Where Are They Now: Hector Cantele
On a cool gray cloudy afternoon in a Memphis soccer park a young man dances between cones and a yellow soccer dummy to the firm but friendly instruction of his coach. This intricate ballet of ball passes between player and coach ends with the young man taking shot after shot on different goals. As the player settles into the training you can sense his skill and confidence growing.
The coach is Hector Cantele and the young man is one of the many students Hector trains as part of his company MAGIS Performance.
Hector is former Nashville Football Club player from 2015, when he displayed his skills and scoring prowess much to the delight of NFC fans. But it was a long road for Hector to get to Tennessee.
Hector was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He and his sister were raised in a loving household by parents who focused on giving their children a thirst for knowledge and, in his mother’s case, playing the piano. Hector, however, at a very early age discovered a passion of his own - soccer. He played for the love of the game and his joy was easy to see each time he stepped onto the pitch. In fact, Hector never heard the phrase “burnt out” until he came to the US.
By 15 he was approached by Caracas FC to play for their U16 team and after that first year he was offered a contract to play with the Caracas FC 1st team. At the same time, he was chosen to play for the Venezuelan U17 National Team and competed on Venezuela’s U17 World Cup squad against Japan and Russia. When he finished his secondary schooling after winning 6 titles and scoring 60 goals, he was faced with a decision: would he play professionally full time with the Caracas FC 1st team or continue his education? This is where the respect for knowledge that had been instilled in him by his parents proved to be the tipping point. As such, he looked for a place where he could continue his education while still playing soccer at a high level.
To help him on this path he reached out to a gentleman that he had played with at Caracas FC - Juan Guerra. Juan had played at Florida International University and was living in Miami at the time. (Sidenote: Juan is now coaching the USL team Indy 11.) Juan knew a coach at the University of Memphis and put Hector in contact, and the rest was history. After a freshman season when he led Memphis in scoring with 7 goals, Hector was named to the All AAC Freshman team. It was on the heels of this freshman performance that his best friend and Memphis teammate Alec Velez convinced Hector to join him playing for Nashville FC.
Hector’s time with NFC is full of good memories. He and his teammates (Alec, Roberto Pimental, Juan Avendano, and Guillermo Lazcano) had a great time exploring Nashville and like another teammate, Liam Collins, Hector greatly misses Roberto’s jokes and sense of humor. He loved playing in front of and celebrating with all the fans. His favorite match was versus Derby City when he scored on a header off a cross from Poly Avgousti and then later rifled a shot just inside the far post for his second goal of the evening.
Unfortunately, for a good portion of the remainder of Hector’s college career he battled injuries which kept him from the highs he achieved his freshman year and also prevented him from returning to Nashville until the summer of 2017. It was then that Hector made a successful return playing for NSC’s U23 squad for their one and only season.
Still, despite the injuries Hector’s college years proved fruitful. He graduated from Memphis with a degree in Business Administration while making the Dean’s list all four years.
With the heart of an entrepreneur, Hector combined his business and soccer passions to form MAGIS Performance, one of the premier soccer training academies in Tennessee. Headquartered in Memphis, MAGIS (which means doing “more” – as in for others or having great integrity), focuses on providing the most motivating, positive, and challenging environment to players in order to create a positive impact in their lives and help them both on and off the field.
His passion for the sport and those who come to him for training is clear. It is reflected in the way his players respond to him and grow in their skill. As a result, MAGIS Performance has quickly become the place to go in west Tennessee to enhance one’s game. Whether a player is just looking to work out some rough spots, striving to join an MLS academy system, or earn a college scholarship – MAGIS Performance can help them reach their goals. In fact, it was Hector who helped train David Zalzman – who was just selected by the Portland Timbers in the 2019 MLS draft.
In order to make any business successful it takes a lot work. Still, Hector wisely finds time for his girlfriend and for getting out to play for fun. He also recently set a new goal to try and run a 10k in under 40 minutes. Given his focused determination, he will undoubtedly achieve it.
Finally, Hectors asks that everyone keep Venezuela and its people in your prayers. While he no longer lives there, he still visits as often as he can. He loves his country but his heart breaks for the difficulties its people are facing. He is, however, comforted by knowing that there are selfless souls like his parents, who are both doctors, that strive each and every day to try and make the lives of the people who live there a little better.
If you would like to know more about Hector and MAGIS Performance, check out:
https://www.magisperformance.com/