Before Francisco “Pancho” Ginella ever stepped foot in Los Angeles, he reached out to fellow countryman Diego Rossi.
When a pandemic shutdown the MLS season and forced an entire city indoors, Ginella leaned on his friend once again.
At the start of 2020, the LAFC teammates participated in an Olympic qualifying tournament with Uruguay. Rossi was headed into his third season with the Black & Gold, Ginella was still waiting to meet the rest of his teammates for the first time since signing with LAFC just before the new year.
“Since we spent the beginning part of this year during the Pre-Olympic Tournament with our national team, he talked to me a lot about the Club and answered all my questions before arriving in LA,” Ginella said by phone. “We talked a lot about the talent on the team, about how the team always strives to compete for trophies and be near the top of the table. He played a huge role ahead and during my first few days with LAFC.”
Ginella and Rossi returned to LA, joining their teammates just days before the first competitive match of the year. Both started against León in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 in Mexico. A month later, the two friends found themselves sequestered and unsure when they’d resume playing together with their teammates again.
“When this all started, it was the day of the first leg of our game against Cruz Azul [in the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals], and at first, I didn’t know it was as serious as it turned out to be,” Ginella said. “But the first reaction was definitely shock and now it’s uncertainty because no one knows how long it will actually last.”
Fresh off arriving in a new city and country, Ginella found a sense of comfort and familiarity when Rossi offered to take the midfielder into his home during the crisis. The Uruguayans even recruited a third countryman to help set up a slice of back home in trying times.
“When it was decided that there weren’t going to be any games, I began with all the workouts and exercises provided to us by our technical staff. I also ended up going to Diego Rossi’s house after the first few days to stay with him,” Ginella said. “He was kind enough to welcome me into his home, especially after only being here in Los Angeles for a few weeks. It’s nice to not have to go through this on my own.”
Gastón Reyno, a mixed martial artist and fellow Uruguayan, joined Rossi and Ginella during the “Safer at Home” order. The three Uruguayans have been staying fit and training together. Despite the difference in sports, the three have found common ground by pushing each other.
“Well, Gastón sometimes trains with us and does a few exercises that we receive from our staff. In turn, we also try and help him with some of his workouts,” Ginella said. “It’s not the same, but there are certainly some correlations between our workouts. We try to do similar circuits, but it’s fair to say that he does a bit more heavy-lifting than we do.”
In addition to training with Rossi and Reyno, Ginella makes plenty of time to speak with family back in Uruguay.
“I speak to my family every single day and they have comfort knowing I’m not alone here,” Ginella said. “Thankfully, the situation in Uruguay is not as bad as it is in other parts of the world. Like here, they’re all working and staying at home, and most importantly, they’re all safe and healthy.”
Uncertainty still surrounds the MLS season. Ginella isn’t sure when he’ll be back with his teammates. But despite being in a strange place, he’s carved out a support system to help get through everything that is going on in the world.
“First and foremost, seeing what is happening all over the world. It’s tough to hear about all the deaths,” Ginella said. “I think it’s tough not being able to live our normal lives, but it’s a little bit better being around Diego and Gaston. Each of us push each other to get through some tough days.
“And obviously, speaking with my family is very comforting.”
