All About Yanks Abroad Catchall Thread 2015/16

Discussion in 'Yanks Abroad' started by Dave Marino-Nachison, Aug 25, 2015.

  1. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Let's start a new stick/catchall thread for generic YA news -- odd "Whatever happened to..." questions and posts, questions, and other stuff you just aren't quite sure what to do with.

    Here's last season's thread:

    http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/all-about-yanks-abroad-catchall-thread-2014-15.2008771/

    And the season before:

    http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/all-about-yanks-abroad-running-thread-2013-14.1994969/

    An archive of past YA "master" threads:

    http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/all-about-yanks-abroad-thread-archive.914322/

    Have fun! Like this guy.

    [​IMG]
     
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  2. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Here's an under-the-radar one who is back in the States:

    Despite a coaching change and the loss of several key players from last year’s squad, the team received a huge boost when attacking midfielder Julien Melendez — a former standout at Tam High — decided to return for a second season.

    ...

    Melendez, who said it’s always been a dream of his to play soccer professionally, spent most of 2015 pursuing that dream in Austria — his mother’s country of birth.

    “After the fall season last year I decided to snub all the college stuff and go to Europe,” Melendez said. “I went to Austria and Switzerland. I played third division in Austria and played in the second division in Switzerland. I trained with the team there.

    “I’ve done it a lot. When I was 16, I went to Padova in Italy — they were second division. When I was in Spain when I was 18, I was in Alcorcón, also second division. So I’ve done a lot of trainings, done a lot of traveling. I’ve seen a lot of cities, met a lot of people.”

    Melendez spent time training with and playing for FC Wacker Innsbruck and SC Schwaz in Austria before turning down a contract offer and returning to College of Marin to pursue his goal of playing soccer at a four-year Division I college in California.
    http://www.marinij.com/sports/20150...-boosted-by-the-return-of-midfielder-melendez
     
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  3. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    One more for the history file:

    [Jose "Pepe"] Medina played soccer for two years for Sonoma State. He tried out for the San Jose Earthquakes and signed his first professional contract with the California Jaguars from Salinas.

    He played two years for El Farolito, a professional team in San Francisco.

    Medina accepted an invitation to try out with Cruz Azul, a first division pro team located in Mexico City. He spent three months training with Cruz Azul.

    “It was an awesome experience, the best soccer experience I’ve had,” said Medina. “You’d walk into their clubhouse and you see the first division players in the same locker room, in the same hallways, in the same cafeteria, in the same training field facilities. That was like the ultimate for me. I’ve never seen soccer like that anywhere. I saw the competition – it’s pretty tough.”

    Medina had a tough decision to make: continue with soccer or pursue his education.

    He returned to California and graduated from Cal State Stanislaus, receiving a degree in P.E. He got his state teaching credential from Touro University California in Vallejo.

    Medina plays on a 35-and-older soccer team in Vallejo.
    http://napavalleyregister.com/sport...cle_b336cdba-a818-5b82-b80b-b4a656d31544.html
     
  4. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Testudo repped this.
  5. bungadiri

    bungadiri Super Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 25, 2002
    Acnestia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  6. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Thank you.
     
  7. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    A young player who came home:

    Giovanni Galvano, the 2011 Journal News Rockland Player of the Year, was also anxious to try his luck overseas. After graduating from Pearl River in 2013, Galvano decided to put college on hold and move to Italy to tryout for Novara Calcio, a Primavera League team.

    He had traveled to train with the club the previous summer, but when he returned looking to earn a spot, Galvano quickly realized that he was a long way from Rockland County.

    "When I went back, it was a much more competitive environment," he said. "They recruited from all over Europe and Africa. I spent about four months there before they let me go. It was definitely an eye-opener."

    Galvano stayed in Italy and joined the semi-pro club Lecco Calcio, but he eventually returned to the U.S. and enrolled at Nyack College, where he currently plays on the soccer team.
    http://www.lohud.com/story/sports/h...cer-players-scour-world-opportunity/73675222/
     
  8. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    A young man named Breein Tyree who is a very highly rated basketball player (he recently said he will play at Ole Miss) and comes from lacrosse bloodlines apparently drew the interest of overseas clubs as a teenager during some kind of tournament in Europe. What if our best athletes STILL played soccer? ;)
     
  9. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Snip:

    JAG Physical Therapy announced the addition of two new partners to its practice: Jeff Rigby and Michael Evangelist.

