Four very talented youth soccer players from Burnaby are heading to Europe to showcase their skills and play some of the top professional youth academy teams in Europe.
Marco Consiglio, Luca Dal Sasso, Matteo Mauro and Matthew Naidu are four of 13 boys from the Excel Soccer Academy, representing a wide range of communities including: Coquitlam, Kelowna, Maple Ridge, Port Coquitlam, Vancouver and West Vancouver making the trip which starts on May 4.
"I have a chance to compete against other teams in Europe that I probably would never have a chance to play against in my lifetime," said Dal Sasso. "I look forward to compete against some of the best youth clubs in Europe. I can't wait."
The four boys and their team will spend five days in England and play two games against Coventry City and Tottenham. The team will then move on to Italy and play Bologna FC, Inter Milan, Brescia, Verona Hellas and a fifth club still to be determined.
"Soccer means everything to me and I have been playing since I was 4 years old and never thought I would go to Italy and England to play," said Consiglio.
"I love soccer, started to play when I was 4 at the Italian soccer club and now I get to go to Italy and England to play," said Mauro. I can't wait to go. ... I love to play soccer. ... this is my dream come true."
"It's a trip of a lifetime for me because I get to play soccer in my grandparents' home country (Italy) and I can't wait to play in countries where so many great players have come from," said Naidu. "My dream is to one day be a professional soccer player in Europe and I feel super lucky to get this opportunity."
Excel Soccer was founded in 2001 by Tony Pensato, a former professional soccer player. "Excel Soccer provides an opportunity for young Canadian players to travel to the top soccer countries in the world and experience the passion and culture that makes soccer such a great game. The boys will benefit from the quality training leading up to the trip and the top-notch competition in Europe," said Pensato. "Playing against great clubs like Tottenham and Inter Milan is something the boys will cherish the rest of their lives."
The team was selected by Josh Smith, a staff coach with Excel Soccer and head coach for the team. "What I've tried to do is bring together a group of highly-skilled, like-minded players, who love playing the game and will have no problem integrating in a short time," said Smith. "I think I've achieved that, and I think the boys will definitely impress the coaches and players overseas with their abilities."
