How old were you when you first started playing, who taught you to play and who most influenced your development as a young player?
I was nine years old when I started playing soccer with the AAC Eagles. My coach up until the point when I made the Academy was Tomek Drazek. He helped me all during my childhood and assisted me through my youth career. My family was supportive because they loved to come to my games and watch.

What's been the single best moment of your soccer career thus far, at any level of competition?
Last year when we played Metro and it was scoreless until we scored first but Metro scored back of my bad defending. I felt like I had hit rock bottom and let the team down. I never lost my faith, though, and during the last seconds of the game the ball ended up rebounding to me and I crossed it across to box and we got the game-winner. I felt amazing since I made up for my mistake and we won.

What are your long-term goals in the sport?
My long-term goal is to go pro. That would mean the world to me and I want it so badly. I would like to play in the MLS, preferably with the Fire, and spend a couple of years there. After that, hopefully, I have the opportunity to play overseas.

What has been the most valuable aspect of being trained by the Academy coaches?
It is like a family. The coaches want only the best for you so they make sure that you do the right thing. I feel that the coaches pass down knowledge and different techniques to their players to teach them how to deal with certain situations on and off the field.

What has training with the Academy taught you about yourself as a player and where do you need improvement?
Training with the Fire has taught me that practices mean more than just practicing. Every time I step on the field I know that I need to bust my butt to show what I've got. It's a way of life and you have to set goals and do whatever it takes to accomplish them. The training has further committed me to play and love the game of soccer and given me the strength to chase a life-long dream. My improvement lies in the tactical aspects of how a forward moves and creates space.

What is the most difficult part of training with the Academy?
The fact that every player on the field is working for a starting-11 spot or to be on the roster. There's so much competition and the way that you play at practices, games and other sessions determines if you make it on the team and if you will be playing during the season.

Does the training differ from past training you've had, and in what way?
Yes, definitely. My past training with other teams doesn't compare to the sessions that we have with the Fire. We work on everything and the frequency of training during the week are nearly triple what I used to have on my old team. But it is awesome because if you do what you love, then you could do it forever.

Which of your Academy teammates impresses you the most and why?
Harry and Bryan are both amazing players. Their vision and touch on the ball is tremendous and they know how to penetrate and to create situations for their teammates. Even when things go bad, they know how to restore and bring things back in order to get them started again.

Which of the other U-16 or U-18 Academy players impresses you and why?
David Caban is a great guy and a really good player. He looked confident when he played up with the U-18's.