PUMA IL VIAGGIO TAKES ELITE YOUTH SOCCER PLAYERS TO ITALY

16 Elite Youth Soccer Players Advance to Visit Italy with Il Viaggio

16 players will travel to Italy as part of the Italian Football Association (FIGC) and PUMA’s Il Viaggio program that gives players in the U.S. and Canada a chance to experience soccer the Italian way. Il Viaggio provides selected players with an all-expense paid trip to Italy to see Italian soccer first hand. The group of young players will have a chance to attend a friendly match between Italy and France as well as train at the FIGC headquarters located in Florence. 

Related Articles: Once-And-A-Lifetime Italian Experience for Youth Soccer Players – Il Viaggio; Il Viaggio – FIGC’s Coach Guidoni on Youth Soccer Players

Soccer News: The Italian Football Association (FIGC) and PUMA’s Il Viaggio program has announced its 16-player roster that will travel for an all-expense paid trip to Italy at the end of this month. The players will have an opportunity to train at Coverciano, the Italian Federation HQ & training facility, and participate in a friendly match versus a top Italian youth team.

Il Viaggio is a program developed by PUMA and the FIGC that gives players in the U.S. and Canada a chance to experience real Italian soccer.  This year, Il Viaggio program gave U.S. and Canadian male players born in 2000 and 2001 the opportunity to participate. Next year, it will be girls who are provided this unique opportunity.

Il Viaggio, Italian for “The Journey” culminates with a once-in-a-lifetime experience to learn to play football the Italian Way —  by being flown over to Italy for free.

In 2016, trials were hosted in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. Hundreds of players showed up for the three trials — and 30 elite youth soccer players were selected to possibly #BeTheNext— advancing to the National Trials in early August.

The Il Viaggio National were hosted at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, FL. There, coaches of the National Team and top FIGC representatives were be on-site to select the final group of 16 players who will be sent on an all-expense paid trip to Italy.

During the National Trial players also had a chance to experience Disney and tour Epcot following training sessions held on Saturday. The players were treated to an Italian buffet in a private area overlooking the water and were able to watch Epcot’s IllumiNations fireworks and laser show after dinner.

One final training session was held on Sunday to conclude the weekend with full-field matches highlighting the day. All youth soccer practices were held with FIGC coach Attilio Sorbi evaluating players.  Sorbi made the final selection of players for the roster that will travel to Italy after watching three training sessions.

Participants were selected in a Bachelor/Bachelorette TV style “rose ceremony” with the 16 players handed their ticket to Italy in front of the crowd of hopefuls.

The elite player squad will fly into Bari on August 31st to attend a friendly match between Italy and France National Teams before heading to Florence where they will spend the remainder of the trip training at Coverciano until September 5th.

Albion SC 2001 Goalkeeper Mallel Rios was selected for the roster and his family is thrilled.  An outstanding goalie, Rios just completed his US Development Academy U14 year coached by Paul Holohan.  San Diego based Albion SC is known for outstanding player development and home grown players.  Twenty-one year old forward Ariel Lassiter, who now plays professional soccer for the MLS’ LA Galaxy, trained at Albion SC as a youth.

“Rios has been exceptional this year and has won great save one after another. He has kept us in games. He is a hard working goalie who is a great shot stopper,” said Holohan. “He can fly across the goal and very good at coming out and narrowing the angle.”

Rios’ parents are thrilled with the opportunity their son has and said,

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether win or lose, you have applied the best of yourself to the task at hand.”

Below is the list of players traveling to Italy – Puma is outfitting each player with a complimentary complete travel kit.