    Rigby earned his doctor of physical therapy degree from Seton Hall University and joined the JAG team in spring 2008. He also played professional soccer in both Germany and the United States and coached youth soccer throughout New Jersey at numerous clubs. Rigby currently resides in Midland Park and is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.
    http://www.njbiz.com/article/20151025/EXECMOVES/310269999/executive-moves-who-hired-whom-this-week

    Believe he was drafted by the MetroStars more than a decade ago but not sure he every played a league match.
     
  10. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Don't know if I'd heard this about a player named Ryan McGowan:

    After Sparta and Seton Hall, McGowan was a sixth-round draft choice of the Fire, but his MLS career was a short one.

    On the positive side, he was drafted, he survived a few cuts, he traveled with the team to Portugal and he stayed on the roster until the final days, when he was the final cut of the year. He also hooked on to play pro soccer in Germany for a year.

    He returned to Seton Hall to take more classes, then became a police officer in hometown Sparta, before moving on to the Jefferson PD.
    http://www.njherald.com/story/30430042/2015/11/03/teamwork-leadership-take-lucky-mcgowan-to-hof
     
  11. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Posting this more for fun and historical interest than anything else, but I suppose it could also be read as a cautionary tale about relying on naturalized talent -- because sometimes, as this story of the first Jew to play in England's top division explains, they get off the boat at the wrong country on the way to ours:

    [Louis] Bookman was born Louis Buchalter, in Zagare, in today’s Lithuania, one of nine children of Mathias and Jane Buchalter. In 1895, the family boarded a ship with the intention of immigrating to New York. According to family lore, however, they misunderstood an announcement when their ship stopped for provisions in Cork, Ireland, and it is there they alighted.

    ...

    As a teenager, he played soccer for the local Jewish team, Adelaide, which in 1908 won the All-Ireland Under-18s Cup. Two years later, in spite of his parents’ objections, Louis went pro, joining the Belfast Celtic club.

    Within a year, he had crossed the Irish Sea, to join Bradford City, the then-reigning Football Association champions. This made Bookman, whose new teammates immediately dubbed him “Abraham,” the first Jew to play in Britain’s top-tier league.​

    http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/this-day-in-jewish-history/.premium-1.684348

    Also apparently played for Ireland.
     
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  12. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    One for the former file:

    Oakland University men’s soccer alum Nicholas Kristock founded the organization Fleece and Thank You. In 2013, Kristock became the first student-athlete to receive the Human Relations Award in recognition of his academics in classroom and service in the community. In December, 2013, Kristock signed a contract with Logan Lightning FC and by February, 2014 he had moved to Brisbane, Australia to play professional soccer overseas. After playing for two seasons, his contract ended and he moved back to the States in October, 2015.

    “Originally, the plan was to stay for one [season], but I decided to stay for a second one. I was glad I did, because that’s where I got my passion for non-profits, in that second season,” Kristock said.

    During his stay there, he volunteered at children’s hospitals and met Sophie, a four-year-old girl battling neuroblastoma.

    “Even though she was four, and battling [neuroblastoma], she was still super happy and energetic and so inspiring. I felt a call to do something to honor her and kids that are similar to her,” Kristock said.
    http://www.oaklandpostonline.com/sports/article_1f877352-9148-11e5-9464-575e7f578c94.html

    http://www.goldengrizzlies.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/nick_kristock_459980.html
     
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  13. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Snip:

    Kansas’ new commerce secretary has played professional soccer in Italy, written a romance novel and filmed a commercial with Danny DeVito.

    Gov. Sam Brownback cited Antonio Soave’s experience in international business as the head of Capistrano Global Advisory Services when he made the nomination last month.

    ...

