Austin Old makes an impression!

We love it when we hear great feedback coming from our athletes in America, and we also love to hear about how well they are doing and what they have accomplished! Austin Old is a former FirstPoint USA client who is currently making an impression over the USA at Mount Aloysius College in Pennsylvania. Check out this article which can be read in full on the Mount Aloysius College News Pages: Freshman Austin Old, or “Ozzy” as he is more affectionately known to his teammates, came to Mount Aloysius in the hopes of improving the College’s men’s soccer program.  The impact he has made, however, has proven to be far greater than even he could have imagined. Old, a freshman striker, is currently the Mounties’ second leading scorer. His offensive prowess has led the team to already triple their win total from last season. “He has helped our offense so much,” Mount Aloysius head coach Ali Afshar said.  “He scores goals.  He assists on goals.  He just makes the other players more comfortable to send the ball forward, because they know he will do something with it.” Old is originally from Bury St. Edmunds, England, but his family moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates when he was 13.  That is where Old, armed with a burning desire to play soccer and study in America, contacted FirstPointUSA, an internet recruiting service that specializes in placing international student-athletes at American colleges. “I just wanted to keep playing soccer.  It is more professionally organized at universities in America than it is in England,” Old said. Afshar saw Old’s online recruiting profile, and sent him an email expressing interest.  The two would continue to correspond over the following months. “I saw his internet video and I like the way he played,” Afshar said.  “The difference between him and other players is that he knows where the goal is.  He just has a good feel for when the goalie is coming out, and where to put the ball.” “(Afshar) told me that he was trying to build the program.  From what I’ve been told, the team is much better this year.  I think things are coming together,” Old said. Coming to Mount Aloysius was a leap of faith of sorts for Old.  The first time he set foot on the Cresson campus was for freshman orientation—three days before the start of classes. Old said he thoroughly explored the College’s website and watched the online virtual tour video, before he made his decision to enroll. “I liked the campus and the people all seemed really friendly,” Old said. According to Afshar, Old has “bonded very fast” with the other players on the team.  Although, the coach suspects a goal Old scored early in the season against Thiel College may have expedited the team’s acceptance of its new British player. “The goal was like a professional shot from 30 yards out.  It was beautiful.  He got the team’s respect with that one,” Afshar said. As far as acceptance goes, there is one thing that Old is struggling to accept from his American counterparts: their insistence on calling his beloved sport “soccer” instead of “football,” as it is often referred to on the international scene. “I don’t get it.  You use your feet to play, so it should be called football,” Old said with a lighthearted grin. Well done Austin, we wish you continued success in the USA!