May 22, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati Press Release
With the Golden Boot already in his trophy case, FC Cincinnati academy forward Stefan Chirila is starting to make a name for himself and prove what the academy can do for the club. The 17-year-old from Pennsylvania has signed his first professional contract with FC Cincinnati, the club announced yesterday, and will join his first team full-time in 2025.
A lot has changed for the Pennsylvania native over the past year. Home, club and position changes have all been made during a hot, jet-fueled season with the FCC Academy U17s. After six years at Philadelphia Union Academy, Chirila and his family decided it was time for a change, and the then-16-year-old looked for opportunities elsewhere. Director of player development Larry Sunderland, who had been keeping an eye on the midfielder at the time, called him into the U17 squad when the opportunity arose after a short trial period.
But U17 head coach Christiano Scapolo saw something in the player during that trial period that made him think it would be best for him to move from a midfielder to a striker position.
Since then, Chirila has scored 45 goals in all competitions and signed an MLS Homegrown contract with FC Cincinnati starting in 2025. Meanwhile, Chirila continues to play for FC Cincinnati 2 by simultaneously signing an MLS NEXT Pro contract. He has already been named MLS NEXT Rising Star of the Matchday twice for his work with the team.
“When I came to trial I originally came as a midfielder and the second day I came here (coach Christian Scarpolo) asked me to try out for the striker position and honestly it seemed like a natural fit,” Chirila said. “I guess it was meant to be. I was surprised, to be honest, but it was easy to just go with the flow and keep performing.”
Chirila is, in many ways, an accurate example of how an academy can successfully develop promising professional talent. The 17-year-old comes into the game with no professional pedigree or family history of athletic prowess. His father, Sorin, immigrated to the United States from Romania. He brought with him a love of the game and passed it on to Stefan and his brother Andreji (now members of the Philadelphia Union Academy), a love rooted in reliving moments from their childhood when the three would kick a ball around the yard and play together. was placed. Favorite player. In particular, Stefan played Cristiano Ronaldo and said he attempted a curling kick like the Real Madrid star in the Champions League final he was about to watch.
“My dad never played professionally, but he loved the game and loved it his whole life,” Chirila said of his father. “He’s still playing in the Sunday league. He’s from Romania and he’d bring me and my brother and play in the backyard all the time and he’d kick the ball around with us like it was an important final or something like that. He really loves it. He shared the game with me too. .”
“When I looked at Stefan I knew he was more of a midfielder, but when he came to us I saw his ability around goal and said, ‘I want to keep him closer to goal because the way he hits the ball is something important.’ .” “It’s different,” said FC Cincinnati Academy U17 coach Cristiano Scarpolo. “He is a very talented player but he deserves it very much. He has been consistent all year and I think he will only get better.”
Scarpolo played for the U17 national team, which defeated River Plate and Atlas FC Academy in the Generation Adidas Cup, as well as Bologna, AS Roma, Atalanta and Napoli. As head coach, Scapolo preached player development as a whole, imparting technical and tactical knowledge to his players while emphasizing the importance of playing in and as part of a team. It’s not just individuals.
The work done at the Generation Adidas Cup put Chirila and the FC Cincinnati Academy in the limelight, but it was more of a testament to the work done leading up to that event. For the first time in the club’s history, the U15 and U17 teams reached the knockout stages of the country’s biggest academy event. Part of that achievement came when Chirila and FC Cincinnati upset Allentown, Pa., against their old club, the Philadelphia Union.
“It was good to see (Stephen) scoring against his former team,” Scarpolo said with a laugh. “Playing against high-level competition in that environment helps the kids build confidence, and in that sense it’s really helped.”
The switch to a striker was as successful a move as possible for the 17-year-old. Club leaders described him as having a nose for goal, great instincts and a finishing touch that is difficult to teach. Chirila has scored at every level possible ahead of signing his professional contract. Although he has 41 goals across youth competition and one GA Cup Golden Boot, the teenage scoring star has already made an impact at MLS NEXT Pro level, making seven appearances and scoring four goals in his final three games for the second team. He has recorded a club-record five consecutive wins since joining the group fully.
