“In Italy I was around the Serie D level, with San Paolo Padova. Then I played in Promozione and Prima Categoria and, in the meantime, I was studying at university. When I heard about YWC and the opportunity to go study in the United States on a scholarship, I wasn’t thinking so much about the soccer side as the academic one: ‘You know what? It would be interesting if I could earn an American degree.’ I was in my third year of university in Italy and all I had left was my thesis, but I decided to go anyway, after receiving an offer from William Woods University. Even though my academic background was different and I would have had to take other courses, I told myself: ‘I want to graduate in America.’”
Luca Crivellari was born on March 13, 1996. Soccer has always been his passion, both playing and coaching. After several experiences on the fields of Northern Italy, which took him all the way to Serie D, he decided to seize the opportunity that came with YWC and leave for the United States, to study overseas and enter the world of American soccer. From his hometown of Padua, he chose to move to Fulton, Missouri, to study at William Woods University and earn a degree in Communication, while continuing to pursue his passion, soccer, as a student-athlete.
“When I left I didn’t have big expectations on the soccer side, partly because my idea was to go to the United States and graduate. Once I arrived at William Woods, a top-20 team in the NAIA, though, I realized that in the end the whole world is in America, and the whole world comes to America to play soccer. I had teammates from all over Europe, but also from South America: there was a guy who had come through the Real Madrid youth system, another who grew up in the Feyenoord academy, and others who had played professionally. In the United States the level has gone up in recent years. And it will keep going up: that’s the direction. Obviously, the biggest difference compared to Italy is that here, before being a soccer player, you have to be an athlete. Anyway, once I was in America I told myself: ‘Honestly, a lot of these guys could be in Italy playing in Serie C or Serie D, and some of them could even be professionals.’ Then everyone follows their own path: you have to be good, but at the same time also a bit lucky. Still, even if it’s a bit of a cliché, for me the number one quality you need is work ethic. You’re making a mistake if you think you can come to America from Italy saying: ‘I played in Europe, now I’m here and I’ll do whatever I want.’ It’s another world: there’s a different structure, a different environment and a different culture. You have to get used to things like waking up at six in the morning, or going to the gym every day and then heading out to the field: these are things not all of us had seen when we played in Italy.”
The differences between Italian soccer and the reality of U.S. college soccer are many. Some can be hard to understand. Others, on the other hand, are clear from day one.
“Another big difference between Italian soccer and college soccer in the United States has to do with care and investment. In the end, you arrive in America and, once you’re here, the only things you have to think about are playing soccer and studying at university. I didn’t have to worry, for example, about how to get to a game, or where I was going to eat, or anything else. In a way, they make you feel like a professional, they put you in the best possible conditions so you can excel. That’s the big difference. Let me give you another example, maybe a silly one: when you join the university team, they give you a pair of soccer cleats. In Italy, unless you have a sponsor, you have to go to a store and buy them, or order them online; in the United States, on the other hand, on your first day you find cleats, shirts, shorts and sweatshirts waiting for you, all brand name. Maybe they’re things you don’t even use, but what they’re telling you is: ‘Here, this is what you need to perform at your best.’”
At William Woods University, Luca immediately became a cornerstone of the defense for the Owls, his college team. In two years he played twenty-seven games, twenty-six of them as a starter, and also wore the captain’s armband. In his first year, he was named among the best players in the American Midwest Conference. In 2019 he graduated and, in the meantime, began playing for Ozark FC, a local semi-professional team, as well as getting his first coaching experience.
“At William Woods University I did two seasons as a student-athlete, then I started working: I was playing for a USL team and I had started coaching at some youth clubs in the area. Shortly after I graduated, though, Covid hit, and that more or less stopped everything. But I had made up my mind: I wanted to keep coaching. My lucky break was getting to know the coach at the University of Arkansas while I was playing for Ozark. Getting to know him and talking with him, he told me there was an open position in their program: ‘Look, if you want, you can come on as a volunteer.’ At that time I was coaching, and Arkansas had one of the best soccer programs in the United States. Back then the team was among the top eight in the nation and played in one of the most competitive conferences in America. I told myself: ‘This is the right thing to do.’”
After his experience as a student-athlete and his degree in Missouri, it was time for a new adventure in the neighboring state of Arkansas. It was an opportunity too good to pass up: in addition to working as a coach with Sporting Arkansas and the Specialized Soccer Academy, through which he worked with several youth clubs on players’ individual development, Luca joined the coaching staff of Arkansas Razorbacks Soccer, the University of Arkansas team. The team competes in NCAA Division I, the highest level of American college soccer, and is one of the most important programs in U.S. women’s college soccer.
“I wanted to keep coaching at the college level, so I chose the University of Arkansas. They only had a women’s soccer program, so after playing and coaching on the men’s side, I started working in the women’s game. There’s a huge demand for coaches in American women’s soccer, so there are a lot of opportunities. In the United States soccer is the number one sport among girls. It’s like volleyball in Italy, it’s the first choice, together with basketball and, of course, volleyball. In America, just look at the results of their national team, women’s soccer is very developed. It has a big following: at the University of Arkansas, every Friday night there were between 2,500 and 3,500 people watching the games in the stands and along the field; at bigger universities the numbers are even higher. The opportunities are enormous, more than on the men’s side, simply because in Division I there are about three hundred fifty women’s programs, while there are fewer than two hundred men’s programs. And then, in terms of facilities, fields and coaching staff, the University of Arkansas soccer program has nothing to envy Serie D: when I played in Italy there was the head coach and a couple of assistants, then the physical therapist and the equipment manager, five people; in Arkansas, on the other hand, for the women’s team, with a roster of twenty-five to thirty players, we were a staff of twelve people. And that makes the difference. Maybe, at first, women’s soccer wasn’t my first choice, but once I got into it and saw how the market worked in the United States, I told myself: ‘Yes, this is what I want to do. And this is where I want to stay.’ And I have to say I was very lucky, because while I was at Arkansas three players were drafted to play professionally: now they’re in the league, and it’s great to see them on TV. It’s a source of pride and satisfaction.”
During his time in Fayetteville, as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas, Luca worked on both the athletic and tactical development of the players, as well as on match analysis. And it was a memorable season for the Razorbacks: the team won its conference, going unbeaten, and made it all the way to the national quarterfinals, where it was knocked out on penalties by the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University. Four Arkansas players were named to the tournament’s first team, and there was no shortage of other individual awards.
“I stayed at the University of Arkansas for a year and a half. After we won the conference title and made it all the way to the Final Eight, I started looking around for another team to coach and, at the same time, to start a master’s degree. That’s how I found a position at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where I could coach but also keep studying to earn a master’s. There are three of us on the staff: Coach Gordon, the head coach, Coach Morales, the assistant coach, and me. I’m an assistant and, in particular, the goalkeeper coach.”
Following his success on the Razorbacks staff, his journey in American soccer continued in the South, in Texas, where he became one of the coaches of the Lions, the women’s soccer team at Texas A&M Commerce, an NCAA Division I program. In the meantime, Luca also had the chance to continue his education, moving forward on his academic path, no longer as a student-athlete but as a student-coach.
“The big difference between being a player and being a coach is that, in the first case, you only have to think about playing, and that’s it, while as a coach you’re called on to manage twenty-five people, each with their own way of thinking and their own personality. That’s definitely something I had to adapt to. Other things have to do with moving from the men’s game to the women’s game: there are differences, on and off the field. One thing I notice, for example, is that female players always try to build team chemistry. Obviously it’s important and it happens on the men’s side too, but when I was a player it wasn’t so essential to have a good relationship with your teammates: in the end, going out on the field and getting results was the only thing that mattered. In the women’s game, on the other hand, not only is it important to the players, but if the group isn’t there, the results rarely come. Another difference I noticed has to do with trust in the coach. In men’s soccer there’s always that one player on a team who, when the coach decides something or explains a concept, thinks: ‘You know what? I’d do it differently.’ There’s always someone who says: ‘No, I think the coach is wrong.’ In women’s soccer, on the other hand, if you show the players that what you’re proposing makes sense, that it can work and is worth working on, then they’ll follow you no matter what, they’ll go after the goal trusting you. That’s not a given. A team might have thirty-five people and not all of them play, not all of them travel with the team, not all of them will get the same opportunities; but if you know how to build a group, in my experience, all your players will always be ready, always locked in, every day, in training and in games. In the end, if I had to sum up what a coach’s job is, I’d say a coach is a manager of people. From that point of view, my age helps me a lot, because it’s close to that of the players I coach. Maybe the fact that I’m still in a transition phase from player to coach helps too. After all, I stopped playing not long ago, and that really helps me relate to the team.”
In Texas, too, the results came quickly. In their first season in Division I, the Lions finished third in the regular season, qualifying for the 2022 Southland Soccer Tournament, their conference playoffs, where they made it all the way to the final, one step away from earning a ticket to the NCAA tournament, where the national college title is decided. Jen Peters, the number 0 in goal for the Texas team, was named one of the best players of the tournament. After two years as a student-athlete and almost four as a coach, and as a student-coach, after many life experiences and quite a few achievements in U.S. college soccer, Luca, Coach Crivellari, has built a solid academic and professional foundation to continue on a true life path.
“I’ve been in Texas for a couple of years now, after the year and a half in Arkansas. So I’ve been coaching in college soccer for almost four years. It’s something extremely different from the coaching career I could have had in Italy, where if you want to coach, simply put, you have to take the UEFA courses. And if you haven’t played at least ten years as a professional, it’s really hard to get a head coaching job. Here in the United States there are also lots of players who later become coaches, but you’re always given an opportunity if you show you deserve it. In America, and this isn’t about soccer but about sports in general, there are major investments. And professional expertise gets paid. In Italy, on the other hand, unless you end up in the youth system of some top professional club, you can’t be a coach and make a living from that alone.”
Leaving for the “new world,” the American world of U.S. college soccer, turned out to be the right choice. On a personal level, even before the athletic and academic ones.
“The YWC experience opens up a whole world to you and helps you look at things from a different perspective. After all, in my opinion, traveling always enriches you. Going to the United States as a student-athlete is something I recommend and something I believe is worth doing, because in the end you’ll carry with you, for your whole life, all the friendships, connections and experiences you’ve had, regardless of soccer.”
Thanks to his years on soccer fields in Italy and the United States, and those spent on the sidelines overseas, seizing the opportunities that came his way, Luca, Coach Crivellari, has managed to turn his passion, soccer, into a job. And now it’s time to set new goals.
“Soccer is a passion. My passion. I don’t see it as a job, but as a pastime, because I enjoy it and it’s what I want to keep doing. I consider myself lucky: I have a job I love. If someone asked me: ‘Would you go back to Italy?’, I’d answer: ‘Of course.’ It’s just that I wouldn’t be able to do what I do here, it’s that simple. That’s why I want to stay here, in the United States, and work in the world of soccer, at colleges and in their athletic departments. I’d like to coach again at major universities that can compete for a national title, and maybe in five or ten years, after rolling up my sleeves and paying my dues, become the head coach of a university team. To be honest, I don’t think much about joining a professional club, because I really like the university environment. And college sports have a huge following, much more than the pros. You realize it right away: when you’re part of a university team you represent your college, and you really feel the warmth and connection of the people and the community where you live. That’s why my goal is to build a career and coach women’s college soccer, here in America.”
Want to follow the same path? Find out how soccer scholarships in the USA work and how to get one with YWC.
Article by Niki Figus
