FCMC Femenino Goalkeeper, Marilena Spagnolo, got a call that any keeper would dream of when she got invited to trial with Italian 1st Division team, Sassuolo, who currently sit at the top of the table.
At 23 years old, Spangolo has been playing football for 19 years. Yes, she started at just 4 years old playing little league in Canada where she was born. Unlike many other keepers who start to specialize much later in their career, Marilena decided she liked the gloves when she was just 8-years-old. Now, after 6 weeks at FC Malaga City, she has been given the opportunity of a lifetime as she gets to trial with one of the top teams in the world. An opportunity close to home, literally, as both of her parents are Italian.
When FCMC Head Coach José Herrera heard about Spagnolo’s call up he was not surprised at all, “Marilena is an incredible keeper and she has been performing at an extremely high level since she got here. She is a great teammate and player who works hard every day so I was not shocked to hear about this trial. I have full confidence that Mar will perform well and I wish her all the best.”
Born and raised in Canada, Spagnolo has an impressive football resume after playing at Brock University in Canada where she was 3X OUA West-Division All-star and 2X Brock Women’s Soccer MVP. Marilena then went on to play for semi-pro team Hamilton United for 3 years. Most recently, she joined our FCMC Femenino squad for the 2021/22 season headed by José Herrera and assistant coach Miguel Aquino along with a strong resume of international players from Canada, USA, England, Gibraltar, Netherlands, and New Zealand.
The FCMC keeper had understandable mixed feelings when she heard the news, “They usually do scouting and trials in January, so to have this opportunity to be invited mid October is big. I was very excited for the chance to showcase my talent but also nervous. Sassuolo is in first place in the Series A league so I knew this team would be very talented.”
Which they were, after her trial Spagnolo said, “The experience was great. Unfortunately I did not meet all the players because lots of them were playing with their national teams. However, It was still a very professional environment with the coaching staff, structure of the practices and the entire atmosphere. By the last day I had the opportunity to train with the players as the only keeper and I was just grateful to be in that environment. The speed of play, first touch, movement off the ball was phenomenal. It was clear why they were sitting in first place.”
FCMC Head Coach Herrera knew that this experience was bigger than Marilena, “This is an eye-opening opportunity for her and the rest of the team as they see what opportunities can come from playing in Europe. In regards to Marilena, she is an exciting player to watch and I am excited to see where she ends up.”
This is an exciting start to the season for the FCMC Femenino who are currently sitting at the top of the table undefeated as they look towards this Sunday’s game against C.D. Marbella Promesas Femenino.
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