Feb. 25, 2008
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -
Feb. 18, 2008
Past Entries
Feb. 18, 2008
Feb. 11, 2008
Feb. 7, 2008
Former Aztec four-time letterwinner and current director of soccer operations Andrew DiCicco recently began a try-out period with Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards. DiCicco, a 2006 all-Pac-10 selection, will write his thoughts on playing soccer at the professional level in an ongoing blog that will be featured here on GoAztecs.com.
Feb. 25 - Well, there is good news and bad news to report from my fourth week with the Wizards. On a positive note, I am still in the mix and fighting for a roster spot with the Kansas City Wizards. As we close in on the March 1 deadline to finalize MLS rosters the competition is fierce and players are battling to do what they love, which is play soccer for the Kansas City Wizards. Also, my MRI came back negative, much to my relief because that means that my injury sustained a week ago is a soft tissue/muscle strain that requires little more than rest and rehab for a few weeks.
The bad news is that this muscle strain has prevented me from training extensively for much of the week. As a rookie with much to prove it is extremely taxing mentally to sit on the sideline and watch as my teammates train and prepare for a successful MLS season in 2008. On Friday I warmed up with the team and participated in several passing sequences that involved dynamic cutting and functional passing. This participation was a huge morale boost for me for a few reasons. First, I felt pretty good physically and demonstrated my progress to the coaching staff with a series of dynamic sprints and cuts that were a part of our warm up. Secondly, I was very sharp and mentally focused during our passing drills which gives me confidence that my muscles and my technical form are recovering quickly.
As I stated earlier, sitting and watching is the last thing any serious athlete wants to be doing while his or her teammates are working hard and the situation has been difficult for me. Whether I make this team or not, I owe a lot to the support group around me who have kept me confident and focused on returning to the pitch. My talks with former Aztec teammates and Coach Lev Kirshner help keep me mentally sharp and focused on the tactics of soccer. Likewise, my brothers and my father have called often to express their love, support and to suggest further advice about training habits. My mother contributes as much as anyone with her words of wisdom and motherly love that always seems to guide me towards happiness in life, let alone soccer. My girlfriend Rebecca also plays a huge role in my quest to make the Wizards roster. Whenever I fall or feel that I might not be strong enough, she is there to pick me up and remind me that I've prepared my whole life for an opportunity like this one. Her love is my strength on and off the soccer field and gives me the confidence I need to succeed at this level. I know that I haven't made any rosters yet and that I have a long road ahead of me, but either way, I'd be amiss if I didn't mention these people because anything that I accomplish is directly related to their love and support for me.
I hate to leave you guys hanging again, but no news is good news and hopefully my next blog will be as an official member of the Kansas City Wizards. Keep your fingers crossed...
Thanks,
Cicco