It took us many months over two teams to get the elusive interview with the son of a past co-worker. His father had been speaking of his son as being a great player, always met with a jaundiced eye, I first saw him play before people from Roma, under age and undersized for his age, he more than held his own. Fast forward father and son are making a 4 hour drive a few times a week to Whippany, quite the commute for the New York Red Bull Academy, with high praise coming out of it, a short stint with NYCFC before they dropped that age group. Then it was to the NY Cosmos, the most historic team in the nations history, for a season. He saw minutes only in the last game and did well laying the ball off, keeping in position, finding space, playing well beyond his years. I am certain he learned volumes in regular training sessions. He did not see much of the ball, might he have been frozen out, yes men with a youth player competing for a job are not going to do him any favors. Now he too holds his own place in history in joining the Academy of Queensboro FC as the first player there, will he be the answer to a trivia question many years from now or just a foot note in team lore? By what I have seen, I hope he will fulfill his 4 years scholarship at Wake Forest unless a move on to the higher paying pro ranks is in the cards. Whether it be here or overseas for the young man with strong ties to Italy.
He feels this is the best place for him to be, long time NY Cosmos Asst., Coach, Luis Gutierrez, is at the club who now knows the domestic soccer scene very well, he has quite the advocate for him. With the world wide fame of David Villa and his star power, there will be a great deal of attention on this Academy team, unlike most others in the States. as the first team awaits kick off in 2022, the Academy team will be the flagship of the team until they begin to assemble the USL team locally.
Unlike the horror stories heard of many better youth players who bounce from club to club, he has been nothing of the sort. His youth club Lynbrook-East Rockaway would not as most do not, have the ability to grow such a player as would one linked to a pro team. When the travel I believe became too much, I think it was always too much, he came closer to home with NYCFC, with great success, I am sure he would not have left had they retained his age group, the Cosmos were a great option as too is Queensboro FC
The attacking midfielder is a field general, controlling the tempo of play getting forward very well to both finish or lay it off as the need be. He has a very high soccer IQ and uses his body, though not a large frame to his advantage with ease to shield the ball. Tremendous decision making marks his play in holding possession and advancing the ball. I am sure we will chat again in the near future and flesh out his path bettter to this point