Christian Briggs is used to being asked why he decided to come to Saint Louis University.
The freshman on the Billiken men’s soccer team hails from Arima, Trinidad and Tobago, at the southern edge of the Northern Hemisphere, where he says it is always sunny.
The population of Metropolitan St. Louis is double the population of the entire country of Trinidad and Tobago. So what made Briggs want to leave his sunny island for St. Louis?
“It’s been a persistent question,” Briggs said. “To me, obviously, one of the biggest reasons I decided to come to SLU was [head coach] Mike McGinty.”
Last year, Briggs made and posted a video on YouTube that displayed his game highlights. In his search to find another defender for the roster, McGinty saw the video and decided to recruit Briggs.
“And then he actually came down to Trinidad to watch me play in a game down there—and that’s when I verbally committed to SLU,” Briggs said.
McGinty visted Briggs last May, in a special trip taken for this one special recruit.
“[McGinty] coming to Trinidad was a big step because it showed my parents he was serious about recruiting me,” Briggs said.
Briggs’ commitment to play for the SLU men’s soccer team has already paid dividends. He has started all five games for the 2-2-1 Billikens this year, scoring two goals in the process, one against New Mexico and one against Oral Roberts.
Briggs has played two positions so far for SLU. He began the season as a defensive midfielder but moved to left back for the game against Drake. He is also capable of playing center back.
“When I came here, I was never sure what position [McGinty] was going to have me play until the season started, and he had me playing defensive midfield,” Briggs said.
“But after the Tulsa game, we decided to change our formation. We believed that we needed an attacking formation because we weren’t scoring as [many] goals as we would have liked. In order to change our own formation, he put me at left back. I played there in high school, so it’s not anything new to me.”
And Briggs has no problem playing in many different positions. That kind of versatility will be a valuable asset, considering his future plans.
“It’s always been my dream to come to the U.S. to play soccer at the college level… It’s also an avenue to get to the professional level, which is one of my aims,” Briggs said.
Briggs has professional, as well as international, ambitions for his soccer career.
Last summer, Briggs trained with the Under-20 Trinidad and Tobago National Team.
When Briggs first came to St. Louis, he left his U-20 training before getting the chance to play an international match—but he still dreams of playing for his home country in the future.
“Training with the Under-20 national team was amazing,” Briggs said. “Because I am Trinidadian, I am always proud to be called to represent my national team.
“I would love to be back home doing it now, but at the same time I had a decision to make, and I wanted to come to SLU. But it would be an honor to be called to Trinidad’s national team.”
In the meantime, however, Briggs is totally focused on making an impact with the SLU men’s soccer team.
“I understand that, right now, I have short-term goals to deal with, in terms of helping my team win games and being a good student at SLU,” Briggs said.
