Joe DiCarlo Travels Abroad For Trial With Sheffield Wednesday FC
Soccer News: Murrieta Surf SC youth soccer player, Joe DiCarlo recently traveled to England for a trial with famed English soccer club Sheffield Wednesday FC.
Joe DiCarlo is a talented and very fortunate youth soccer player. The 18-year-old former Great Oak High School student has the great fortune to have Italian great grandparents — and this DNA allows DiCarlo to qualify for dual citizenship … the ultimate golden ticket required to train and play abroad with ease. The experience of seeing the world from different soccer pitches is an amazing gift and Director of Coaching of Murrieta Surf, Steve Myles understand this.
English born Myles grew up on the other side of the pond and has traveled extensively, training and developing soccer players. As a former coach at Sheffield United FC, Myles knows how important it is to immerse youth soccer players in a true soccer environment. A veteran coach who has worked at every level from youth to professional, Myles coached was the LA Galaxy’s U20 head coach and head coach of their U16/U18 Academy teams. Myles’ final stop before taking over at Murrieta Surf SC was as assistant coach of the Major League Soccer (MLS) New England Revolution. With this depth of experience, Myles understands a player’s thirst for experience and drive for success.
With this knowledge, Myles recommended DiCarlo for a two week trial with the former English Premier League club.
This was DiCarlo first time ever traveling out of the country. With a flight that was supposed to land in London but was rerouted to Pairs, DiCarlo He faced several travel issues which even an experienced traveler would have had trouble recovering from. So focused on the opportunity in front of him, DiCarlo wasn’t fazed nor affected. He was just excited to hit the soccer field at Sheffield United FC.
Unfortunately, DiCarlo was injured in his first 11v11 game for the Sheffield Wednesday FC academy team,sustaining a dislocated shoulder and had to return home to Temecula, CA to recover. Although disappointed, DiCarlo was uplifted by the news that he impressed the coaches enough to be invited back to England as soon as his injury has healed.
SoccerToday spoke with his coach Myles to discover more about DiCarlo’s trial in England.
SoccerToday spoke with Myles to learn about DiCarlo.
Diane Scavuzzo: What do you think makes Joe DiCarlo such a special player?
Steve Myles: Joe is like so many of the young players we are lucky to have here in Southern California. Many of these young players have great technical ability and lots of potential but that alone is not enough to achieve a contract at a professional club. Joe has the ability and potential but also possesses a deep desire and great attitude along with a tremendous work ethic and is totally focused on achieving his dream.
Diane Scavuzzo: What are his strongest assets?
Steve Myles: His strongest assets include, a very good first touch, the ability to hold the ball up and bring other players into the game. Joe also has the pace to get behind defenders and score goals.
Diane Scavuzzo: What do you think playing abroad/training in England will do for him?
Steve Myles: The first day Joe arrived at the training facility in Sheffield, his eyes were truly opened, and he was amazed at how different the players attitudes were. The players he trained with are already earning a living playing soccer and this is their job — their life. Everyday, they have to prove to the coaching staff that they deserve to be there and all the players understand that if they consistently under perform, they are out of a job and there are hundreds of young players waiting to take their place.
This experience has served to reinforce to Joe that its not just about your ability but also about your mental toughness and being able to deliver under the most stressful environments.
This whole process has been a fantastic boost for the whole club.
Joe’s story is inspiring many of our young players with the knowledge that if they work hard and are good enough I will be able to assist in sending them to professional clubs either here in the U.S. or Europe.
Diane Scavuzzo: How many teams/players are in your club now?
Steve Myles: At this time we have 32 teams and around 600 competitive players supported by a very strong recreation program which has over 900 players. I must stress though that the numbers are not what we measure the club by.
Our emphasis is on quality rather than quantity. That is my coaching philosophy.
Everyone at the club has worked extremely hard in the last 3 years to achieve a marked improvement in the overall quality of the teams and players at the club and recreation level. We all recognize though this is a working progress and we need to continue to work hard everyday.
Diane Scavuzzo: Has Sheffield changed much since you were there?
Steve Myles: Certainly the fortunes of both the Sheffield clubs have not been good in the last few years. Not so long ago, both clubs were in the English Premier League and you have Sheffield United FC in the football league 1st division and Sheffield Wednesday FC in the Championship where they are making a good push to get back to the Premiership. Hopefully we will see both clubs back in the premiership in the future.
Learn more about Murrieta Surf Soccer Club and their upcoming tryouts on their website.
Related Article: VETERAN SOCCER COACH STEVE MYLES: KEEP IT SIMPLE
