In the long and eventful career that Union Omaha forward Steevan Dos Santos has carried around the world, he’s tasted the foods of different cultures, but none tastes as sweet as the winning ways he’s extended into the present day. From the streets of Mindelo, Cape Verde, a young Dos Santos would soon find himself traveling through multiple continents, learning bits and pieces of different languages, and accomplishing feats many players would dream of including in their biography.
Even as a young boy living on the west African island nation, Dos Santos knew he wanted to pursue a professional career in soccer. His home was filled with love for the game – both his mom and dad played at the highest level on their island. While Cape Verde doesn’t have a professional league, his mom played center back and his dad played as a winger in their competitive clubs. Both were successful in their own right, but stopped playing in order to work and support the family. It was with that passion and support that Dos Santos was able to grow and develop into a player that would eventually represent his hometown club.
Young Dos Santos was still plying his trade in a pre-league club when his first opportunity presented itself. “…before the league, we had a small tournament and I was doing well in that tournament and on that team,” Dos Santos remembered. His play garnered the praise of onlookers and he welcomed the attention. One of those clubs was CS Mindelese, a Cape Verdean club and local favorite. “…[CS Mindelese] is the team that I support and when I had the chance to go there, I couldn’t say ‘no’ because this is if not the biggest team, one of the biggest teams in the country.” When the day came for Dos Santos to sign his first professional contract, it was extra special for his dad. “It was kind of like a dream for him – me playing in the team that he supported in Cape Verde,” Dos Santos recognized. It didn’t take long for his newly-founded career to experience that aforementioned sweet taste of victory.
As Dos Santos explained, Cape Verde is made up of ten islands and each island sends their respective league winner to a Champions League-esque tournament to determine the country’s overall winner. In his first season with CS Mindelese, they won the island league and followed it up by winning the inter-island tournament. His career hadn’t even made it to a full calendar year and he was already a champion twice over. As an added bonus, in that short amount of time, he had already captured the enthusiasm of the club president’s friend, who played professionally in Norway for six years. “He was the guy who had connections with Norway and he just spoke with them there,” Dos Santos revealed. “That was when I had the chance to go to Norway for a tryout…,” he continued. Just as he was getting over the rush of signing his first professional contract, he was packing his bags and headed out of the country to fulfill his first European contract.
For two years, Dos Santos played in Norway, notching 21 goals in 49 appearances for both clubs, Ullensaker and Kisa IL. Until living in Norway, Dos Santos had never seen or experienced snow. “Back home, we don’t have snow,” he affirmed. “I would see snow from movies and cartoons and all that. I didn’t know how it was.” He still remembers his first time seeing and touching snow. “I remember when I got to Norway and saw the snow,” he smiled. “I was kind of touching it and seeing how it feels.” He was more than happy to marvel at the majesty of snow blanketing the Norwegian landscape, but kept his distance from any recreational activities involving snow. When asked if he had ever skied or skated, he said, “No, I think that is too much. I think it would be risky for me because I may get hurt and that wouldn’t be good.” While the snow was otherworldly to him, so was the adjustment to living away from home.
At this point in his life, Dos Santos had never been away from home. With his career spanning into an international excursion, he got his first taste of culture shock while living in Norway. “I didn’t speak English at that point,” Dos Santos started. “And to make matters worse, between the players, they just spoke Norwegian. They don’t even speak English between them. I didn’t understand what they were saying. Speaking Norwegian is even harder.” Living in a foreign country, he quickly became resolute in embracing a life of learning off the field, as well. “Secondly, I’m going for it,” he said. “I’m going to start talking and if I’m wrong, I’m wrong.” There were even times when he used technology to further his progress with his surroundings. “When I would go home, I would go to Google Translator,” he recalled. “I would imagine a situation…put it in Portuguese and translate.” In his second year in Norway, he made enough progress to have fun with his teammates. “The second year, I was making jokes with my teammates,” he remembered. Learning the language wasn’t the only source of growth he encountered in his time playing in Norway.
Living abroad also meant that Dos Santos had to become comfortable with himself and even fend for himself. “That was my first time leaving home, leaving my parents, and leaving everything,” he divulged. “You know, it’s hard because I had to learn how to survive, be by myself, and cook for myself. I’ve never been alone for that long. I always had someone like my parents, my brother, my sister, or my friends. Of course, I had my teammates. It was fun there, but when I left the facilities, I would go home and I would just stay there alone. I’d call my parents and my girlfriend, but it’s different. Sometimes you need that person by your side, like when you had a bad day…you can go home and talk with someone and they’ll make you feel better, but I didn’t have that my first year.” His mental toughness allowed him to stay the course. “It was hard for me, but you just have to adapt because if you want to be a professional, it’s what you have to do: make sacrifices.” When his contract in Norway had finished, he had a short spell in Angola before crossing the Atlantic and joining the Rochester Rhinos of the USL. With that signing came more immediate success.
