From futbol in the pros to football in the pros. That is the transition Josh Lambo is hoping to successfully make.
Lambo, a former FC Dallas and US youth national team goalkeeper, is currently looking to land a job as the kicker for the NFL's San Diego Chargers. The 24-year-old Lambo saw his soccer career cut short back in 2011 due in part to injuries, but he is now on the cusp of making a return to professional sports.
After kicking at Texas A&M, Lambo was signed by the Chargers as an undrafted rookie in May and is competing with last year's San Diego starter, Nick Novak. Lambo is eager to capitalize on this opportunity, and he has given himself a chance after a game-winning field goal from 47 yards (pictured) on the final play of San Diego's victory against the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 22. Lambo also connected on two other field goals.
''My MLS career ended much quicker than I hoped it would, and my national team career ended after the U-20 World Cup, so this is an opportunity to make an impact on a national stage and be the best at what I do,'' Lambo told reporters on Monday. ''I haven't had that feeling in a long time, and I want it back desperately.''
Drafted eighth overall by FC Dallas in 2008, Lambo did not make a first-team appearance for the club before being released three years later. He enrolled at Texas A&M as a sophomore in 2012 and wound up a second team all-SEC kicker as a senior in 2014, going 12-of-14 on field-goal attempts, making a career-long 50-yarder against SMU. (Check out Lambo's Texas A&M bio.)
Now he is hoping to take all his previous experiences and apply them in this pursuit of another job in professional sports.
"I've been swinging my leg since I was 4 years old," said Lambo. "It's just minor adjustments and minor tweaks, and if you're as good of an athlete that you need to be for any sport, you should be able to make those adjustments.''
