Matthew Ross

Some of my fondest memories are being coached by Clayton in my youth. I joined his team when I was 9, and had the opportunity to travel with the team over the years to Minnesota, Virginia, New York and other places to play in tournaments and promote Canadian talent. Clayton was a remarkable coach and mentor; at a young age, he nurtured my technical development in the sport. He made me appreciate style and encouraged me to be creative with the ball. As a coach, he was able to instill confidence in me so that I was assertive enough to take on players one-on-one. It was also during these years when I first started to have success in cross country running, and that was purely attributed to Clayton’s training sessions. I have fond memories of practices and games; I always looked forward to them and remember being disappointed if they were ever rained out! Clayton’s guidance early on is what developed me as an athlete, both physically and mentally, so that I could pursue soccer into my adolescence and eventually towards a soccer scholarship in college.

Never in my lifetime would I have imagined a widespread pandemic that would impact the world and the way we live. For athletes at every level, COVID-19 has disrupted our routines, training and possibly even threatened our livelihood. As we all struggle collectively to keep safe and healthy, we still need to keep focused on our future goals and dreams and be creative in the way we do things without being reckless. As an elite athlete and soccer player, this pandemic has definitely had a toll on me but I try to focus on a better future, keeping myself in shape and doing the best I can with these unpredictable times.

From as far back to when I can remember, I have always had the competitive spirit and a drive to play soccer. I found soccer to be my passion since I was 8 years old, and still to this very day I crave to play it all the time. I am happiest when I’m training, playing and competing in this sport. I was fortunate enough as a youth player to be spotted by a European soccer scout who took me to Rome, Italy when I was 12 years old. After having an experience of a lifetime, I knew that Europe was where I wanted to be. Shortly after having my trial with A.S. Roma academy, I was invited to go to various other professional soccer academies throughout Europe including Real Madrid academy, U.C. Sampdoria, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Manchester City FC and Paris St. Germain academies.  My family is always cautious about the legitimacy of any trials I attend ensuring that it is the real thing. I was blessed to have supportive and trustworthy people surrounding me and keeping me safe from any scams or fake people wanting money.  Keep in mind that when a professional club is interested, they pay for accommodations, food and other expenses, possibly even travel expenses.  Many of the soccer clubs also have training tryout camps which is quite different from having a true and promising soccer trial so be aware if you are charged a fee to participate.

My personal European soccer trials became increasingly challenging and more difficult the older I became.  I remember when I was quite young, players were intrigued with me and welcomed me as an international player but attending trials as an older player, the atmosphere was much different and very competitive.  It is understandable though as each player is fighting to show their talent and aiming to make a reserve or first team. As a Canadian, without a European passport, it is extremely difficult to play in Europe. There are many rules and restrictions depending on the country. Some clubs may only have room to take only a couple designated internationals on their team so the competition is extremely tough.  

It was just a while back, my family and I moved to Madrid, Spain for a few years where I was able to compete and play against some of the finest academies in Spain.  My journey in Europe was remarkable and has taught me to always maintain a professional attitude, to always be mentally prepared, play at a high intensity and show my best at all times.  While I’m back in Canada now I decided to attend University and was able to obtain a full soccer scholarship playing in the NCAA, div. 1. The scholarship route is very competitive and is an incredible opportunity to finance your education while playing your favourite sport. It is very important to maintain good grades for your academic eligibility, have an impressive highlight video on hand and retain an updated CV. Coaches can help with the recruiting process with their own connections and also give you opportunities to showcase your talents in games or tournaments. My goal is to return to Europe again and try to gain professional status but when COVID-19 hit, it became impossible to take that journey at this time but am still hopeful.

Whether you decide to go the University route or try to make it professionally, the path is not always easy and sometimes things don’t always go the way you plan.  Stay positive and be ready for any opportunity that may come knocking.  Unfortunately times are tough right now with the pandemic and some players may lose focus but it is vital to always be prepared, have confidence and be ready to play again. I personally stay in shape all year round by running track, lifting weights, and training on my own at the pitch.  Having consistency in workouts even on days when you don’t feel like it is crucial and maintaining a proper diet is also an important element to success.  My diet is also very strict because it benefits my weight, strength and energy levels to help me perform better. Being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the early age of 6 has reinforced this clean and healthy eating habit for all of my life.  Living with Type 1 diabetes has made it even more challenging for me, especially when traveling because I have to always be prepared by bringing my own foods and medical necessities with me at all times. Good food is not always available and it can be stressful for me when travelling. It takes a lot of sacrifice to reach the level of professional soccer, especially during the teenage years when social life is so dominant. Keep making good choices in your life; stay mentally tough even during the hardest times because it will pay off in the long run.

I was speaking to one of my past youth coaches, Clayton Rosario just recently which brought back many great memories of the days I trained with him. There were times I travelled from Toronto to the Niagara region just to be part of his training sessions and to be playing with his teams.  Clayton also brought his training to Toronto where I took part in his high intensity sessions. I solidified my technical abilities through the various drills, scrimmages and passing patterns he conducted and I became a very technically gifted player at a young age because of this.  Clayton has always been a dedicated and professional coach devoting his time building amazing programs for children and youth to help develop and improve their soccer skills. I know throughout the years when I was training in his programs, I truly enjoyed every minute with him which prepared me very well for my future endeavours. It is always important to enjoy the game of soccer, especially at a young age and Clayton really helped harness my passion, technical ability and potential for soccer in my youth that I still carry to this day.  

These past months have been a highly challenging period of time for everyone and players and coaches have to make necessary adjustments to cope with the situation. For me, I’ve focused my frustration and energy into personal workouts and my education. I encourage you all to keep your competitiveness and hunger for the game and stay motivated and plan for your future as the pandemic will pass. We have to remember hard times are not permanent and the path to pro for a Canadian is especially difficult. As such we should treat COVID-19 and any other obstacle as just another challenge we must overcome to reach the end goal. When the soccer fields reopen, those that have been working hard to stay in shape during the lockdown will be more likely to succeed and avoid unnecessary injury and have the confidence in reaching their goals and dreams.