What’s up, USL fans?!

Before we tackle the good stuff, I want to introduce myself. Yes, I know it’s a tad corny; okay, maybe really corny, but as a 6’6” center back, I thought the pun was appropriate. 

Some of you may know me, but for those don’t, my name is Forrest Lasso and I’m a defender for FC Cincinnati.

We’ll get to here and now, but first, I want to share how it all started. 

I was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina; however, my parents aren’t from Raleigh. They’ve been in Raleigh for over 25 years now, but my Dad is a Mississippi boy and my Mom is from Atlanta. I think we all can agree that soccer’s popularity in the United States has grown exponentially over the past few decades. Soccer wasn’t nearly as popular when my parents were growing up, but they played the sports most kids their age played – football, basketball, or baseball. With that being said, as the oldest of five kids with parents who didn’t play the beautiful game, we were all entering unfamiliar territory when I started to really get into soccer.

My journey started just like many others - my parents signed me up for a co-ed league at a local park. I knew nothing about the game, but after lacing up my boots for the first time roughly 20 years ago, I fell in love. I couldn’t get enough! 

I played recreationally for CASL (now North Carolina FC Youth) from kindergarten until fourth grade. It was then that I craved a more competitive atmosphere and wanted to be challenged. 

I left my recreational team to try out for a “travel soccer” team on the “Classic” level. Classic was the highest level of play at CASL and consisted of three teams per age group: Elite, Premier, and United. I ended up making the Premier team my first season before being pulled up to the Elite team for the next season.

And believe it or not, I haven’t always been big. I was the smallest of all my friends but loved the game and wasn’t going to let my physique keep me away from what I loved.

I ended up playing for CASL for my entire youth career. My time with CASL is another story in itself, but to sum it up, I was cut from the top-level team multiple times. Once the academy system found its way to CASL, I was essentially cut from that as well. I was labeled as a developmental player, but never actually saw the field with that team. All my friends and teammates that I won state, regional, and national championships with made the academy team. There were some players like me who didn’t make the academy team, and opted to transfer clubs and play for the top team at other clubs; however, I was different. I loved the game and I loved CASL. And to be honest, I used those “no’s” as motivation for me to prove everyone wrong.

Shortly after the end of the 2017 season, I was given the opportunity by Mr. Lindner, Mr. Berding, and Coach Alan Koch to join FC Cincinnati.

Based on my professional experience and what I know, teams typically bring in a few pieces during the offseason to improve upon and strengthen their roster or to fill newly opened roster sports; however, for FC Cincinnati, things were slightly different than the norm this past offseason.

I was one of 15 new guys to join the team during the offseason. The club returned nine players this year thus keeping the foundation intact. Some of those players have been with the club since its inception, but more than half of the guys were the “new kids.” Some of us didn’t know where to go on day one in Cincinnati, and some of us didn’t know how things worked; however, ALL of us were ready to take a new step forward while donning the Orange and Blue together.

For me, things were essentially the same. I was ready to continue to do what I’ve always done: work harder than yesterday, get better than I was yesterday, and remember to always have fun while doing so. But there were still many things that were new to me or things I hadn’t done since my rookie season or since my freshman year at Wofford.

Some of them had been with FC Cincinnati since day one, others just for a season, but their experience and knowledge of how things worked drastically helped all of us new guys assimilate to our new digs.

In order to succeed in soccer, you have to play as one collective, cohesive unit.  There is no “me.” There is no “I.”

There is only one family. I’d like to say we’ve gotten it down already, but that would be naive of me. We’re still working on perfecting our craft of being one team and playing as one unit. And frankly, that takes time and repetition. It involves getting to know each of my teammates’ respective mannerisms and style of play. Every player is different and getting to know each other on that level takes time. 

Another thing that was new to me again was the transition from Charleston to Cincinnati. Changing clubs and location comes with another change: the fans in the stands and in the community. The Battery fans were like a family to me. I’m eternally grateful to them for welcoming me with open arms and for embracing me from day one. I will cherish my time in Charleston and will never forget the great people I met and the memories we created together.

Even though I’ve only been here for a couple of months and we have an entire season ahead of us, I want to go ahead and thank the FC Cincinnati faithful for already welcoming me into this remarkable family.

I’ve played at Nippert Stadium three times in my career and it’s hard to put those experiences into words. I was playing for the visiting team, but I still thought the atmosphere was electric. The fans were ruthless. Cincinnati loves their team and it wasn’t hard to see. You can see it in the march across the city to the stadium before games, the numerous supporter clubs, and the record-breaking attendance nearly every week. Cincinnatian’s had a chip on their shoulder, but they knocked that chip off by showing the world that Cincy is a soccer city and that they love their club. I can’t wait to step out on that pitch for the first time knowing roughly 20,000 people are there to cheer us on.

I want to thank the USL for allowing me to share some words on what things have been like for me over the offseason. I also want to thank all those who have stuck it out and read this far. I’m looking forward to connecting with y’all again later to share some experiences from the regular season.

Until then, we’ve got work to do!

Much love, #3.