Michael Videira would be the last person to tell you that he could emerge from the 2005 season as the best collegiate soccer player in the nation.
“I don’t really know,” he confessed when asked if he could win the Hermann Trophy, which is awarded to the best player in the nation at the end of each year. “I know that I’ve played with a lot of good players so it’s tough to say.”
However, after being showered with accolades following a final four season in which the sophomore was named 2004 Soccer America and ACC Freshman of the Year, he doesn't have to say a word.
“His actions do all the talking for him, just the way he carries himself,” Videira’s teammate Tim Jepson said. “He’s so intense, his intensity gets us on fire.”
Quiet and unassuming off the field, the sophomore from a small high school in Milford, Mass. simply enjoys hanging out with friends and teammates while away from soccer.
“He’s a goofball, a really mellow guy,” Jepson, his roommate, said. “We laugh at each other.”
However, Vedeira becomes an offensive sparkplug once he dons a Duke soccer uniform. In his first season as a Blue Devil, the midfielder led the ACC’s second ranked offense in assists with 15 and was a key figure in Duke’s run to the final four.
“If we were down or our backs were to the wall, he’d make some outstanding plays,” Danny Miller said. “He’s a game-changer.”
Though only a sophomore, Videira’s work ethic and intensity has helped him to emerge as a quiet leader on a team that remains heavily laden with underclassmen.
“We all really respect him, especially as a player,” Miller said. “He makes a lot of other players more competitive. He goes about it quietly, but he gives everything up on the field. It’s inspirational and we use him to push ourselves, especially when things aren’t going our way.”
Vedeira remains humble about his accomplishments and his role on the team, but understands the important impact that he has on his teammates.
“When I’m on the field I’ll be vocal, but otherwise I just like go along with it,” Videira said. “The captains are mainly the ones that will be vocal and take a leading role.”
Leadership, I guess, is leading by example. I’m just trying to do my best, but other people can feed off of me.”
Despite the successes of last season, Videira knows that he must continue to focus and earn his place among the elite soccer players in the nation yet again. More of a passer last season, the former midfielder expects to push up the field this year and play more of an attack position. Videira should have the opportunity to be more of an active scorer and increase his tally of four goals in 2004.
“I mean obviously people have expectations of me coming back for this season,” he said. “I just have to prove myself again.”
Sarah Kwak contributed to this story.
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