Soni Mustivar might only be 25 years old, but the hard-nosed midfielder who has proven to be a key cog in Peter Vermes’ system is no stranger to success. Before joining Sporting KC last December, Mustivar plied his trade for four years with Romanian first division club FC Petrolul Ploiești. And while Mustivar has been instrumental in Sporting KC’s success this year in both MLS and U.S. Open Cup play, the former Haitian international was equally important to a Romanian side that won their first domestic cup in almost 20 years.
Petrolul Ploiești is a proud club with a long history. Based in Ploiești, Petrolul was founded in 1924 and has 12 League championships and three Romanian Cup championships to its name. Mustivar joined the club in 2011 shortly after they earned promotion back to the country’s first division. That same year, Petrolul made a surprise run through the Romanian Cup, including a win over three-time Cup champions CFR Cluj in the championshp match.
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“I had never seen anything like it in my life,” Mustivar recalled of Ploiești’s celebration when his former club won the Romanian Cup. “The entire city was in the street crying our names and praising us for winning them the trophy. The team had not won a trophy in almost 20 years, so when we finally did the entire city was ready to celebrate with us.”
Mustivar is one of 11 players on Sporting Kansas City’s current roster to have won a domestic soccer tournament. Ten players were part of the Sporting KC squad that won the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup while Honduran midfielder Roger Espinoza won the 2012 tournament with Sporting KC and the 2013 FA Cup with English side Wigan Athletic. Mustivar believes the experience he gained in Romania will be beneficial for a Sporting Kansas City side looking for its third U.S. Open Cup championship.
“I know how it is to win a trophy,” Mustivar said on the eve of Sporting KC’s semifinal match vs. Real Salt Lake. “I can tell the guys who have not won one how it is the best feeling ever. I think for all players who have won a trophy, they have even more motivation for the next one because they are hungry for that feeling again.”
Mustivar believes his time in Romania helped him better understand how to maneuver through a tournament where one wrong step can find your team out of the tournament. The French-born midfielder stressed the importance of keeping concentration for 90 minutes and leaving everything out on the field.
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“I came here to win trophies,” he said after Tuesday’s training session. “I came here to win everything with the team and to win a trophy in my first year would mean a lot. It would mean the entire team did a great job. I’m a team worker, so if my team does well, I’m doing well.”
And how does Mustivar factor fan support into the equation?
“A trophy is for the team, but winning a trophy is also for the fans because they can celebrate along with the team," he said. "It’s about the city and all the fans who have been supporting us.
“For me, it’s really important to have this great fan support because every time we have played at home in a Cup game, the fans have been great. It applies more pressure on the other team and gives our team confidence when we see all of the fans with us. You saw it in the last Cup game against Houston. The fans definitely played a part in the victory.”