The Ever-Smiling Jair Reinoso Takes His Chance With Indy Eleven

Photo credit: Indy Eleven/Matt Schlotzhauer

Last weekend, Jair Reinoso scored one of the best goals of the young NASL season in helping the Boys in Blue to victory over Rayo OKC. And if you saw the post-goal celebration – a streaking, man-possessed bolt of energy followed by an impromptu dance party – you need no explanation to understand the joy it brought the Colombian striker.

“I was saying ‘Party! Party!’ when I scored, because in practice I always tell my teammates this is our party; people are coming to see us so we should enjoy it,” Reinoso said.

And he is indeed enjoying life with the Boys in Blue thus far. Reinoso has been partying for years, but to understand the lengthy path that brought the attacker to central Indiana, you have to look at his past.

Jair Reinoso was born on June 7, 1985 in Cali, Colombia, the third-largest city in the country and nicknamed “The Capital of Happiness,” which helps to partially explain exactly why the forward is never seen without a grin on his face. Raised in a family of five, the killer instinct cloaked behind his big smile developed from a young age.

“I loved the hot weather, but I was the kid always in trouble," Reinoso said. I was always playing jokes – I liked the pranks – so I was a bit of a troublemaker."

His father, a lifelong soccer fan, knew that he could steer his son’s passion elsewhere, and what better place to do so than at the Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero, the home of Colombian side America de Cali. A young Jair found interest in the game when his father whisked him away to his first match – and the rest, they say, is history.

His passion as a fan turned to passion as a player, and he featured for America de Cali’s reserve side until the age of 15. Reinoso then migrated to the United States where his family believed he had the best chance of continuing his career. He spent a few years in Florida before he found himself on the west coast of France, training with Nantes FC.

“I believe this was the best experience of my career. It was right because I was just 18 years old and there were many experienced players there that showed me a lot of things I’ve never seen before,” Reinoso said.

As his career marched on, the most important aspect of his life had yet to come along – his family. Jair met Isabel Castro in January 2010 while playing in Bolivia for Aurora. Castro was playing indoor soccer for her university and Reinoso spent two months going to her games to get a chance to speak with her. Finally, in March of that same year, persistence paid off and the two started seeing each other.

Fast forward two years to September 2012, and the couple were signing their marriage papers to make it official. But, as Reinoso remembers, it was just prior to the New Year that it all finally came together when he married Castro “in front of God” at their ceremony. In 2014, Isabel gave birth to their first child, daughter Sarah, while still in Bolivia as Jair was playing for Club The Strongest in La Paz.

Challenges built up, though, as he had to split time between staying with his wife and daughter in Bolivia and fighting for a career he had spent years working for. Leaving the country, Reinoso had stops in Colombia, Chile, and most recently, China.

“A friend was playing [in China] and he told me that they needed the kind of player that I am, so I went," Reinoso said. I didn’t like having every day the same, over and over again, but I do like to find new ways and new countries and new cultures. I’m glad I went – it was a good experience – but I’m happy I’m able to return to the United States with my family.”

Now, Reinoso finds himself in Indianapolis, family and all, and is smiling more than ever. But even when first making the move, things weren’t easy. After featuring against Ottawa Fury FC for just under 30 minutes, the Colombian was in line to feature against the Cosmos the next week. However, his wife Isabel was still in Miami at the time and was scheduled to go into labor soon. This forced Reinoso to fly down to the Sunshine State for an unfortunately extended trip. While there, his wife had complications with the surgery and he knew he would not make the trip back to play New York.

“My family is all for me," Reinoso spoke as he collected his thoughts on their trial. They are who I am. I’m still playing, I’m still fighting, but they are all for me. My kids, my wife – my strong wife. I think I’m the weak one in the relationship because what she’s done in the last two weeks, she’s like superwoman.”

Fellow Eleven forward Eamon Zayed knew there was something to be done without his teammate on hand against the Cosmos. When the Irishman scored the first of his two goals that night, he and the rest of the squad jogged over to the bench and picked up a navy blue Indy Eleven kit. As they held it to the sky, embroidered on the back was Reinoso’s name and the no. 24 – a tribute to their smiling friend.

“We all knew then that we had to be there for him," Zayed said. "A couple of the lads had said before the game that if we scored we had to do something special. We knew he’d be watching on TV, so we wanted to show him that we were thinking of his family, his wife, and everyone involved down in Miami.

“Jair has come in and brought a bit of fresh air and energy. He’s a good guy and everyone gets along with him and he brings a smiling face to training every day. He’s jelled really well and we wanted to show him that we missed him.”

The gesture did not go unnoticed, Reinoso and his wife were able to catch the match despite all the complications.

“What my teammates did last game with the jersey, it made me very happy because it made my family happy," Reinoso said.  "My wife just kept smiling after what they did for me. It was a very special moment.

“In life, having my babies born is my best experience ever. It was the best day of my life. They made me feel something that I’ve never felt before.”

Reinoso returned after the home game against New York and before the visit to Rayo OKC with a bye week sandwiched in between the pair of Spring Season clashes. Working vigorously, he used his family as motivation to keep going. It paid off, as he earned his first start in an Indy Eleven shirt on the trip west.

“I didn’t know until the morning of the game that I would start," he said. "But the coach sat me down and told me, and I was so happy so I called my wife. She told me ‘Okay, all your hard work has brought this. You get what you deserve.’ So I just knew I had to pay them back and if I could score I would do everything possible to do so.

“Then in the seventh minute, I closed my eyes and shot. I’m just kidding. It was my only option, though. I saw Eamon in the box, but he was with two defenders, the other defender came across to me and I knew I had to shoot, so I did. I just kept hoping it would go far away from the 'keeper and it did. It landed pretty well!”

Following his magnificent finish, the passion on his face was evident. He put in all the time, working day-in and day-out for one golden opportunity – a chance finished with a golden strike.

“I just kept thanking God because I always say it’s not me, it’s God showing people that he is here, so that’s all I said – thank you God," Reinoso said. I had a lot of trouble last year. It was hard for me. I’ve been injured, and everyone said I wouldn’t play again, I don’t know why. But now I’m here and I wanted to score to show my teammates I can help them after what they’ve done for me.”

The grind doesn’t end there though, and Reinoso knows it. He will continue to enjoy every game and every moment he can celebrate, but with his fans and family in the back of his mind, the push continues.

“The fans come and see us and support us from start to end, so we feel we have to give them the wins they deserve," he said. "I feel in life, if you work hard the results will come. We will continue to work hard.”

Work hard, play hard, and do so with a smile – the Jair Reinoso way.