Rising and shining in Chile

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This article was published 10/05/2021 (1800 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not often you see two members of the same family go on to play professional soccer, especially if they’re from the Great White North. A family from the Maples has proven it’s not impossible.

You’ve likely heard the name Marco Bustos. After starring for his hometown club Valour FC in 2019, Marco took his talents out west and joined Pacific FC where he cemented himself as one of the best players in the Canadian Premier League. The 25-year-old attacking midfielder was a finalist for the league’s MVP trophy a year ago.

In case you haven’t heard, Marco’s little sister Melissa is quite the midfielder herself. But her rise to the professional ranks has had more twists and turns than her brother’s.

Melissa, 22, is making a name for herself in Chile playing for Fernandez Vial. After two years playing U Sports soccer for the UBC Thunderbirds, Melissa was offered an opportunity in January 2019 to attend a Chilean senior women’s national team camp for two weeks as their dad, Alex, is originally from the South American country.

It was supposed to be a two-week deal — a unique opportunity for her to develop, nothing more, nothing less. Well, plans change and those two weeks have turned into two years and Melissa hasn’t been home since — but it wasn’t because the camp went well for her. Quite the opposite. One week into it, she tore the ACL in her left knee, an injury she first suffered two years earlier that sidelined her for her freshman season at UBC.

“I was very scared of what was next, but luckily the national team really took the initiative. They sent me for an MRI the exact same day I tore it… The next week, I end up getting my surgery on Valentine’s Day,” Melissa said in a Zoom interview.

“It was super, super fast from one week to the next and I was like ‘Well, I can’t get this attention in Canada because of the healthcare system.’ With my first ACL tear, I had to wait four months for my surgery. I’d rather be four months ahead instead of four months of waiting. My dad happened to be here in Chile as well. He rescheduled his flight to be here for my surgery and that helped. I didn’t feel alone.”

Melissa stayed in Chile after the surgery. Melissa went to a rehab clinic Monday through Friday and had everything taken care of, courtesy of the Chilean national team. Fast forward to the end of the year: just as Melissa was nearing the end of her rehab and ready to finally return home, she was offered a contract by one of the top clubs in the country, Santiago’s Colo-Colo. Melissa talked to her family and they supported her decision to stay once again. But her rookie season in the Campeonato Nacional Femenino wasn’t what she hoped as the pandemic forced the league to cut down to a tournament format. Not yet fully fit, Melissa saw only 15 minutes of action in six games. Her contract expired in February and the clock was ticking to find a new club for 2021.

At the last minute, her agent secured her a deal with a club south of Santiago — Fernandez Vial. Two weeks later on May 1, Bustos was in the starting 11 in her debut match and scored a goal on a free kick — her first as a professional.

“I have to tell you, she’s been very strong. I really thought she wasn’t going to play at a high level again after the second injury,” said Alex, who coached Marco, Melissa and their older brother Michael when they were young, in a phone interview.

“But seeing her come back from two injuries, two surgeries, and fighting, fighting and fighting, she’s opening new doors and I don’t see her giving up. She’s proven to me she really wants this and overcoming those two injuries, to me, that’s more of an (accomplishment) than anything.”

For Melissa, the goal was a culmination of years and years of hard work and a sign she’s capable of following in her brother’s footsteps.

“As kids, going to our dad’s games we’d play with each other at halftime. Whenever we had the opportunity, we’d play in the basement of our house together. We would always play soccer together and just try to have fun. As we got older, we obviously took it a little more seriously. We’d train a lot together and we’d go to the gym whenever he was home. He was very young when he left for the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program, I think only 14 or around there. From there I was like ‘Well, I’d like to do the same one day,’” she said.

“Him leaving, it was obviously hard for me as a sister… Marco is like my best friend. Not just because he’s my brother, but he’s somebody that I really look up to personally and soccer-wise. He’s a good role model for me as somebody who has a tremendous work ethic on and off the field so I try to learn as much as possible from him.”

Now that Melissa is back to feeling 100 per cent, she’s hoping she can put up some big numbers this season and get another shot with the Chilean national team. The women’s game is making tremendous strides in the country, making their first appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019 and last month they qualified for the Tokyo Summer Olympics — another first for the program. It isn’t, however, the only thing driving Melissa. She’s motivated to become a role model for girls back home and wants to show them that being a pro is possible, so long as they’re willing to go the extra mile and work through any obstacles.

“Growing up, there aren’t many role models in soccer. I always heard of Desiree Scott from Winnipeg, but other than her, I didn’t have any women to look up to,” Melissa said.

“I always looked up to my brother, to be honest, but to be a women’s role model to those young athletes would be awesome. But to be that role model, I need to continue to develop and grow as a player and show that one can professionalize in a sport if they really wish and they put the work in.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31