How Sebastian Driussi's past is shaping his future with Austin FC

To understand what makes new Austin FC player Sebastian Driussi tick, one must first learn his past.

At the age of 25, he has already experienced a wealth of things in football: watching on as a youth player as his boyhood club experienced an unthinkable relegation, scoring a goal in the home stadium of their fiercest rivals, winning domestic titles on two different continents and then playing Champions League football at a renowned European club, all before now trying to spark a first-year MLS franchise into becoming one of league's elite.

But first, who is Sebastian Driussi the person?

"I am a calm guy, I like to be in my house. I try not to go out, I try to enjoy my family, my daughter, who is here. Every once and a while I go out to eat, but normally I try to be at my home and rest," said Driussi in a long interview with MARCA English.

"I am a guy that always likes to be with a smile. I try to be positive in a group, to be happy and always try to move myself forward. I'm a guy who likes to work a lot, but be humble. That's how I was raised at River [Plate]. They taught me a lot of values both at the footballing and personal level."

River. For Driussi, that's where it all begins.

He is, of course, talking about famed Argentine club River Plate, the country's most decorated side in terms of domestic trophies. Driussi started with the club at age nine, moving his way up through the ranks before reaching the first team in 2013, winning a league title in 2014 and then a long-awaited Copa Libertadores in 2015.

The bedrock of what Austin FC fans now see weekly from Driussi on the pitch all comes from River Plate.

"I started very young at River, growing up through the youth teams, reserve team and the first team. I was raised in that environment," explained Driussi.

"It's difficult for people who don't know. I am not going to lie, it's tough. It's difficult to live with all of those things, with that pressure, with the fans, with all that fame that comes in Argentina. I was a young player and I had great players, great people around me who advised me and that made it easier when I made mistakes.

"It's tough to make your debut at River and then keep your place. I was fortunate enough to keep my place at the club and have a positive career. I was able to win trophies, I scored goals, it went well for me. Each time I go to Argentina, the people acknowledge that, and so I am always going to be grateful to the people who showed me that affection. To make my debut at a club like River Plate was a dream come true for me and my family."

After a debut in the country's first division, the objective of most promising Argentine footballers is to make the leap to Europe. That moment arrived for Driussi in July 2017, when he joined Russian giants Zenit Saint Petersburg. The change of culture was jarring, especially considering he was still just 21 years old. Having no choice but to adapt forced Driussi to mature and it yielded good results on the pitch.

"I had been so accustomed to Argentina and going to Zenit was my first time going to live in another country. It was a new culture, it was cold, there were a lot of things, so that first year was a year of adaptation," noted Driussi.

"There were five of us Argentines and we spent our time together, but as the years went on some of them left and I realized where I was and I had to grow up. I started to learn a bit of the [Russian] language and tried to assimilate.

"The truth is that I found myself in a great country, one which I'll always be thankful for because they opened their doors to me. They were four successful years in which we were able to win the treble for the first time in the club's history, so to forever go down in history at a big club like Zenit is no small thing."

After four years in Russia, Driussi decided it was time for another change, with MLS expansion franchise Austin FC stepping to the forefront to secure his signature. While the club has struggled in its first season, sitting last place in the Western Conference, Driussi has fit in almost seamlessly, with three goals and four assists in 10 games.

Remarking that it feels like "five years" rather than just seven weeks since he first joined the team, Driussi credits the welcome he's been given by the team's other South American players, like Paraguayan Cecilio Dominguez and former boyhood rival, Tomas Pochettino.

"I know [Cecilio and Tomas] because they played in Argentina. Tomas is in the same age category as me and when we were kids, we played against each other. We faced each other in the first division. I also faced Cecilio, so I know them and they are very good people," recalled Driussi.

"Football gives you great friendships and I have found myself with very good people, not just them but others like Rodney [Redes], Diego [Fagundez], our captain [Alex Ring], who is not South American but who I get along with. Football puts great people by your side."

Adding to the unique nature of playing for a first-year team like Austin, Driussi also finds himself playing for a first-year coach in Josh Wolff. Having played under some of the biggest head coaches in the game, like Ramon Diaz, Marcelo Gallardo and Roberto Mancini, Driussi can spot coaching qualities and he likens Wolff's style to the same River coach with whom he won the Copa Libertadores.

"I would highlight the intensity that Josh has on a daily basis. It is similar to what I experienced at River with Gallardo," Driussi commented.

"Josh is a coach who has just started his career as a manager. He has a lot of intensity when it's time to work and that's good for a footballer, because it keeps you from relaxing. Obviously, intensity is fundamental, so that's what I would highlight about him. He is a demanding coach. You see it on the bench. He's always switched on. And he also makes his players stay positive.

"Obviously, the fans don't like negative results, but they have to understand that it is a new team that is just taking shape and was formed a short time ago and that there is a process. We, as players, all we can do is back the coach to do everything so that we win, but when we are on the field, we are the ones who have to assume responsibility if the games are not won."

Through different teams and different coaches, Driussi's game has also evolved, as he has been utilized in different places in the attacking third, which assuredly made him attractive to Wolff and Austin FC sporting director Claudio Reyna, who have long stressed the need for flexibility and versatility in their squad.

"I've changed a lot as a footballer since I made my debut, because with different coaches I have played in different positions," said Driussi.

"I've gotten to know different positions and on different parts of the field. With that, you add distinct movements that as a boy I did not have or I didn't know that I had, so that made me stronger as a player. One thing that hasn't changed is that I am going to have the desire to win always. That will never change."

Austin FC fans can expect to see Driussi for the next several seasons and perhaps longer, but at some point things will come full circle and he will return to the institution that shaped the player that he is.

"Hopefully I can return to River at the right time when I feel good physically. I have said in other interviews that I would like to return, not to retire, but to continue to be able to give things to the fans at a favorable age for me and favorable for them. But today, I am at Austin and I am only thinking about Austin. After, we'll see," concluded Driussi.