Already in his mid-20s and living abroad for a few years, Dos Santos would soon face another culture shock as he took residence in Rochester, New York. He was a part of the 2015 Rochester Rhinos, who would go on to win the USL Eastern Conference and then the USL Cup after defeating LA Galaxy II 2-1 in extra time. In that season alone, Dos Santos would go on to score eight goals and finish the season tied for the club’s leading scorer. The team finished the regular season with a +25 goal differential, lost once, and amassed 17 clean sheets. Dos Santos is still dumbfounded when looking back on that season. “Yeah, just crazy,” he beamed. “That was unbelievable. My first year in America and I was able to win the league. It’s a very good feeling.” While recalling that season’s on-the-field success, he also revealed the success within the locker room. “When I came to Rochester, I always felt like we were all big friends, like a brotherhood and all of that,” he said. It was an eventful two seasons in Rochester, but in 2017, Dos Santos was picked up by Ottawa Fury. The scenery may have changed, but his ability to succeed did not.
From 2017-2019, Dos Santos competed with the Ottawa Fury, another member of the USL at that time. In his two years, he made 56 appearances and scored 15 goals, leading the club in scoring in back to back seasons. While the club missed out on the playoffs, Dos Santos was receiving a lot of attention as an offensive threat. “It’s personally good, but we couldn’t make the playoffs,” he recalled. “I think our main goal was to make the playoffs and I would be happy not to be the top scorer, but to have the team make the playoffs. You work hard for all those months to have a spot in the playoffs and for us not to make the playoffs twice, we fell short.” Before Ottawa experienced their administrative and legal challenges, which led to the club permanently closing its doors, Dos Santos was able to join the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Tampa Bay Rowdies, extending his stay in the USL for another four years.
In 85 appearances between the two clubs, Dos Santos was able to score 31 goals and help his respective clubs get closer and closer to excellence. His time at both clubs was revered by not only fans, but pundits and front office staff, as well. Dos Santos spoke highly of his time at those clubs, too. “It was a good experience that I spent there. I had a good time there,” he reminisced. After disclosing some of the well wishes from personnel at those clubs to Dos Santos, he said, “It’s pretty awesome to hear. You know, those kinds of words coming from somebody at your club.” The kind words allowed him to expand a little further into his mindset about joining a club. “I always try to do my best and to be friendly and respectful with everyone,” he explained. “You never know about tomorrow.”
The decision to join Union Omaha wasn’t a difficult decision for Dos Santos and dropping from USL Championship to League One never factored into his thinking. “I got a call from [Head Coach Dominic Casciato] and he said he wanted me to join the team,” Dos Santos said. “He said I would be an important piece on the team. For me, it’s not about League One or USL [Championship]. Everything is about what they want from you.” He was already aware of Union Omaha’s existence, as well as their accomplishments. “I saw that the team won the league two years ago and I’m like, ‘Okay, here’s a team that can win the league. He’s trying to win the league. Here’s a good motivation for you to join them.’” It didn’t take long for him to make an impact in Omaha, either.
In his first start for Union Omaha, Dos Santos scored a second-half goal to help push the Owls into the Third Round of the US Open Cup. So far this season, he’s made five appearances for Union Omaha, scored two goals, and has become a routine target for offensive production. “I want to score as much as I can to help the team,” he revealed. “When the team wins, if I score, I’m happy because we won and I scored, but for me, the three points are more important.”
As he looks back on his career, he reflected on a milestone of which he is very proud. “I have over one hundred goals in my career,” he signified. “With all of the teams I’ve been playing with, it’s a good milestone for me and it’s good that I could help the team scoring goals and everything else.”
While thinking about the past, he couldn’t help but point out the support he’s had from his friends, family, and fiancée. Throughout all of the years and all of the countries, he never missed an opportunity to speak with those that he loves. “The person I spoke with the most, when she’s not with me, is my fiancée,” he revealed. “She’s been living with me for a couple of years now. It’s easier to get through because she’s with me when I come back home. We can talk, we can go out, do something, and it makes it easier on me when I’m not home. I talk with my parents, but they have jobs and the time difference…”
Dos Santos doesn’t know what the future has in store for him and he hasn’t totally ruled out a future as a coach, but does know one thing for sure: he wants to return home to Cape Verde. “When I finish playing, I’m going home,” he said. “If tomorrow, something changes, we can adjust. If we have the chance to stay for some reason, why not?” With all of the achievements he’s accomplished and all of his years abroad, that seemingly incomparable sweet taste of victory will ultimately never compare to the sights and sounds of the hiking trails in Mindelo, his mother’s home-cooked feijoada, and the warmth of love found at home. Game days will come and go, but family and feijoada live on.
Who Gives A Hoot? 