F.C. Revolution

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Check Max, pictured with Blanco, during a recent Chicago Fire training session.

Max Ferdinand focused on what's ahead

The dynamic attacking player, Max Ferdinand, is ironically soft-spoken off the pitch, considering the unmistakable presence he has on it. He is shyly confident, a contradictory attitude he explains with ease and simplicity.

"I don't really rank myself with others. I just go out there and show my talent, that's it," declares Max. "Soccer means a lot to me. I don't really think about anything else when I play, I just go out there, perform, and have fun."

It's an outlook he's carried with him since he began playing. "Growing up in Haiti, soccer is the only sport you play. I started playing when I was seven, and it was all I wanted to do. My mom didn't want me to play, because in Haiti it's all about school, you have to be focused on studying. But I loved soccer, so I would sneak out all the time to go play."

Max moved to Brooklyn, New York with his dad in high school, where he stopped playing soccer briefly, and found his new surroundings uncomfortable. He eventually settled in Reading, Pennsylvania where he currently lives with his cousin, and is more at ease with the quiet lifestyle that suits his understated personality, and where his soccer playing has flourished again.

The reserved nature of the Haitian standout is a direct contrast with his soccer persona. Max wears bright, almost fluorescent yellow cleats, and a stylish winter hat that he hardly ever removes, theoretically to keep warm. His flashy skills have not gone unnoticed, he did well during a tryout with the Chicago Fire, before a groin injury prevented him from showing his talent at Bradenton.

"Things were going well with the Fire before the injury, but things worked out for the best since I'm here now." His positive thinking is one element of his personality that does manifest itself on the field, as he is often giving instructions and talking his teammates through the game.

"Of course, if others guys aren't playing well, you have to help push them on, and make sure that everyone is organized so that you play well and win as a team. Somebody has to talk to make that happen, so I like to do that and make everybody relaxed."

Max described the excitement and happiness of having his name announced as one of the four winners, and the satisfaction of getting to call his mom back in Haiti to share the good news, but he's more focused on what's to come next, a sign of the humble focus that helped get him where he is.

"I was excited, but it doesn't stop there. There's still a lot of work to do, so you got to move on and get ready for the next challenge."

For both Oussana and Max that challenge begins when they land in LA on April 8. They will be joined there by their fellow winners from D.C., Cesar Bazan, Manfredis Hernandez, and eight others to be chosen from Los Angeles and Chicago.