ST PETERSBURG, Fla (March 31, 2021) – Late in the 2020 USL Championship season, Tampa Bay Rowdies forward Juan Tejada finally got the call he’d been waiting years for. The young striker had been called in to Panama’s senior national team camp for a pair of October friendlies. Unfortunately, the timing just wasn’t right.
At the time, Tejada was not quite back to full strength after a month-long injury sidelined him from USL Championship play and the Rowdies didn’t want to risk sending the valuable attacker away right as they were gearing up for the postseason. This was the moment Tejada had been hoping for and expecting since he scored in his first match with Panama’s U23s in 2019 and now it seemed to be slipping away.
“I thought my options were over, to be honest.” Tejada admitted. “I didn’t know if I’d ever get the chance again. After everyone talked me down I accepted it and was able to focus on my rehabilitation with the Rowdies.”
His doubt proved to be needless when just a couple weeks later Panama reached out again. This time he’d been invited to camp in Panama ahead of the team’s November friendly against the U.S. National team in Europe. When that day finally came, Tejada made his long-awaited debut for Panama as a starter. The friendly ended with a 6-2 U.S. victory, but the experience was more than worth the wait for Tejada.
“I learned a lot during that game,” he said. “Since I was 4 or 5, when I started playing football, playing football for your national team is an experience I think everybody as a footballer wants. Even though it was a friendly, just to listen to the national anthem and just knowing that my friends and family and fellow Panamanians were watching me play; that was just a very happy experience. My heart was feeling very full. I will never forget that.”
It was a happy coincidence that the moment years in making for Tejada came against the U.S., where he’s lived and developed as a player since moving to Florida as a teenager to attend High School at IMG Academy. The chance to also play against young players such as Sergiño Dest and Weston McKennie, who are excelling at the highest levels in Europe, has only motivated Tejada to keep work even harder.
“This country that has also meant a lot for me,” Tejada said. “Knowing the evolution of the team in the U.S., it was very exciting to play against players that are now at the very top in Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus. It was a very good experience. Some of my friends and some of my teammates were talking to me about how crazy is it that Sergiño Dest and Weston Weston Mckennie were playing with Ronaldo and Messi and I was getting a chance to play against them. The focus now is to get better and beat them. As a Panamanian, we always want to do better and go to the World Cup.”
Even outside of the U.S. match, Tejada took a ton away from his training with Panama in November and the second camp in January he participated in. He’s had an easy time relating to Panama’s coach Thomas Christiansen, who took on the job in July of 2020. Christiansen came up through Barcelona’s academy system and Tejada, a diehard Barcelona supporter, enjoys soaking up the knowledge the coach has from those exeriences.
“Coming into an environment you don’t know, you’re a little bit anxious but I was ready to go and train with them, these guys I grew up watching and of course these other youngsters that were excited to make their debut,” he said. “Of course I was a little bit nervous, but as soon as we started the first training session I knew there’s a reason I was there. I know what I can do and what I can do for the team. I enjoyed it a lot and learned a lot those few weeks there. Some of the guys have played in Euros in Champions League. I just enjoyed it so much. That’s what Neill and the guys told me. Just enjoy it because you have ability and just your attitude will bring you a lot of opportunities.”
The callup from Panama in the offseason also meant Tejada got an extended stay in his home country for the first time in many years.
“It’s probably the longest I’ve spent at home since Freshman year of college, because of all the summers and vacations I’ve had here have been playing PDL and other leagues. To be back home and see my family, especially during these times, it was so nice. I just hope they can come and visit soon and see some of the games. They came in 2019, so I’m just excited for them hopefully to be able to come. Hopefully they can remain healthy and the protocols allow people at Al Lang.”
Before Panama went into stricter lockdowns at the end of the year, Tejada got to recharge and indulge in one of his favorite hobbies.
“I love off days because I love hiking, I love nature, especially in Panama. We have a lot of rainforests and waterfall,” he said. “I really love doing all of that. Some people call me Tarzan there because I just go into the jungle, usually places people won’t go because they’re like so off the path and weird. I love it.”
Tejada turned 24 in January and is entering his third year with the Rowdies. The abbreviated 2020 season and his injury meant he was only able to bag two goals for the Rowdies after scoring 10 the year before. With more games to play in 2021, the striker is hopeful it means more goals and another successful Rowdies season. He’s even taken on the number 9 jersey this year, a number typically worn by a team’s main goal scorer.
“I hope it’s gonna be the best season yet,” Tejada said. “We’re always looking every day to improve and be better and I’m so excited to get a full season. It’s gonna be more realistic this time compared to 2020. Our team every year gets better and the competition gets stronger. The competition we’ve got here, training is so tough that it makes the games easier. That’s what we want to do. I want to do my best. That’s what I really like, to play exciting football as a team and score a lot of goals.”
