Carlo Ritaccio

Carlo Ritaccio

Personal information
Date of birth	(2000-01-09) January 9, 2000 (age 23)
Place of birth	Westbury, New York, United States
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
2007–2013	BW Gottschee
2013–2016	IMG Academy
2016–2018	BW Gottschee
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2021	Akron Zips	58	(7)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019	New York Red Bulls U23	3	(0)
2019–2021	Long Island Rough Riders	8	(0)
2022	Chicago Fire II	19	(0)
International career‡
2016	United States U17	2	(0)
2018	United States U19	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 4, 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 4, 2022

Carlo Ritaccio (born January 9, 2000) is an American soccer player who plays as a defender.

Career

Youth

Ritaccio began playing club soccer at local side BW Gottschee, before getting recruited to play at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. ^{[1] [2]} He returned to BW Gottschee, who he helped tobe champions of the Northeast Academy Conference in the 2016-17 season, and were ranked top 20 nationally. ^[2]

While at youth level, Ritaccio was called up to various youth levels of the United States national team, joining camps at under-14, under-15, under-17 and under-19 level. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

College

In 2018, Ritaccio began his college soccer career at the University of Akron. In four seasons with the Zips, Ritaccio made 58 appearances, scoring seven goals and tallying two assists. During his college career, he picked accolades including National Freshman of the Year by TopDrawerSoccer.com, as well as being tabbed to their Freshman Best XI first team in 2018, first-team All-MAC honoree, and was tabbed a third-team All-North United Soccer Coaches Regional selection in 2019, Second-Team All-MAC honoree and Academic All-MAC selection in 2020, and Academic All-MAC selection, as well as being recognized as First-Team Academic All-Ohio recipient in 2021. ^{[2] [5]}

While at college, Ritaccio also played in the USL League Two, spending the summer of 2019 with New York Red Bulls U-23 side, where he made three appearances, ^[6] before joining Long Island Rough Riders to make six appearances. ^[7] He then returned to join the Rough Riders in 2021, playing in two regular season games. ^[8] During this spell, he was named to the USL League Two's '20 under 20' list. ^[9]

Professional

On January 11, 2022, Ritaccio was selected 63rd overall in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft by Chicago Fire. ^{[10] [11]} On March 10, 2022, he signed a professional contract with Chicago's MLS Next Pro side Chicago Fire FC II ahead of the league's inaugural season. ^{[12] [13]} During the 2022 season, he went on to make 19 appearances for the club. ^[14]

Personal

Carlo's younger brother, Matteo, is also a professional soccer player, who currently plays with the Liverpool academy. ^[15] His older brother, Giraldo, also played college soccer, spending four seasons at SUNY Oneonta. ^[16]

References

1. "One-on-one with Akron signee Carlo Ritaccio | Club Soccer | Youth Soccer". TopDrawerSoccer.com.
2. "Carlo Ritaccio - Men's Soccer". University of Akron Athletics.
3. "U.S. U-19, U-20 MNT rosters set for Invitational at IMG Academy".
4. "Ritaccio Named to USMNT U-19 Squad for Upcoming U-20 Men's Invitational Tournament". University of Akron Athletics.
5. "Akron Enters The 2022 Season With A Lot of Pieces Back from the 2021 Team. Experience and Continuity Are Positives. – College Soccer News".
6. "New York Red Bulls U23 | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
7. "Long Island Rough Riders | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
8. "Long Island Rough Riders | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
9. League Two 20 Under 20
10. "Chicago Fire FC Select Four Players in MLS SuperDraft 2022 Presented by adidas | Chicago Fire FC". chicagofirefc.
11. Thomas, George M. "Two University of Akron men's soccer players drafted by MLS teams". Akron Beacon Journal.
12. "Chicago Fire FC II Signs Defender Carlo Ritaccio | Chicago Fire FC". chicagofirefc.
13. "Chicago Fire FC II Announce Roster for Inaugural MLS NEXT Pro Season | Chicago Fire FC". chicagofirefc.
14. "Carlo Ritaccio | MLSsoccer.com". mlsnextpro.
15. "Meet the Academy: Matteo Ritaccio". Liverpool FC.
16. "Giraldo Ritaccio - Men's Soccer". SUNY Oneonta Athletics.