McCaffrey student tries out for Croatian boys’ soccer team
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| Courtesy photo. Mason Ginni, age 12, enjoys a moment in Croatia, wearing his soccer jersey. Ginni tried out for the GNK Dinamo Academy after being spotted by a Dinamo scout in the U.S. |
Published:
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 11:53 AM CDT
At a time when he and his friends were ready to start their seventh grade year at McCaffrey Middle School, Mason Ginni, who is only 12 years old, had something extra on his mind. He was boarding a plane to Zagreb, Croatia for two weeks to showcase his soccer skills. He was there for an official tryout (trial) with the GNK Dinamo Academy boys 2000 team (the little brother of the Dinamo Professional team).
The Dinamos develop players through the academy program with the ultimate goal of supplying players to the professional team.
When he arrived on Monday, Aug. 12 with his father Kevin, he hardly had time to unpack as his first training was Tuesday morning. The jet lag wasn’t too bad for him even though it was a nine-hour difference in time.
They had him playing for the GNK Dinamo 2000 team on a variety of levels, including some high intensity skill sets, foot work, 1 v 1, 2 v 2, speed drills, decision making, etc.
His favorite part of the trials was separating into small teams, said Ginni, “doing 2 v. 2 and 1 v. 1. The other kid on my team and I would play the other kids in Croatia,” Ginni said.
They also had “friendly” matches against some older teams, and teams from neighboring countries. These games were used by the coaching staff to evaluate Ginni’s level of play as well as the others on trial. He played at his highest level throughout the trial, drawing praise from the coaching staff and selection evaluators. Overall, he represented the U.S. very well, said his father.
“I think I improved a little bit, but it was a lot different,” Mason Ginni said of the style of soccer he saw in Croatia.
Now that he has finished the academy, he will wait to hear back from the selection staff in Croatia. The wait time could be just over a month, based on another player’s experience.
Ginni was one of two boys identified by the Dinamo scouts that were flown in from Croatia to find top U.S. talent. His American teammate is from Sacramento.
After being told by his coach that the scouts had their eye on him and another player, he was prepared, to a degree, for the fact that he could be trying out for a Croatian team, when he was chosen.
He was then given a formal invite for a trial in Zagreb, Croatia from the Premier I.D. camp he attended this summer. This came on the heels of getting officially invited and then attending the U.S. Market Training Center in San Ramon earlier this year. There, under the watchful eye of U.S. National coach Hugo Perez, he trained with some of the best U13 boys in the country. This training helped him prepare for the challenge he had waiting for him in Europe. Having seen different levels of soccer and meeting other talented players, it was an experience of a lifetime.
Ginni has played with Galt FC for the past three years; he now plays for the SDA Academy in Sacramento. Mason Ginni