Montini Catholic senior and All Conference athlete, Christian Clarke, is looking forward to his post-graduation plans - the tri-sport Bronco athlete (soccer, basketball, baseball) will finally be focusing on just one sport, playing soccer at Rome City Institute, located right outside the Vatican in Rome, Italy, this fall.

Christian's aspirations were ignited when he began his soccer career in the Villa Park Youth Soccer program at the ripe age of five. "My friends and I, in grade school, used to debate who was a better player between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and we wanted to be just like them," explained Christian, who graduated from Albright Middle School in Villa Park before attending Montini. While at Montini he kept himself quite busy honing his athletic skills throughout all three sports seasons. 

He attended a few exposure camps for colleges during his soccer offseason and feels very fortunate to have been contacted by a representative of Rome City Institute. "The school actually has a recruiter here in the Midwest. The soccer program at Rome City is a Pro Academy and an official academy of Lega Serie A. (Coincidentally, Rome City Institute's Pro Academy strength and conditioning coach's name is Marco Montini. Marco also coaches the u21 Italian National team.) The school works with Professional clubs to place their athletes on Club teams. Rome City also plays in a tournament league against other universities in Rome and I will also have the opportunity to work out with Professional Club teams as well. The program is filled with some of the greatest soccer players from around the world!"

He leaves for Italy mid-August through May with plans to travel around Europe both before and after the three year program where he will also major in Sports Management.

Parents, Kevin and Roberta Kane, are already making plans to visit Christian consistently so he's hoping this will make the transition easier for everyone. "I am an only child so my parents are sad to see me go, but are excited for this opportunity. Ever since I was a kid my dad and I watched European soccer together so the fact that I will be playing soccer in Europe is exciting for us. My mom is a former college athlete and when we were exploring whether or not I should go to Rome, since it is so far from home, she explained that she attended school an hour away from home and wasn't able to come home much because of her sports schedule anyways. This helped with my decision."

Christian, voted by his peers this past fall to represent Montini as Homecoming King, is a very humble young man who is extremely grateful for this unique opportunity to train with Rome City's elite coaches. "They have a ton of experience. I have always been a three sport athlete so this will be the first time I will be focusing on soccer for more than a couple of months. Having the guidance from great coaches and playing with some of the top players from around the world is going to be pretty unreal and I am excited to see how much my game grows!"

Montini Soccer Coach Barry Briggs couldn't be happier for Christian, saying, "Christian is a special kind of athlete. We have been so lucky to have him lead our soccer team, both on and off the field. He has the type of character that every coach wants on his team. I'm so proud of Christian and happy that he has this wonderful opportunity to continue playing soccer while attending college in Italy. I'm sure he will always be successful in his endeavors."

"Something I have learned the past four years from attending Montini has been that my teachers and coaches have always believed in my potential," adds Christian. "Whether it was on the playing field or in the classroom, my Montini coaches have always pushed me to do things I had no idea I could do."

The future is both exciting and very bright for Christian who has hopes of getting placed on a Club team. "If that doesn't happen I definitely see my future being in sports. Whether that is coaching or managing I am not sure but my goal is to always be involved in sports in some capacity. I have a love for sports and always have, and I want to be able to pass my love for it down to as many people as I can."

We couldn't be happier for Christian!  A Bronco in Rome!  What an awesome adventure!