Within the past two weeks, Joey Schmidt, 12, from Bainbridge Township, and Sal Milazzo, 10, from Richfield, have had the soccer experience of their young lives in Milan, Italy.
View full sizeJoey SchmidtWILLOUGHBY, Ohio — Clearly, the focus is on bringing quality international teams to Greater Cleveland annually for the Continental Cup International Sports Festival. But there is a give-back of sorts in the soccer component of the three-sport weekend event (baseball and basketball). The past two years, and again this year -- the sixth for the festival -- two young soccer players will be identified and selected to participate in a camp hosted by AC Milan in Italy.
Within the past two weeks, Joey Schmidt, 12, from Bainbridge Township, and Sal Milazzo, 10, from Richfield, have had the soccer experience of their young lives for four days in Milan.
Sal's dad, Mike Milazzo, watched his son play his opening-round match Thursday at Lost Nation Sports Park in Willoughby and reflected on a whirlwind 12 months that saw Sal go from playing for the first time in the Continental Cup to a trip to Europe.
View full sizeSal Milazzo"We were surprised," Milazzo, a certified public accountant, said of having his son selected for the trip. According to George Nanchoff, who recruits international teams to Cleveland for the event, AC Milan Technical Directors come to the event to scout talent.
"They've never seen these kids before; they just show up, evaluate and select over the course of four days," Nanchoff said.
He noted the directors look for "technical ability and tactical ability" in the youths.
"The key is their thought process," Nanchoff said, "and [Joey and Sal's] thought process was more like a 15- or 16-year-old, not a 10- or 12-year-old."
All of which was a revelation to Milazzo. "We always knew Sal was a good player, but that is a different level," Milazzo said. "Seeing the talent that was over there, well, that was certainly a wonderful experience from that standpoint."
It was also an eye-opener for Sal, not only to see a new part of the world, but also to see how other countries embrace soccer and how they play it. "A really good experience," the youngster said. "I really figured out my speed and my foot skills."
"He loved it," his dad said. "Sal was U-10, the youngest kid there -- he's an October birthday -- but they were not shy about pushing him down. Very physical play. The first day was an eye-opener for him because he spent half the day on the ground. But he adapted very quickly. Tuesday and Wednesday were great days.
"He's an extremely competitive kid, so it didn't surprise me," Sal's dad said. "He's not big, he's quick, so he had to figure out a different way. There was one kid there from Argentina, already about 5 feet tall, and he would take Sal out every time. But by the second day, Sal started to figure it out. I think he earned their respect the way he performed."
The experience has left the young soccer player with a renewed focus.
"We just got back last Thursday," Milazzo said. "But already the takeaway I see in him is, he now realizes, with the international kids, soccer is their passion. It is all they do, 24-7. His intensity for wanting to train, for a 10-year-old, has gone up a notch. It was only positive from that standpoint. It's amazing to see it happen at that young age."
Greetings: Opening ceremonies for the event included a welcome from Ed FitzGerald, Cuyahoga County executive. Along with his remarks was an acknowledgement of $175,000 for operating support for the Cleveland Sports Commission.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: ealexander@plaind.com, 216-999-4253
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/continental-cup/index.ssf/2011/07/continental_cup_2011_ac_milan.html
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