5/2/2023 0 Comments Justin haak![]() “All these circumstances forced Justin to read the game faster and make quicker and smarter decisions with the ball that later helped him prepare to face the big games.” “When he joined NYCFC, he was challenged by playing up and playing against stronger opponents domestically and in international tournaments,” Marion said. Marion knew playing up a year with NYCFC Academy’s U-14s would be good for Haak, and possibly spark an ascension to the first team. I even remember the days that he was really sick and he would still show up to the field to be with his teammates.” “Then he would hop on a bus to get to where our Academy team would be training. “I remember Justin’s early years with the club, when he used to ride his bicycle to the subway station, park it there, then take the subway,” Academy Director Rodrigo Marion said. Haak had to navigate the route to Queens at least four days a week for NYCFC training at St. When Haak was 10, his family moved further downtown to Brooklyn, where he joined Metropolitan Oval before an invitation to the NYCFC youth program. I feel a lot of the best players are always comfortable on the ball, and it comes from just playing freely – pick up games and stuff.” “I give a lot of credit to (street soccer). Playing pickup definitely made me fall in love with the game more. It wouldn’t be that many of us, maybe six including me – so we’d play three-v-three. ![]() “We would go to parks around there, like Thompson Square Park. “In the East Village, really I was just playing with my friends that lived close by to me,” Haak said. Haak began to adore the game growing up in the East Village, where he trained at Chelsea Piers - although his passion and technical expertise were augmented in a less strict environment. NEW YORK - Justin Haak was 11 years old when Major League Soccer announced the addition of New York City FC, and the vision of a professional career near the streets where he discovered the game began to surface for the Manhattan native. He is now a Homegrown player for the MLS squad. Justin Haak (2nd from the left) joined the New York City FC Academy as a 13-year-old in 2015. So, to have a team closer to my house was great.” “I was super excited because there was only Red Bulls before that, and I was thinking about going there, but it would be like an hour-and-a-half drive every day. “When I joined NYCFC the first year when I was 13, that’s when I knew that I wanted to be a pro and wanted to play for this team,” Haak, now 17, told Pro Soccer USA. Six years later, Haak signed a Homegrown contract with the MLS team. Two years later, he joined NYCFC’s Academy in its inaugural 2015 season. Justin Haak was 11 years old when Major League Soccer announced the addition of New York City FC, and the vision of a professional career near the streets where he discovered the game began to surface for the Manhattan native.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |