In his first professional season, Noe Meza had a banner year with Union Omaha. Not only did he lead the club in goals, but he also led the way in assists, shots and shots on target. He was also a key contributor to the club’s historic US Open Cup campaign, scoring against MLS side Chicago Fire and fellow USL League One club Northern Colorado Hailstorm. His name was also found on the Team of the Week list three times, as well as Player of the Week on one occasion. With all of the statistics, film and accolades pushing him into the limelight, you might think his attitude would be affected. Not even in the slightest. After sitting down with Meza, as well as supporting interviews with both of his college coaches, I learned of the incredibly humble human being that is Noe Meza. The stories I heard shifted the entire angle of this story because Union Omaha fans deserve to know about the special presence within the locker room.
From the beginning, Seattle University men’s soccer Head Coach Pete Fewing knew Meza was a special recruit. “He’s incredibly humble,” Coach Fewing recalled. “…that here’s a great one.” After listing off Meza’s athletic qualities, Fewing immediately jumped into one of his favorite stories.
“We had end-of-the-year meetings with players and we asked the players, ‘Who do you admire on the team?’ Five guys had Noe Meza and he was a redshirt freshman. He wasn’t playing on the team. He was training with the team, but he wasn’t playing in games and we’ve never had that before.” Even while recovering from an injury and not seeing any playing time during what became his redshirt freshman year, Meza still found a way to make an immediate impact on his team. “That’s the character and the class and quality of Noe Meza,” Fewing said.
When Meza was asked when that mindfulness and perseverance began, he mentioned his high school years. “I guess…starting with high school I was not putting too much pressure on myself,” Meza began. “I guess the mentality going into it was making the most of the situation I found myself in and then doing everything on my part that I could control. After that, just seeing what would happen. I guess ever since I’ve implemented that way of approaching goal setting, it’s been working out.”
Once Meza was healthy enough to take the field, Seattle University Assistant Coach Nate Daligcon noticed his swift ability to lead the team on the field, as well. “He kind of just kept improving, kept improving,” Daligcon said. “He was improving each year in terms of either getting stronger, better on the ball and more confidence in finishing.” His year-by-year statistics support this, as well. By the time Meza graduated from Seattle University, he was exponentially better in shots, shots on goal, goals and assists.
Coach Fewing also mentioned how Meza’s leadership was taking shape as he advanced through the program. “He and I became sort of partners,” Fewing revealed. “He’d been here long enough that he knew what we were expecting and knew what we wanted out of players.” Meza lived up to Fewing’s initial impression of being “a great one,” stating that “he was a pro before he got to Omaha, for sure.” This led to another interesting development about Meza.
While other college students may be getting summer jobs, internships or vacationing between academic years, Coach Fewing revealed how Meza spent his summer months. “His mom cleans houses and when he goes home, he helps his mom clean houses,” Fewing said. “He’s not afraid of doing any kind of work.” In that same line of questioning, Fewing praised the Meza household. “His parents are really terrific, good-hearted, kind people.”
Meza’s offseason plans after the 2022 season weren’t far off from his previous seasons. “When I’m back home, definitely just hanging around with family,” Meza said. “And then on the weekends, I’ll go to church, too.” Noe said his church is important to him. It’s where he’s able to express himself musically, as well. According to his bio on the Seattle University website, Meza plays bass, guitar, piano, and drums for his church.
Outside of his family, church, and music, Meza has a few plans for his downtime in the coming season. He likes listening to podcasts and is trying to read more books. “I was in school for so long, it’s just something that I’m used to – reading and stuff,” Meza said. Right after saying that, he also said that psychology is a particular interest to him. There was also the mention of experimenting with artificial intelligence in the offseason, allowing him to put his engineering degree to good use. “[It’s] blowing my mind.”
There was virtually no effort needed in discovering the kind of leader Meza was while at Seattle University. Both Head Coach Fewing and Assistant Coach Daligcon were more than happy to praise Meza on his leadership skills.
“He’s going to do anything to help the team and help his teammates,” Daligcon said. “He’s a guy that everyone wants in their team and on their team. The coaches, as well. And we loved him because he was always a great example for not only what the program stands for, but also for the younger guys coming through…” Daligcon went on to describe even more of Meza’s leadership traits. “He was one of those guys where everyone looked at not as a captain, but looked at as a leader.”
Fewing had similar sentiments of Meza. “He led by example and he led quietly. He would take the players aside and chat with them. He was very aware of his teammates around him. If somebody’s struggling or somebody needs a lift, he got along with everybody on the team. He treated every one of the team with the same respect as you would a star player. He didn’t care if you were starting or if you were the last guy on the roster. Everybody got your respect.”
And apparently Meza has a hidden skill that finally came to light during the conversation with Fewing. During his years at Seattle University, Meza would even give his teammates haircuts. Fewing remembers that he charged his teammates in the neighborhood of $15, but jokingly guessed that the price tag has doubled since his ascent to the professional ranks. “Noe is one of those guys that will help anybody out.”
Before ending the interview with Fewing, he wanted to stress the kind of human being that fans see in Meza. “He is the epitome of a Seattle University student athlete,” Fewing said. “He is what we want our Seattle University student athletes to be: focused in the classroom, focused on the field, kind, generous, high character and thoughtful.” He ended the thought saying, “He’s got a good mind and [is] a guy who will give back to the community.”
Just like any other season, there will be trials and tribulations in the coming months, but the ebbs and flows of the season are less severe when you have someone like Meza on your side. Even the younger players who have been signed to the roster this season will benefit from having Meza nearby to act as a mentor and counselor.
At one point in the conversation with Daligcon, he summed up his feelings about Meza by saying, “…he’s one of the guys that is a great, great human being. Really. You know, if we could have more Noes on the team, I’d love that.”
Who Gives A Hoot? 