De Rosa brings world junior soccer camp to WNY
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Sal De Rosa's love of soccer coupled with an unbridled passion to teach the sport to youths has led to world-class instruction coming to Western New York this summer.

The Williamsville native's Upstate Soccer Academy presents the Adidas Milan Junior Camp, held at three locations from June 25 to July 13.

The locations are - June 25 to June 29 at Sportsplex, 90 Ridge Road, North Tonawanda; July 2-6, Total Sports Experience, 880 Elmgrove Road, Rochester; July 9-13, Seneca Street Soccer Complex, 3747 Seneca St., West Seneca. The camp is for youth ages 6 to 18.

AC Milan, home-based in Milan, Italy, recently won the European Club championship and is ranked No. 1 in the International Federation of Association Football. Its junior camps are stationed all over the world, including Russia, Australia, Italy, South America, Japan, and Canada. In the United States, Connecticut, Florida, and California recently received camps.

De Rosa was the brainchild behind bringing the camp to the area, getting the OK in December from Franco Baresi, AC Milan's head director of youth soccer.

"I believe we need better camps than we have already, not that the ones we have are bad, but they are from local coaches," said De Rosa, who wants to expand the camp in New York State to Syracuse, Albany, and Binghamton next year based on the success this summer. "AC Milan is the world champion for club (soccer)."

De Rosa said the junior camps will train players "in everything soccer from A to Z" and all other area clubs will benefit.

"We only train players," said De Rosa. "If any coach has a player that they think can improve, this is the camp to send them to."

De Rosa expects between 40 to 50 campers per session, which will allow instruction to be divided up and rotated between instructors Emilio Affuso, a former European player, Carlos Metidieri, a three-time scorer and two-time North American Soccer League MVP for the Rochester Lancers in the early 1970s, and Jill McCabe, St. John Fisher College's women's head soccer coach. Each instructor will be assisted by a college player.

The age groups for the camp are 6-8, 8-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-16 but players will be moved to a higher group based on ability. De Rosa said the selection process will take up the first two hours of the first day of each camp. Next year, De Rosa wants to add a group for those who will play in college.

The individual and family rates for the camp are each $300. The team rate (minimum seven players) is $300. Lunch is available each day for $5 per child. Each camper will also receive an Adidas Milan uniform kit, including a pair of Adidas socks, shorts, soccer ball, and training T-shirt.

Two players from each session will earn all-expense paid trips to Italy to be honored at the intermission of one of AC Milan's home games in August.

De Rosa is no stranger to soccer. Starting as a professional player in Naples, Italy until a severe knee injury ended his playing days, De Rosa is most known for coaching the defunct Buffalo Stallions and Buffalo Blizzard indoor soccer teams in the early 1980s and 1990s, respectively. He also was general manager of the Stallions for four years and special consultant and president of the citizen advisory committee for the Blizzard.

Before those destinations, he was owner, coach, and general manager of the Syracuse Scorpions from 1968 to 69, winning an American Soccer League title in 1968 and was coach and general manager of the now defunct Rochester Lancers in the early 1970s, winning a North American Soccer League championship in the 1970-71 season. The Scorpions and Lancers were outdoor soccer teams.

For more information, call De Rosa at 491-5557.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com