Young soccer players ready for Italy

Young soccer players ready for Italy
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published May 31, 2003

Remember when Canadian soccer was considered a second-class relative of the faster, more mature version of the game as it is played in Europe?
Well, those days may be behind us, according to the parents and coaches of two young soccer players who just returned from tryouts with two of the more prestigious soccer teams in Italy.
Justin Constantineau and George 'Angel' Mira, two u-16 metro soccer players from Burnaby, just returned from a two-week tryout in Bologna and Cesena, and both were told they have enough skills to play in the old country.
"Cesena is one of the best farms teams in Italy," said Mike Bernardis, with the Canadian Soccer Academy Association. "Both players made both teams."
But the surprising assessment of the two young soccer players came with one great big caveat. To play in Italy, both young men would need to move overseas with their families.
That was music to the ears of Bruce Constantineau, the father of one of the players and a past manager of the Juventus u-15 squad.
"We went over to get an assessment of whether the boys could play at that level, and the message loud and clear from the two coaches was 'yes,'" Constantineau said this week. "If we lived there, there'd be no problems for them playing. But neither club has programs to bring kids over when they're that young."
Constantineau said his son will likely finish playing his youth soccer in Canada - this coming season Justin will play with the Burnaby Spartans u-16 metro club, while Mira will play with the defending national champion u-16 Burnaby Royals.
Both players will play with the satisfaction of knowing that their skills are good enough to play in what is considered the most competitive league in the world.
"From my point of view, the trip was a learning experience," said Constantineau. "I wanted to know if it was achievable for them to go and play in Europe ... now we know it's not just a pipe dream, it's an achievable goal."