SEPTEMBER 2022

SPORTS
Detroit City Football Club
Signs Young Chaldean Star
BY CAL ABBO
Dominic “The Dominator” Gasso’s
dreams are coming true.
Earlier this year, at the tender
age of 18, Gasso was signed to the
first team at his hometown club, Detroit
City Football Club. This is a huge
step for Gasso who, until now, has
played exclusively for youth teams.
Gasso grew up in Grand Blanc, a
city located about one hour north of
Detroit. Many Chaldeans live there
and congregate at St. Paul Chaldean
Church.
As a teenager, Gasso played for
Vardar Soccer, which is known across
Michigan as one of the state’s top
youth soccer programs. It was there
that he learned his core playstyle as
well as an important lesson for young
athletes with loads of talent: he had to
work hard.
“Before joining Vardar, I was always
the best player on my team, or
somewhere close,” Gasso remembered.
“Playing on Vardar, I was average and
had to work hard to stand out.”
Gasso saw his time at Vardar as
a wakeup call. Around this time, he
started training six hours a day. Even if
it was just him and his brother playing
in the yard, all this time spent working
on his game would allow the young
star to reach a new level.
This season, before the recent signing,
DCFC recruited Gasso to play for
its U19 academy team. He played well
enough that he earned a call-up from
the first team. Gasso said he knew it
was coming but didn’t expect it so soon.
“The biggest difference is that I
get paid,” he said. “Youth soccer programs
can be very expensive, but now
it’s the opposite.”
Gasso has been helped with a lot
of support from his parents. They are
divorced, which made it somewhat
more difficult for him to plan around
his games and practices. His mother
stayed in Grand Blanc while his father
moved to Sterling Heights. With help
from coaches and mentors, Gasso was
able to lift himself to the world of professional
soccer. It’s only up from here.
Dominic “The Dominator” Gasso
The Dominator’s next goal is to
get on the field. He’s been training
with the first team for months now,
and since the signing, he’s been in the
game as a bench substitute. Gasso has
yet to play, but his opportunity is complicated
by the team’s performance
and standing.
DCFC is currently fighting for a spot
in the United Soccer League Championship
playoffs. This is the team’s first
year in the USL Championship, which
is considered the second highest
league in the United States, after Major
League Soccer (MLS). USL Championship
is home to second squads of
several MLS teams, including major
clubs like New York Red Bulls and LA
Galaxy.
Last season, DCFC played in the
National Independent Soccer Association
and had a record year. Out of 18
matches, the club won 14, drew three,
and lost one. It was time to move on to
bigger and better things.
Out of the gate, DCFC competed
like a top team. At the moment, however,
they rank 7th in the conference,
which puts them in the very last available
playoff spot. After a five-match
winning streak in April, in which DCFC
earned nearly half of their points this
season, the club slowed down significantly.
In its last six matches, the club
has won just once, drawn three times,
and lost twice.
Put it all together, and DCFC is
desperately hanging onto its 7th-seed
playoff spot. This is a good reason to
avoid fielding 19-year-old Gasso, who
has yet to see his first minute of professional
soccer. To be clear, DCFC is fairly
secure in its standing, as the club
behind it, FC Tulsa, is three games
back. With only nine left to play, Gasso
should see some minutes toward the
end of the regular season, which concludes
October 15.
As a local club, DCFC has seen tremendous
growth in its decade of existence.
It has cultivated an extreme and
loyal fanbase, one that more traditional
American sports may not recognize.
Soccer fans are known for their rowdy
behavior and undying loyalty to the
team. Detroit is no exception.
The club is known for giving back
to the city through charity and its entertaining
spectacle. It has brought
Michigan’s soccer scene and its major
players into the national spotlight.
Gasso is far from the only local player
DCFC has recruited.
Brad Dunwell, a 25-year-old defensive
midfielder, hails from Grand
Rapids. Connor Rutz, a 25-year-old attacking
midfielder, is from Commerce.
The club’s star goalkeeper, Nathan
Steinwascher, was born and raised in
Sterling Heights. Coming from Grand
Blanc, Gasso fits right in.
Gasso’s short-term goal is to make
it to the MLS. This is a lofty goal, but
given the right attention and development,
he certainly has the talent to
achieve it.
There is already one Chaldean in
the MLS whom the Chaldean News has
profiled before, Justin Meram. He has
had a spectacular career in the MLS,
scoring nearly 50 goals as a winger.
Meram also played many international
matches representing Iraq and has
paved the way for other Chaldeans in
professional soccer.
Gasso’s long-term goal, which is
much farther out, but still a realistic
possibility, is to play in Europe. His
dream team is FC Barcelona, and his
childhood hero, like many other soccer
fans, was Lionel Messi. Said Gasso,
“I won’t be satisfied until I play in Europe.”
34 CHALDEAN NEWS SEPTEMBER 2022