    Soave, a Michigan native with Italian roots, played semi-professional soccer in Italy during the 1980s and has stayed involved since then, founding the Global Foundation for Peace Through Soccer in 2003 and writing a soccer-themed romance novel.​

    Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/latest-news/article48221780.html#storylink=cpy
     
  14. Canadian_Supporter

    Staff Member

    Dec 20, 1999
    Prostějov, CR
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
  15. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Don't know if this deserves its own thread at this moment, but logging here:

    Collin Hershberger dreams of playing at the highest levels of soccer. Deadpan a joke about going to see him in the World Cup when he turns 18, and he returns with a serious look and a nod that he plans to be there.Soccer is his sport of choice.“There is not a bunch of timeouts,” Hershberger said. “When I play other sports I have to come out a lot. In soccer you don't come out, your staying in the whole game.”

    In his most recent club season, he scored 27 goals and collected 13 assists. He has played six years with Newton United.Currently a fifth-grader at Santa Fe 5/6 Center in Newton, Hershberger will get a taste of high-level soccer this spring. He has been selected for a special opportunity, a week long camp with Stoke City of the English Premier League.
    http://www.thekansan.com/sports/20151227/premier-opportunity
     
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  16. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Logging for posterity:

    Nick Carlin-Voigt has been named as the head coach of the University of Portland’s men’s soccer team, athletic director Scott Leykam announced Monday morning. Carlin-Voigt, who served as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at UCLA, said he is excited to coach on Merlo Field: the gem of the west coast.

    ...

    His professional career in Mexico was cut short by a PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament) tear. After playing some semi-professional soccer back at home in Kalamazoo, Carlin-Voigt rehabbed and played overseas in Germany. When he was not offered a contract, he decided to coach.
    http://www.upbeacon.com/2016/01/12/nick-carlin-voigt-named-as-head-mens-soccer-coach/
     
  17. TheFalseNine

    TheFalseNine Moderator
    Staff Member

    Arsenal
    United States
    Jul 15, 2014
    Norman, Okla.
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  18. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Bolivianfuego repped this.
  19. 360show

    360show Member

    Jan 28, 2016
    how long is it before you can make a thread? one of my former college teammates is playing in south america
     
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  20. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    I don't know the answer to that question, but if you'd like to post something here I'm sure I or someone else would be glad to start a thread for him, crediting you.
     
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  21. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Snip:

    Wilson High School hired Steven LeXander — a former Francis Marion soccer standout — as the Tigers’ boys soccer coach Tuesday.

    LeXander replaces Christian Storm who, according to Wilson athletics director Gerald Herbert, resigned.

    “To be honest, it all happened very fast,” LeXander said. “But I am looking forward to meeting the squad and getting down to work. We will start by building on the recent successes of the team while trying to further establish an identity for the program that will reflect our playing style and what a privilege it is to wear the purple and gold.”

    Herbert is more than happy to have LeXander on staff.

    “He went on to play professional soccer overseas for a bit,” Herbert said. “He comes with a wealth of soccer knowledge both from playing and coaching.”
    http://www.scnow.com/news/local/article_4259e9b8-c4a7-11e5-9756-5b9e6b6f0330.html
     
  22. 360show

    360show Member

    Jan 28, 2016
    oh okay, his name is nathan salveson, hes playing as a goalkeeper for club libertad in the bolivian second division, heres a link fo a really good recent article on him https://goalwashington.wordpress.co...ks-his-gloves-and-takes-the-pitch-in-bolivia/
     
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  23. Bolivianfuego

    Bolivianfuego Your favorite Bolivian

    Apr 12, 2004
    Fairfax, Va
    Club:
    Bolivar La Paz
    Nat'l Team:
    Bolivia
    Very cool story. How old is this guy? He is in the second division which frankly might as well be semi-pro in Bolivia. If he can catch on with San Jose of Bolivia he'd be in a good chance to live his dream. San Jose is one of the better teams of Bolivia with some good veterans and probably one of the richer clubs of Bolivia outside of the BIG ones.

    The last time I remember an american playing in Bolivia was a kid I want to say from Wisconsin who signed for La Paz FC to play for the Libertadores. He actually was really good but broke his foot in practice and had nothing but bad things to say about the club and how they handled his injury. I forget his name...but it was a fascinating story.
     

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