The legendary Spanish soccer coach Vicente del Bosque once famously said of midfielder Sergio Busquets, another all-time great, “You watch the game, you don’t see Busquets. But if you watch Busquets, you’ll see the whole game.”
That perfectly encapsulates the subtle genius of the former Barcelona, now Inter Miami, holding midfielder. Practically nothing Busquets does is highlight-worthy. He’s rarely credited with an assist and practically never scores. He impacts the game in a different way, through impeccable vision, pseudo-psychic anticipation, and metronomic passing.
Busquets is one of one, though there are players who emulate his impact. The prototypical No. 6, they are soccer’s great rhythm guitarists, always in complete control of the tempo and harmony, allowing those around them to shine in the spotlight.
Austin FC found theirs in Ilie Sánchez.
A relatively unheralded free agent signing early in the club’s record-spending offseason, Sánchez was masterful in debut during Austin FC’s 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City to open the MLS season. In true Busquets-ian fashion, his impact was in the background. Though he recorded 0.0 expected goals and assists for the match, Sánchez touched the ball more often and completed more passes than anyone during his 78 minutes on the pitch. When Austin had possession, Sánchez was either distributing the ball or getting himself in perfect position to receive it, seemingly thinking multiple passes ahead each time.
His presence opened things up for teammates, particularly fellow midfielders Dani Pereira and Owen Wolff.
“It’s very easy to play with [Ilie],” Pereira told WAATV in Spanish after the match. “He makes my job much easier than what I was doing playing in his position [last year]. And knowing that I have someone that I can trust won’t lose the ball, makes it very easy.”
There’s a reason Sánchez’s game mirrors Busquets’. Prior to becoming one of Major League Soccer’s most consistent midfielders with Kansas City and LAFC, Sánchez was a fixture of FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, following in the footsteps of legendary midfielders Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, and Busquets.
“His understanding of the game is different.” – Austin FC coach Nico Estévez on Team Captain Ilie Sánchez
Though Sánchez never appeared in a competitive match for the Blaugrana’s senior team, the club entrusted him as captain of the Barcelona B reserve team, where he practiced the art of “tiki taka” next to future Champions League winners Sergi Roberto and Thiago Alcantara. In training, he’d often scrimmage against the senior team and their triumvirate of legends, learning from some of the best to ever touch a soccer ball. The result is a soccer IQ worthy of Mensa.
“His understanding of the game is different,” Austin FC coach Nico Estévez said of Sánchez. “Every movement that he makes is the right movement to make.”
As much as Sánchez has been a stabilizing presence on the pitch throughout his career, he’s been that and more off it. The Spaniard has captained just about every club for which he’s played. When Austin’s two previous captains, Alex Ring and Sebastián Driussi, departed in the offseason, Sánchez was the obvious choice to take the armband. But his leadership approach seems to have less to do with his own voice, and more to do with giving voice to the entire locker room.
“I have not been in a team that has so many strong characters within the group,” Sánchez said. “I think that if we can get all those characters and personalities out there and fight … altogether as a team, we can only expect good things coming our way.”
It bears remembering that Sánchez is 34, the oldest player on the team – a fact Sánchez says goalkeeper Brad Stuver lovingly needles him about on a daily basis. He logged a full 90 minutes in just 12 of 31 matches with LAFC last season. He’s not a workhorse at this stage of his career. Nor is he a defensive eraser, averaging less than two tackles per 90 minutes a season ago. But when Austin has Ilie on the pitch and the ball at his feet this season, chances are good things will happen. Even though you might not notice them.
This article appears in February 28 • 2025.