FC Cincinnati manager Pat Noonan said of Chirila: “He will have a role in first-team training going forward. It’s just a credit to his development and production at various levels.” “The way he catches the ball in goal is very impressive. As you know, he is a goalscorer. And goalscorers are unique. What does it look like at a higher level against bigger, more physical, faster players? “We will continue to test him.”
“He will get the opportunity to be with our group at least during the week in training and hopefully he will definitely continue to contribute for the second team. (He is) a good young talent and I think that is not just the goal. .” I think the way he catches the ball, his in-game awareness when he’s isolated, and when he’s not in one-on-one moments, he steps on the ball and allows his team to get up the field. “He has a really good feel for the game.”
The 17-year-old’s decision to leave the Philadelphia Union academy has in some ways blocked his position by other prospects the Union have prioritized over him, and there have been several other MLS clubs interested in signing him. However, he was given a chance at FC Cincinnati. It puts him in the best position to succeed and provides an avenue for further development that can be seen in current first-team players who get their opportunities domestically. For example, Gerardo “Dado” Valenzuela is another young player who came to FC Cincinnati’s academy from out of town (in Dado’s case, South Florida) and has performed exceptionally since arriving.
When Chirilla moved from Philadelphia to FC Cincinnati, the club had already entered into preliminary negotiations to acquire the player’s domestic rights. Investment value has increased further. It is not uncommon to bring in academy players from other MLS clubs without incurring any upfront investment costs, mitigating potential costs if those players do not develop into first-team or MLS NEXT Pro options.
However, considering the national hype surrounding Chirila’s performance, the club would have saved significant financial costs by paying up front and not allowing Philadelphia the opportunity to retain the player. Because now he is a more proven player.
“We are proud to sign Stefan to his first professional contract,” said Chris Albright, FC Cincinnati’s general manager, in a press release. “Stefan’s success is a testament to his hard work, as well as the hard work of our academy staff and MLS NEXT Pro staff. He already has excellent instincts on goal, and we are excited to see him continue his development at FC Cincinnati.”
Chirila’s goal now is to continue to develop and perform at a higher level. With each new level of opportunity, the challenges also grow and Chirila has proven himself so far, but now comes the biggest leap he can take. The only job Stefan ever imagined as a child was to become a professional soccer player, go out on the field, play the game he loved, and make it his life’s work.
Few people can make that dream come true. But now that he’s got his foot in the door, he says he knows the work is just beginning. It doesn’t end.
“I always grew up watching football and wanted to be one of the players I watched,” Chirila said. “That was my dream, but now I have to work hard. That’s the path I want to keep moving forward on. Keep working on improving my skills. I appreciate what’s going on and I want to keep moving forward. I’m moving towards a higher professional level. .”
Chirila has now taken part in a few first-team training sessions and has gotten a feel for what is expected of him in that group. He will spend most of his time training with FC Cincinnati 2, but he will make the jump to the first team when called upon.
The jump to the main group can be scary, but once I get out there I feel more comfortable than ever. But some first-team players helped close the gap before his first training session. FCC captain Luciano Acosta is a player who Chirila said he deeply admires for his work ethic and skills (don’t we all, Stefan). Ahead of his first session, he spoke to Chirila to help him. Goalkeeper Alec Kann also invited Chirilla to breakfast at the team facility on the morning of his first training day to get to know him and offer advice and words of encouragement.
“Alec sat down with me and introduced me to people and told me what to expect. I really appreciated that,” Chirila said. “I was really nervous at first, but I was very nervous when I received a text message saying, ‘You will train with the first team tomorrow.’ But as soon as I entered the field, I made the first pass. Just like regular training.”
“Obviously there is work to be done physically, technically and tactically, but if we keep doing what we have been doing and work hard, everything will be fine.”
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