Adam Spangler at This is American Soccer has a must read interview with Danny Karbassiyoon. For my guys that are reading this, Danny was a kid playing club ball in Roanoke, Virginia. He was always used as an example of what is wrong with the American Youth System when it comes to identifying talent. Danny never played Regional ODP and was on the waiting list to play at the Adidas Elite Soccer Program. The ESP is one of the premier player showcases for High School aged players. Well Danny got called to play at ESP and an Arsenal scout sees him and he goes to London for a trial. Here is an excerpt from a December 2002 article from Arsenal America regarding his trial:
"He noted a highlight was training with the vaunted Arsenal first team.
"I didn’t know I was going to. (Reserve team manager) Eddie (Niedzwiecki) just said ‘Danny, you are training with the first team today.’ It was typical English weather, kind of chilly and I thought ‘This is going to be awesome,’” he recalled. “They started warming up and I see Thierry Henry (the team’s leading scorer and a striker for the French national team), Ashley Cole (English international fullback), and Patrick Viera (midfielder and also on the French national team). I kind of just joined in. Then Arsene Wenger (Arsenal manager) told everyone to partner up, and Sol Campbell (England international and recognized as one of the best central defenders in the world) asked ‘Can I partner with you?’ The whole time he was talking to me about what America was like, how I liked it here, just making me feel welcome.”
Karbassiyoon said the squad went through some agility drills, and then did some striker-specific training in groups.
“We were doing a four-goal drill and Henry played a through ball to me and I hit a one-time strike past the goalkeeper,” he said. “I would have been just as happy if I was on the sideline watching these guys. After training everyone goes and eats lunch together. I was sitting there and Dennis Bergkamp (famous Arsenal striker and Dutch international) grabbed his food and sat down by me. I was having a blast.”
Obviously the trial went well and Arsenal sign him. Karbassiyoon becomes the youngest American player to score in English Competition when he scores in his first appearance in the Carling Cup.Unfortunately Danny is line behind two of the best left backs in the World waiting for playing time eventually he is released. He tries to make a go at a couple of other English clubs but becomes sidelined with a knee injury and is forced to retire at age 22, which he announces as a note on his Facebook page.
Well the story ends well with Arsenal offering Danny a job as the North American scout for Arsenal. Make sure you read the interview, it is very enlightening, especially what age he hopes to find talent.
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