What’s the most fun you’ve had in a soccer game?
I think, in my mind, the most fun moments were representing my CYO team. Those practices that you have at CYO you’re just playing with like, five or six kids who had been growing up playing soccer, and six or seven who have barely touched a soccer ball in their life, those are some really fun moments. And then, getting to actually represent Lakeside, and your high school and having that school spirit, obviously now representing the city is big, but it’s never quite the same as representing the school. Walking out of St. Nick’s with the school with the school clapping us on, all your classmates being in the stands; those games are really special.
Were there ever times when you were at Lakeside and felt like you just wanted to play soccer and not go to school?
The conversation I always had with my parents was that I was going to go to college, and so I had to find a way to continue pursuing my soccer career. Lucky for me, there was a pathway to do that. I think that pathway [from college soccer to professional soccer] is kind of closing nowadays, but yeah, I think there were definitely times where it felt like too much, and I think it’s really difficult to always be doing both well at the same time. But my college coach actually used to say that, like he found the balance really nice; because, you can have a bad day on the field, and then you still have your classes to go to and bounce back really quickly. It goes the same the other way around. If you have a bad test or bad day at school for whatever reason, then you still get to go out on the field with your buddies for two hours. So that balance is really nice.
Why did you choose to play basketball at Lakeside? What other sports did you play growing up?
Well, I actually grew up playing soccer, baseball and basketball; those are like my main sports. My parents believed it was really important to be well rounded and play different sports, and I really liked it too. I had played basketball all up until that point. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do baseball because I think it was the same season [as soccer]. But if I could have had it my way, I would have been able to keep doing all three as long as I could have.
What is it like to be on a team with people you grew up looking up to?
Last year, I made my debut with Freddie Montero on the field. And for me, I grew up watching him and he was one of my favorite players. Jordan [Morris] and Christian [Roldan], I’ve grown up watching them, Nico Lodeiro too, so playing with them starting last year was really special. I was also really lucky to have a close Lakeside friend of mine through a lot of this with me last year, Wallis Lapsley, and we drove to practice every day. He picked me up every day on the way when we were both living in our parents house. And that was really nice to come home to, because I’d spent six years away at Notre Dame and Georgetown and Toronto, and then to be back with one of my best friends and mentors, was so undoubtedly important for me last year.
