Kevin Mejias has had an incredible journey — one including three countries, three languages and three schools. Amidst all the changes, Mejias has remained true to himself and found a home at Bradley.
Mejias, a senior forward for Bradley’s soccer team, has become one of the Braves’ top playmakers on the pitch with just two years in the program. He has accomplished this by being himself within his team and maintaining an incredible work ethic. His experiences before coming to the Hilltop have shaped him into who he is today.
Long before he knew where Peoria was on a map, Mejias was born in Camagüey, Cuba, the country’s largest city. After school, Mejias played all day with his friends and learned how to play sports.
“I used to play other sports, not even soccer, but baseball and other games,” Mejias said. “And then, growing up, I started playing soccer in the streets.”
Mejias spent the first eight years in Camagüey, but then moved to Fermo, Italy, with his mother. That’s where he officially started his soccer career.
“I started playing soccer with a club, and I stayed there for a few years before I switched [to] two more clubs,” Mejias said. “After those experiences, I came to the United States.”
Mejias began his collegiate career at Division II Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock, Texas. In his freshman season, Mejias played in 18 games where he scored six goals, three assists and recorded 15 points. His goals and point totals were second-best on the team and helped him receive a nomination for the Lone Star Conference All-Freshman Team.
After one year at LCU, Mejias took his talents to the junior college level at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. Mejias continued his excellence on the pitch for the Warriors. He ranked second on the team with 27 points and 12 goals and ranked second in those categories for the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference. Mejias capped off another stellar season with a National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region 11 Honorable Mention selection.
While in the postseason tournament with the Warriors, Mejias traveled to Peoria to face Illinois Central College for a playoff match.
“That was the first time we saw [Mejias] before we started to engage in the discussions via phone,” Bradley head coach Tim Regan said. “And then going over to [IHCC’s] campus and meeting with him in person, and then the final actions of getting him [to Bradley] to see things and make sure there was a clear understanding of what we offer as a university, what we offer as a soccer program and how it could fit him.”
Mejias knew he wanted to take his soccer talents to the next level, but also wanted to make sure his educational needs were equally met.
“I had the opportunity to talk with the coaches after my season ended in Iowa, and I really liked the program,” Mejias said. “The idea that they wanted and had for the years to come, as well as the academic program. I knew that the business [program] was really good in this school, which is my major. So these are the main reasons for which I came to Bradley.”
Mejias made a lasting impression as soon as he stepped on the pitch at Shea Stadium. Sophomore forward DJ Koulai remembered the moment he first met Mejias at an early camp over the summer.
“I didn’t know that he was a Bradley player because he was in the stands,” Koulai said. “I thought he was, you know, also trying out for the camp, so… it was a little weird. But when everything started, I saw him, and I was like, ‘Wow, he’s unbelievable.’”
Mejias’ first year as a Brave started as great as it did two years prior in Texas and Iowa. He scored three goals, including two game-winners, and had seven points. Unfortunately, after scoring the leading goal in a home game against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, he left the match with a knee injury that ended his season.
“Anytime you lose a player, in this case to injury, there’s no direct replacement because no two players are the same,” Regan said. “You have to try to dig within the team to get the contribution to be spread around [to] other people.”
The Braves tried to use a balanced attack to replace the void Mejias left, but it wasn’t quite the same. For Mejias, sitting out the remaining 10 games of the schedule was not easy for him.
“It was hard physically, but it was harder mentally,” Mejias said. “First, not being able to help the team, and secondly, just going through the process of doing a long recovery. It was hard at the beginning to have to go to a training room every day and do the same things, patiently, over and over.”
But just as Mejias adapted to his cultural changes from Cuba to Italy to the United States by learning three different languages, he also adapted his perception to his rehabilitation.
“I got used to it with the help of the coaches and the trainers as well,” Mejias said. “It was challenging, but over time, I started taking [the recovery] in a positive way. I’m going to a training room with a smile on my face and keep working hard to come back for the next season.”
After spending the spring and early summer still recovering from his knee injury, Mejias joined the Ocean City Nor’easters of the USL League Two. It’s in the same league as the Peoria City Flying Carp team, which recently placed as the national runner-up for the USL2.
With a productive summer back on the pitch, Mejias returned to Peoria awaiting a healthy senior year. Not only was Mejias excited to return, but his team was thrilled to have him back as well.
“He means a lot, you know. He’s one of the important players of the team,” Koulai said. “Everything that he can do on the pitch, if he’s out scoring goals, assisting making that big play that’s open for the other teammates. Having him, it’s just big for the team, and we’re really grateful for him.”
As a coach, Regan views Mejias’ value and impact both on and off the field. Both aspects speak for themselves.
“Of course, the soccer part is easy to see if you show up to a game where he brings attacking quality and work ethic,” Regan said. “And away from the field, he’s a really positive guy and fun to be around, and that energy is just constant, whether we’re traveling, whether we’re at home in [the] locker room.”
One of the most respectable traits Mejias possesses is he is not afraid to be himself.
“This guy loves music,” Koulai said. “Everywhere he goes, he always has his speaker in his hand and is always playing music. He’s gonna do what makes him happy,and I think that’s really great about him.”
Beyond the soccer talents and the music appreciation, Mejias and his journey are highly-regarded within the Braves soccer program by his teammates and coaches. Koulai described Mejias as a “big brother” and knows that he can go to him for anything, whether it’s soccer or school related.
“There’s a level of homesickness and lack of comfort that you get when you’re that far away,” Regan said. “You put in as much time as he has, and he also spent a good chunk of his summer here in America playing and getting ready for the full season,and so it’s just on the human side of life. You really do appreciate the efforts they go through to make all this happen.”
