A player of this name was listed with Excelsior Rotterdam's B-Jeugd last season. He's a '96 GK. http://www.sbvexcelsior.nl/index.php?objectID=568 He appears to have played in Florida and for RSL-AZ. I don't know for certain that he's a Yank, but it seems like a safe guess. Transfermarkt says he was born in the States and has Swedish citizenship. https://twitter.com/BenjaminMachini http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-player-profile/benjamin-machini/pid-38026
Welcome to the Machini: https://twitter.com/BenjaminMachini Kevin Paqué https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.machini Born in Alaska: http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/benjamin-machini/leistungsdaten/spieler_277125.html Is that a first?
Searching transfermarkt for Alaska yields Ely Allen (who played a dozen games for the Galaxy in 2008), Brian Sowell (who was once a backup GK for the Richmond Kickers), and Michael Roman who plays for the Ventura County Fusion. So, probably the first Alaskan Abroad, but who really knows.
There was a fellow named Brian Chud who played at some level in Northern Ireland years ago. Also a (then-) young guy named Cameron Richardson who I believe spent some time in New Zealand and maybe also the Netherlands. Obviously, it does me no good to know these things, but what can I say?
Yeah, he is both a Yank and a Swede. Great keeper, a real talent. Give him a few more years and he'll be making headlines.
Another Alaskan in the pros is/was Liviu Bird, who was the backup keeper for the Kitsap Pumas (presumably being paid since they're one of the few pro clubs in the PDL) in 2011 and 2012.
Looks like he's with the 1st team now, in the Eredivisie: http://www.sbvexcelsior.nl/eerste-elftal/selectie/#page
Just a note.....................Excelsior is also a feeder club for Feyenoord I believe. It's actually a pretty small club to be in a major European league. 3-4k seat stadium if I remember correctly. We got high school football stadiums in Texas that dwarf that.
I know nothing about this guy or his club team, but it looks like the GK competition at Excelsior is not much even for someone as young as Machini. Could Machini find his way into the lineup at some point in the season? He didn't play in the first preseason game, so he might be the third GK for now, but the competition looks really weak.
It would appear CE Constancia of Spain's Segunda Division B (3rd tier) has borrowed "Benji" Machini: http://www.futbolbalear.es/2014/08/05/juanan-romero-y-benji-machini-se-incorporan-al-constancia/
He seems to have moved to the second team of Spanish second-division club RCD Mallorca. Pretty sure he's the guy in yellow in the team pic: http://rcdmallorca.es/mallorca-b/plantilla/ @BenjaminMachini firma por el @RCDMFilial_FM Enhorabuena Portero!! pic.twitter.com/hpFZeQdoUL— Control Orientado (@controlorientad) August 20, 2015 Joe Efford is also apparently there: http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/joe-efford-at-rcd-mallorca.2016586/ Mallorcamerica!
GK – Benjamin Machini: Nicknamed “Benji,” Mallorca B’s backup goalkeeper is already familiar with Spain, having played the last season at CE Constancia in lower leagues. Holding both Swedish and American nationalities, Benjamin could become an interesting goalkeeper, considering he is one of the only Yankees in Spain. Definitely one to watch. Read more at: https://tr.im/9ySRJ
Interview: http://www.everybodysoccer.com/even...ican-goalkeeper-continues-to-develop-overseas Benjamin Machini is goalkeeper currently playing in Spain with RCD Mallorca's second team, RCD Mallorca B. The nineteen year old is a dual citizen with the US and Sweden and has been playing in Spain for almost three years now, after playing with SBV Excelsior in the Netherlands. @bungadiri @Friedel'sAccent -- Let's move him to YA Academy & update the title: Benjamin Machini at Mallorca
Missed this on Sunday: GK Benjamin Machini was in 18 for 1st time for RCD Mallorca in Spain - 19yr old Swe/US - Congrats @BenjaminMachini— AccrossthePond (@accrossthepond) February 17, 2016
Nice. Looks like their regular starter Timon Wellenreuther (who is on loan from Schalke) picked up a red, so veteran backup Cabrero started and Machini moved to the bench. Cabrero has made three other starts in the fall and another 96 - Miquel Parera - sat on the bench. So it's not clear if Machini has moved from #4 to #3 or if Parera was just unavailable for some reason.
Loaned for one year to Barakaldo CF. http://barakaldocf.com/cesion-del-guardameta-benjamin-machini-rcd-mallorca/
Nice find. I had been wondering what had happened to this guy and was unsure if he was still on the books at Mallorca. Barakaldo are in Segunda B, so it'll be a little bit easier to track what he is or is not doing. Mallorca B were in the Tercera Division last season, but actually were promoted so they'll be at the same level, albeit in a different group.
On the bench for Barakaldo's opener. He is behind a goalkeeper who goes by the exceedingly Basque-looking name of Txusta.