YOUNES BOUDADI

Hartford Athletic v Detroit FC TONIGHT!!!!
Fan favorite BOUDADI !!!!! joins the show to preview the match.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome back to the Rob Devils Show. Ben Darnelle filling in for Rob today.
Oh it's a special Wednesday. Wedon't get this quite so often.
The USL has some Wednesday night specialsand we got one in our backyard tonight.
Detroit FC coming to town taking onour Hartford Athletic at Trinity Hell Stadium.
Kickoff at seven point thirty tonight,a Wednesday, and a very special

(00:23):
member of the roster. So happyto have this defensive man on our show.
Yonas Buu Dottie is with us today. Budati bo do. How are
you doing, sir? Thanks foryour time. And you gotta love that
chant when you get it from thesupporters. Yeah. Thanks. I appreciate
the great introduction. I couldn't havedone it any better. Appreciate it everyone.

(00:47):
Are the other mates jealous of howmuch we love you compared to everyone
else? Well, I have alittle bit of history, so you know,
it's a little bit of the themeof the team this year. A
lot of newcomers, so the lovefor my first and in the past year.
All right, bu Dottie explain that. So you left us for a
little bit, you went to theIndia eleven and then you came right back.

(01:10):
They always say, let the onesyou love go and then if they
come back to you. It wasmeant to be. Now, I feel
like that's with you, sir.But what was all of that And were
you excited to get the call thatyou were going to come back to Hartford?
Obviously it was not something that expectedto happen in the beginning or an
off season this year. You know, my I still had a year of
contract in Indie eleven, but thenHartford, you know, initiated to try

(01:34):
to get me. I once Ifound out I was, I was obviously
very excited because it's plays that Ileft during a time where I felt like,
you know, we didn't make playoffsin those three years, which was
a bit of a bummer or leavenon a bad note. So I was
excited to come back and try togive my full effort to make it happen
this year. So you've been doingyour thing. The defense has been great.

(01:55):
Last time out a nil nil draw, which you know, I guess
is fine. We get some pointson the table and whatnot, but it'd
be great to win some games.Now. You guys are doing your part,
obviously putting a zero on the board. And I know it's a team
game, but I played football NorteAmericana sur In College, and the offense
and the defense were two separate clicks, and we would hate the offense if

(02:17):
they couldn't score, and we wouldhate the defense if they let somebody score.
Does that happen in soccer? Doesthat happen with the Hartford Athletic because
the defense has been great? Idon't think so. You know, it's
one of those things that if offensesis firing one game and let's say we
give up one goal or two goals, but they scored three, then you

(02:38):
know they kind of bail us out. So if it's a game, which
is normal and soccer, no one'sgoing to always play out at one hundred
percent. So if it happens thatwe don't if you're not able to score
a goal, and like you said, it's a team sport, so it's
not just soccer's obviously, But ifit happens that we don't get a goal
and we get a clean sheet,then obviously there's a mutual respect from each
other that everyone helped to get thatresult. We would love to have some

(03:00):
goals tonight. We would love toget a win over Detroit tonight again seven
thirty with the kickoff. I lovethis man's style. You will see him
in the defensive backfield. Budatti,Now, Bud Dotti, I think your
style is correct me if I'm wrong. When you usually match up with one
of the best strikers that are onthe other team, and sometimes when they

(03:21):
get like a leg up, maybea step and a good ball pass to
their side, I feel like yourstrategy is to get right in their stomach
and a lot of people kind ofwait and see what they're going to do.
I feel like you're an aggressive defensiveplayer. Am I right about that?
Yeah? One hundred percent. Youknow you said that right. Usually
we play against the shifty players onthe field, which are the wingers,

(03:45):
and from my experience, you kindof learn this over time, you know,
like I made a lot of mistakesgrowing up and getting beat a lot,
but then you learn that, youknow, if you play more aggressive,
at least that's my place now thatI prefer that you don't really give
them the opportunity to really bring itto you. So it's one of those
things that if you play on thefront foot that it kills the opposition,
a little bit less time to take, a little bit less space to operate

(04:06):
in, and then more times thannot you can get you can win that
duo throughout the game. So you'refrom Belgium, You've played in Reno,
but most of your soccer has beensomewhat New England, I mean your New
England base. You drafted by theBoston Bolts right out of college or during
college. You're playing for them incollege, for Boston College, and then

