One of the few young U.S. players getting regular starts in Europe is former Columbus Crew midfielder Danny Szetela, who disappeared off the radar somewhat after moving on loan from La Liga’s Racing Santander to Serie B Brescia in Italy. Despite suffering from homesickness, the player told Ravi Ubha that he hopes the move will be made permanent.
His side is on the edge of the promotion race to Serie A, and while he lost his starting place when Brescia changed coaches following a slow start to the season, he did play in the team’s final game before Christmas, a 1-0 win over promotion rival Grosseto. “Hopefully, we’ll have a good run and keep winning,” Szetela said. “It’ll make the time go faster.”
“It’s very hard being away from home, and since I was 14,” said the 21-year-old Szetela, who has played for the U.S. at the U-20 World Cup and at last year’s Beijing Olympics. “For me, it’s family first, before anything else. Whenever I’m away and there are problems at home, I wish I could be there, but I can’t. It makes it more difficult.” His father died during a routine kidney operation when Szetela was a teenager, bringing him even closer to his mother and four siblings.
Columbus Crew coach Robert Warzycha knows Szetela well from his time at the club and praised “his work rate and dedication. He’s a box-to-box player, not afraid on a 50-50 ball, and has good endurance. When you put him on the field, you know what you’re going to get.”