Tevenn Roux is ready to lead San Diego State as the team’s lone senior in 2021

As a senior, whether that’s high school or college, you’re expected to be a leader to the grades below you. Typically, a sports team would be able to rely on multiple seniors to set the example for the younger players. But, for San Diego State’s men’s soccer team, they will enter the 2021 season with only one senior on the roster: forward Tevenn Roux.

“Being one of the older guys on the team is definitely a cool, but different kind of experience. I have definitely enjoyed it though,” Roux told BGN. “Knowing that younger kids on your team look up to you and look for your guidance on and off the pitch is something special.”

One of the young players on the roster has actually been able to look up to Tevenn for his entire life. SDSU added Donovan Roux, Tevenn’s younger brother, to the team ahead of this season. “Having my brother join the team is something that I will never forget,” Tevenn said.

“Growing up, he has always been gone because of soccer. He moved to Barcelona, Spain when he was 10 to play with U.E Cornella and was gone for 2 years. Shortly after that, he moved back to the States and quickly moved to Colorado to join the Colorado Rapids and (Colorado Springs) Switchbacks. He has been gone for a decent part of our lives, but having him with me here allows me to get that time back that I had missed with him.”

How difficult was it for Tevenn to recruit his younger brother to become an Aztec? “Recruiting him was a bit hard,” he said. “Having many options from other schools always made it harder for him to make that decision.”

When asked what his brother does better than him soccer-wise, Tevenn said with a laugh that Donovan is better than him at many things on the pitch. He added, “The one thing that stands out the most to me though, is definitely his pace and ability to take on players. The way that he does it is very unique and special.”

But, big brother does still hold a specific advantage over his younger sibling in the soccer world. “The one thing that I would say I am better at than Donovan is my ability to hold up the ball and play with my back to the goal. We share some of the same abilities, but my brother is definitely a different player than me,” Tevenn explained.

San Diego State and the Roux Bros. will be looking to bounce back after a 4-12-2 record in 2019. Roux is optimistic about an improvement from the previous season. “The team has already improved a lot since our season in 2019. That season, we didn’t really have a plan when it came to defending or attacking, or really anything,” he said. “With our new coach, Ryan Hopkins, we have really focused on having a “plan” when playing soccer matches.”

“If we listen and do the things we are coached correctly, it should put us in a good spot.”

Personally, Roux’s put in the work to build on his three goals and four assists in 2019. He said, “Individually, I have worked on staying match fit and trying to play as much soccer as possible. It was nice getting to play with some USL pros and other high leveled players from San Diego during this time of not being able to play.”

Entering his senior season, Tevenn feels that his experience thus far should help him during the 2021 campaign. “My first three seasons have for sure prepared me,” he said. “Seeing and playing against some of the best players and teams is something not a lot of college players get to experience.”

He’s also had the chance to gain experience from training abroad with Everton (around 10 years old), West Ham United (around 14 years old), and U.E. Cornella (16 years old). He said, “The experience overseas was amazing. The football in those countries is so much different than here in the United States. It was really eye opening.

Roux added that it’s amazing to see guys like Declan Rice and Joe Powell, who he trained with at West Ham, to make it professionally and that it makes him hungrier to achieve his own goals.

The next goal for Roux will be defeating Dixie State on February 11th, the 2021 season opener. After that matchup, it is all Pac-12 conference battles for San Diego State on the schedule the rest of the way with lone senior Tevenn Roux leading the charge.

Carson A Merk

Reporting live from Sin City, I have covered both RGVFC and Las Vegas Lights FC since their inceptions. I also write profiles to highlight players from the NCAA to USL to NWSL and everywhere in between.