(04:27):
you go to this evil team calledCreighton that's in the Big East. We
don't like them around here, butjust speak on that, like, and
then you're hard for Athletic. Youknow, two stints with our clubs,
So like, what is it aboutyou and New England? You just seem
to hang around here. I don'tknow. I think it's just something that
kind of stuck on me. Wasmy first experience with the US Boston,

(04:48):
so it's always a part of thecountry that I have a lot of law
from and a lot of people thatI know from from my time in Boston
College. And then it kind ofjust happened that I ended up in Hartford
Athletic. And I've always spoke tomy family about a tooth, and then
I left to create and and Ilived throughout the Midwest for quite some time
as well in Indiana, and I'vealways enjoyed living on the East Coast,

(05:09):
So in that aspect, I've beenloving it just being back in the area.
I don't know what it is,I can really put a finger on
it, but I've just always enjoyedliving on the e Coast, particularly a
bit more than the other parts ofthe country. All Right, explain Detroit
FC to me. We lost tothem earlier to one. You did have
an assist in that game to getthat goal in the net. But what
do they bring to the table andhow can we beat them tonight? I

(05:31):
think there So, they went througha coaching change this year, and I
think that he has done a goodjob with them. You know, he
got them to play a very organizedstyle. They have towns of players in
the midfield and up top. They'reorganized. They are hard working teams.
So you can expect a physical gameissue in the at the games. And
I so, yeah, it's goingto be it's going to be a battle's
two teams that need points tonight forfor different reasons. So it's going to

(05:56):
be a physical and intense game tonightand you'll see this guy playing defense.
So one thing I love about you, you're so gracious to the fans,
my man. And there's been somegames, there's been some real bad weather
games that we've had so far thisseason. And the supporters that stay out
there, you show so much loveto them. You hang out. I
see you sign soccer balls for somany kids you just give. You give
all your time that you can tothe fans that come out to see you

(06:19):
play, Like, what's that allabout for you? Why are you so
gracious to everyone? I feel likeit's a bit of a common energy exchange,
you know. There they're a loudand I can, even though it's
hard to really acknowledge it during thegame, but I hear a lot of
it, and I feel that Ifeel the support throughout the whole game.
And it's something that is known aroundthe league that Hartford has a great fans,

(06:40):
so it's not something else a coincidence. So I feel like the least
you can do after a game asshow you your appreciation a little bit from
the audi end as well, andI know for some kids that can mean
a lot. So yeah, Inever really I always try to give some
udleas some of my time after agame to kind of appreciate it. But
Dottie's a little bit special. Unlikemost of the roster. You have four
languages in your backpack that you canpull out. You can speak Arabic,

(07:03):
French, Dutch, English. I'msure you get a lot of mix over
there in Belgium growing up. Butwhat is the secret to learning different languages?
Is it about the exposure and beingaround it, or do you have
a trick to the trade of howyou can pick up other languages so well,
I think it's a bit has todo with Belgium as a very small
country and they're surrounded by France andHolland, and then my dad is Moroccan,

(07:29):
so I have a little bit ofinterest from from everywhere. And usually
if you speak, if you're inBelgium, most people speak French and Dutch,
and then you know, you moveto to the US where you have
to learn your English c as well. So it's been a little bit of
a certain circumstances coming together, butit's it's definitely something that is promoted from
an early age and Europe, especiallybecause the countries are a lot smaller,

(07:50):
and they're much more connected than here. You know, you have a huge
country. Everyone speaks the same language, or it's not really necessary, I'll
say too speak a couple of them. Yona's bou Dotti, the fan favorite.
Now he comes to us from Belgium, but he's got a lot of
New England background. So I can'twait to hear your answers to the five
questions we ask everybody. Now,we've been doing this, Boudatti with a

(08:11):
lot of your mates that we don'tknow, and we know you a little
bit, but I think these questionshave really gotten to people's personalities, and
especially we have found out the Hennessylove in locker room, especially from the
Jamaicans. Some of the answers asfar as the kid obsessions have been just
so unique and all different. Ican't wait to get what we get from

(08:33):
Yona's Budatti. All right, Firstthings first, you did mention our supporters
are the best in the league,and not only do they do it out
on the pitch, but it goesout into Hartford and possibly into the bar
scene. And if they saw defensiveYona's Boudotti sitting at the barstool and wanted
to buy him a drink? Whatdrink should they buy you, sir?

