him. Fast, agile.
JS: Red hair, like Uri.
UR: Okay, a fox.
JS: Last question: who would win in a wrestling match between Peter Vermes and a grizzly bear?
UR: laughs I don’t know! Peter is a very strong guy. It depends. Maybe if Peter is angry, then he would definitely win.
