N.Y. Magic - F.A. Euro News Release -- www.faeuro.com
Monday, April 8, 2013
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- New York Magic - F.A. Euro, a young, up-and-coming soccer club in Brooklyn has developed a reputation for giving good, deserving players, who weren’t previously affiliated with a local club, a chance to play the game they love. But quietly, F.A. Euro has also been giving some outstanding young players with great potential a shot at living their dreams by helping them get trials with some of the best clubs in the world. Today, the club announced that two of their youth players, Nick Garzon and Steve Fernandez, will leave for Italy in two weeks for one-week trials with the youth academy of Italian powerhouse AC Milan.
Garzon and Fernandez are the second and third players that F.A. Euro has helped get trials at Milan in the last two years. ODP select goalkeeper, Stanley Purygin was the first. Purygin spent a week in Milan training with the AC Milan U14 team in the spring of 2012, and while the storied Italian club hasn’t signed him, the unexpected experience has helped him grow as a player. F.A. Euro’s Director of Youth Operations, Adam Marcu, tried to put Nick and Steve’s opportunity into perspective.
"It’s a dream come true for a kid playing soccer in Brooklyn to get to train with one of the best clubs on the planet," Marcu said. "At F.A. Euro, we are ecstatic for Nick and Steve and proud that we’ve built the kind of relationships that can give our kids the chance to go AC Milan and play in their academy. It’s an opportunity that almost no American player ever gets to experience."
F.A. Euro President Joe Balsamo gives the credit to the players. He says that the club has built a strong relationship with AC Milan because of the hard work that the kids have been putting in at the training ground and on game days.
"We have been working nonstop, and the club just gets better every day," Balsamo said. "These players are constantly improving in all aspects of the game: technical, physical, tactical and mental. We give them the chance to play and they are 100 percent motivated to make themselves into the best players they can be. By next year, God willing, a few more of our players will get trials in Italy. American soccer has the quality to make a difference nationally as well as internationally, and we hope that our players can help to become part of that difference.”
Balsamo stressed that the objective is not to sign a professional contract overseas, but for the kids to get the experience of playing with top players at a top international club, even if only for a week. That week will change the way Garzon and Fernandez see and understand the sport.
“The experience will benefit both of them, as it will give them the opportunity to see the reality of soccer," Balsamo said. "I would love nothing better than one day for a player who developed his game at our club to reach the highest level. We would all be so proud to know that we played a part in that young man’s success. And it would reinforce that we are doing things in the right way, and hopefully allow others to see us as a positive model for growing soccer in the US.”
It is Balsamo’s philosophy that the boys at F.A. Euro should improve not only as players on the pitch but as people who become men of character as well. Balsamo’s holistic approach has made a great impact on his staff, who have wholeheartedly adopted his philosophy towards the game.
“One of our major aims is not only to develop great soccer players, but to develop great people as well,” stressed Marcu. “Talent, especially in a country with so many good young players, is just not enough to enable a player to succeed today. Character is critically important as well. When opportunities arise for trials, camps, or tours, coaches immediately think of players who deserve the opportunity because they’ve worked for it.
"Right away, certain names pop into your head as a coach in these scenarios, and to a man, they are the names of the kids who both have the talent and have demonstrated the character to get the most out of the experience. These are kids for whom you wished an opportunity would arise because they deserved it, and bang, suddenly there it is, so you don’t hesitate to call on them.”
Garzon admits that he’s nervous about the trip, but he says he’s excited and ready to give his all in Milan.
“I am very happy and lucky that I get the chance to train and play with a world class organization like Milan," he said. "I want to try my best to do well and represent F.A. Euro the best I can. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but my coaches have trained me well, and their constant motivation helps inspire me to perform at a high level.”
When asked about his major goal for the trip, Garzon was restrained but hopeful: “I hope that Milan likes me and that the experience will help me on my journey to achieving my dream of one day becoming a professional soccer player.”
The statement is both an indication of Nick’s strong ambition, as well as his determined character. Garzon’s dream is driven by his love for the game, his loyalty to his coaches and teammates at F.A. Euro, and his family, who introduced him to the game at a young age and have continued to sacrifice their time and weekends to help him achieve his dreams. Garzon especially wants his Mom to see him succeed, and be able to thank her, and the rest of his family for the sacrifices they’ve made and the faith they’ve had in him.
Despite being able to prepare themselves mentally to a certain degree, Marcu believes that “what Nick and Steven will be most surprised by in Milan is the level of quality and commitment throughout all the kids in the academy. It will feel to them, in many ways, like they are in the AC Milan first team - of course, they won’t be, they’ll be training with kids their own age." He went on, saying, "one of the biggest challenges for our guys when they’re over there will be in finding ways to stand out without relying on pure talent. It will be difficult, but the more they can take in while they’re over there, the more they’ll improve as players, and the more they can bring back to their teammates and help them improve as well."
Marcu’s final reflection on the opportunity was simple: "The entire F.A. Euro family knows that Nick and Steven are tremendous players with extremely bright futures, and I expect them to impress in Milan. They will be representing our entire organization, and we have faith that they will conduct themselves with professionalism on and off the field. At the end of the day, it’s all about the experience—and it’s going to be a great one!"
The boys leave April 20 for Milan.