Federal Way Mirror Male Athlete of the Week: Ilyaz Veysalov

Published 10:30 am Thursday, March 19, 2026

The Federal Way Mirror Male Athlete of the Week of March 20 from Todd Beamer High School is Ilyaz Veysalov (junior), soccer.

What is your favorite subject/class in school?

Physics.

Name your Mount Rushmore G.O.A.T. Athletes (Top 4):

Messi, Dylan Cruz, Khamzat Chimeav, Paolo Maldini.

What does it mean to be a good teammate? Why is it important to your success? What is one thing you do to help others around you?

What it means to be a good teammate is everyone hustling and working as hard as they can at practice because it shows on game day and everyone being like brothers to one another. It is important to my success because when everyone works hard, it pushes me to work harder and motivates me more and more. As a captain, I feel like my teammates listen to what I say, which makes me want to push harder and play harder for them.

If you could have dinner with anyone (living or from the past), who would it be? Why?

If I could have dinner with anyone it would be Paolo Maldini because he’s one of the smartest defenders in soccer history. He wasn’t super aggressive, but his positioning and timing made him almost impossible to beat. At dinner, I’d want to learn how he reads attackers, and stays so calm under pressure. I think talking to him would help me understand how to defend at a higher level.

You’re on a long road trip, you stop at a gas station. You get one drink and one snack. What are you choosing?

Skittles and a Gatorade.

Describe your favorite post-game meal:

Pizza.

What is your Walk-up song?

“Canción Del Mariachi” – Antonio Banderas, Los Lobos

From the sidelines:

Ilyaz is a great leader both on and off the field. He’s also an example for the rest of his team both on and off the field. When faced with a struggle or challenge his natural response is to inspire and motivate. When it’s time to perform, he does what needs to get done. Dependable and inspirational.