At just 19 years old, Sachem’s Joe Scally has been on quite the trip around the soccer world.
Scally was always a standout on the soccer pitch from a young age. “His mind worked differently,” longtime youth coach Frank Schmidt told Newsday. “He just saw things, he was a much more intelligent player for his age group.”
Everyone took notice of Scally’s advanced skill from such a young age, including New York City Football Club’s academy. At age 13, Scally was recruited to join the NYCFC training squad, paving his road to pro soccer. This, however, would dash his dreams of playing school soccer with his brother.
NYCFC made him a bargain, allowing him to try out for the Sachem varsity basketball team in 8th grade. He would make the team and be able to play with his brother that season.
The soccer pitch was where Scally belonged, though. At the age of 15, he signed a contract with the MLS club. This came after Scally played up in the academy of NYCFC and was a noticeable standout.
Scally didn’t see much time with NYCFC, making just 7 appearances in 3 seasons with the team, his second season plagued by a hip injury. He was seeing playing time in other uniforms though, making appearances for the U.S. youth national team. He Helped them reach Brazil for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Success with the youth national team boded well for Scally. An opportunity in Europe would reveal itself, and on his 18th birthday, December 31, 2020, NYCFC agreed to transfer the rising star to Gladbach. Scally graduated early from Sachem late that year, and was then off to Germany to continue his career.
It was a big transition for Scally, but he had his family behind him the whole way. From driving him to the NYCFC facility in upstate New York, to now supporting his mid-pandemic move across the world.
On a recent trip to visit Scally in Germany, his mother Margaret Scally could sense something was off. “He was stressed the whole time we were there,” Margaret told Newsday. “I was there for three weeks for him prior to the phone call, and he didn’t let us know, but you could tell he was stressed.”
The call refers to that of the U.S. National team possibly recruiting Scally to be part of their first World Cup team in 8 years. When Margaret landed back in New York, she received a text from Joe to FaceTime. Through the phone was her relieved son with feelings of elation and joy— he had been selected to represent the United States.
Scally, the youngest player on the roster, is part of the World Cup’s overall second youngest roster. He’s joined by a few fellow locals. 22-year-old Tim Weah grew up in Queens and competed in the Long Island Junior Soccer League. LI Standout Gets to Rep the Stars and Stripes Joe Scally of Lake Grove Laces Up for Team USA in World Cup Claim
Weah scored the lone goal in the U.S. opening match on Monday against Wales, a 1-1 draw in which the U.S. squad looked solid for most of the match. The goal was set up by superstar Christian Pulisic, whom the U.S. hopes will fuel their run out of group B.
Giovanni Reyna is a 20-year-old from Bedford, New York. Tyler Adams is 23, and from Wappinger Falls. And Matt Turner from New Jersey, who played in the Eastern New York Premier League, and is goaltending for the U.S. at 28 years of age.
The United States is back on the pitch this Friday at 2 p.m. in a tough match against the favorite of the group, England. They will round out group play on Tuesday against Iran in hopes of moving on to the round of 16, where they could themselves an honest chance at a World Cup title.
