SOCCERACADEMY Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 The Shooters get Danny Karbassiyoon. Who is Danny Karbassiyoon? Danny Karbassiyoon joined Arsenal in August 2003. His first taste of first-team action came in a Carling Cup match against Manchester City where he scored in his debut match. Knee injuries cut his playing career short, but he certainly has not left football, or Arsenal behind. Danny is now serving as the Club's North American scout. Danny talks about his playing days with Arsenal and about being a professional scout in North America (from USA.ARSENAL.COM edited version). Danny, How did you come about playing for Arsenal? I was lucky enough to be seen at the adidas ESP camp in the summer of 2002. I'd been waitlisted for the camp and was lucky to get in. Coach was Paul Mariner. I'd never had someone coach me with so much playing experience. It was a pleasure being there. He must have had connections because after two days he made a call to Arsenal's Chief Scout who flew out to North Carolina to watch me. How do you look back on your time playing for the Club? I have really fond memories of playing for Arsenal. I obviously knew how big of a club it was when I was there, but you don't really appreciate everything until you’re on the outside looking back in. Your debut with the first team was the stuff dreams are made of. Can you describe that? Even though it took a whole year and several months for me to be involved in a proper first team fixture, I never stopped working hard in training. How far has soccer in North America come since you were playing in the youth leagues? Soccer has grown massively since I left in 2003. The US Federation has now implemented a new Academy system, which aims to improve the overall quality and standard of our country's youth players. It doesn't take a genius to see that more and more players are leaving to go away. What qualities are you looking for when you scout? If you watch Arsenal's first team play, you can see exactly what I'm looking for when I go watch games. The Boss is always looking for players that are technically gifted as well as intelligent. If a player lacks proper technique, he will probably find it very difficult. All 11 players expect one another to be able to keep the ball, and it's very easy to get found out if you don't possess the tools to do so. It is very important that players are in top shape. Size isn't a dealbreaker (look at Arshavin - he terrorizes the Premier League and is shorter than I am!), but all the players are expected to give 150% every game. Would you say there are any differences between American players and European players? I think European players are generally just hungrier. Soccer in our country isn't very cheap to play with all the traveling and club fees, and is often looked upon as an upper class sport. That isn't really the case in Europe and the rest of the world. A lot of players leave school early which means their education may not be the best. They know they have to make it because many don't have anything to fall back on. This gives a lot of the players that 'do-or-die' mentality. What kind of support do young players receive as they develop in the Arsenal Academy system?The young players at Arsenal receive a lot of support from the coaching staff as they develop. The atmosphere around the training ground creates a positive and natural form of competition that makes everyone work that much harder. Soccer aside, the kids are able to continue their schooling as long as they want as long as soccer is the priority. The Club makes sure that the players are ready for almost any situation, on and off the field. What advice do you have for young players in the USA who have aspirations of playing in Europe? My advice comes in three pieces: 1. Practice, practice, practice. Then practice again. The best pros focus on the basics every day. If you can't pass a ball from a to b, being able to juggle balls won't help anything. 2. You never know who is watching, so play every game as if every scout in the world is at your game to watch you. 3. Dream. I used to think about playing in big stadiums every day. It excited me and motivated me. If you aspire to play at the top level, then I'm sure it'll excite you. When it does excite you, you'll be a lot more inclined to restart the cycle and go back to number 1: Practice. Shooters Academy International ID Scouting Camp SHOOTER ACADEMY PLAYERS $250 NON-SHOOTER ACADEMY PLAYERS $500 (for players born 1993 and younger) ID Camp April 14-15 (re Arsenal’s Danny Karbassiyoon ) Players: Send us your email and player profile ASAP . Coaches - Clubs $$ incentives offered on any player signed! Send us your best players to ID CAMP FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL INFO@YORKREGIONSHOOTERS.COM WWW.YORKREGIONSHOOTERS.COM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerpro Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 York Region Shooters secures all caps in its thread title! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuzzAndSting Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 York Region Shooters secures all caps in its thread title! Except the "s" in "ARSENAL's"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reel2real Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Lol, another guy who went through their academy, got loaned out to a bunch of clubs (Millwall being one) and fell off the map.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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