(08:54):
You know it's a hot day out, or either a Sequila pineapples as a
drink that I'd like, or youcan go with a Belgian beer. I
stay at home, thing close tohome, so maybe a Stellar Spa would
also? What also please me forsure? Okay? Is Stella Artois like
the Budweiser of Belgium. I wouldsay it's an international beer. We have

(09:16):
a lot of different selections back home, but Stellar to us kind of the
one that's that's put its stamp fromBelgium internationally and to be a world would
excellent. All right, I'll keepthat in mind. How about food for
you man? Like you said,you're all over the map. Who knows
what kind of food Budatie likes toget into. Have you been able to
find a delicacy that you know fromoverseas or is there something American that maybe

(09:39):
you fall in love with over theyears. I'm not a pity I'm not
a picky of anither, so I'mthe same as I am a culture.
I try to indulge in as manyas I can, so I'm not too
picky when it comes to I loveMexican food, Mediterranean, foosh, Italian,
you know, Sushi, American,just American diners. I go to
a lot of diners around here.So yeah, but if I would say

(10:01):
one place in West Harford, Iwould say z O'Hara, the Mediterranean restaurant.
Then my dad being from Rock andso that kind of gives me a
feeling of being connected to go thehome down a little bit. I love
that. I love how much Mexicanflavor you like too, tequila and then
Mexican food. Not expecting that frombou Dottie. All right. Instrument,

(10:22):
sir, if you were in oursupporter section, I got my tambourine raided
Rock. I passed on the trombonejust recently. I should have bought it.
It was really cheap. And Igot a lot of friends with drums
out there, and you hear thedrums all the time. What instrument would
you be playing if you were justa fan watching the game. I was
about to say, you could giveme, you could give me the drums,

(10:43):
but so was the one that I'veliked sopertificated, you know, just
being loud and having a good rhythmfor defense. That there's a lot of
energy to the to the team.Did you have a drum as a kid,
No, I don't, but Iused to. I used to like
the drum or at least use astick to drum on whatever I could find
around. So it's not necessarily drums. But I've always kind of liked rhythm

(11:05):
and music, so I think Iwould enjoy that one. I had a
killer drum set of pots and pantsand wooden spoons is the drumsticks. That
was my drum set. There yougo, your own drum set. How
about make your own soccer field whenyou were growing up? Like what was
the sandlot soccer that you got intoin your country with? Like you and
your friends, you're just making agoal, You're you're coming up with a
field. You're you're making it happenwithout any adults. Yeah, you could

(11:30):
just It's that's why the sport isso loved around the world. All you
really need is a ball and somefriends are a wall to play with.
But basically from from when after thewalk I started, you know, taking
balls around, and then I joineda local super club when I was three
or four years old where my brotherplayed, and then got picked up by
the Brush, which is an academyback home from when I was seven and

(11:52):
basically stayed with them until I wastwenty, so I didn't really have too
much free time to go play onthe street because you know, the academy
took a lot of my free timeto go train every day, so they
kind of that's kind of where Ispent most of my time growing up,
playing good to get Boo Dottie offthe streets. Who knows what you would
have been right around the streets?What about an obsession? Never know?

(12:16):
Besides soccer, were you into anythingas a kid, like besides you know,
going to that academy every single day. Was there some cartoon or movie
that you were really into. Iremember being I watched all the Harry Potty
Movers movies when I was little andthen never watched them again, never,
never watched them again, And it'sone thing that I have to rewatch again

(12:37):
because there's definitely a lot of publicstorylines and things that I didn't get when
I was younger. But I was, well, I was a little bit
obsessed with Have you seen them playthe game oh gosh, what is it
called? Where you know, likethey have broomsticks in there like they're flying
on bruce sticks quidditch right, Yeah, they're playing that in college now,
do you know that? Like there'squiddache clubs, there's quiddach tournaments that have

(13:00):
like a huge money prizing. Weneed to get a team. I don't
think it'd be a I don't thinkit'd be my thing. But except for
uh, after the season, we'regetting a team together. We're gonna rule
the quidditch world like that. Ican't wait. I can't wait to see
you tonight. Let's get a wintonight, man, Detroit FC in town.
Seven thirty is the kickoff over thereat Trinity Hell Stadium. Thanks for

(13:24):
coming on on short notice, andwe love you, man. Everybody loves
you. And thank you so muchfor being so gracious, especially to the
kiddos out there, because I knowit means a lot to them when they
get your autograph and get some timewith you. But thanks for everything,
my man. Let's get a wintonight. It