BURNABY, British Columbia ā Those who watched Davide Chiumientoās highlight video before he came to Vancouver last season were awed by his dazzling dribbling, his nifty passes and his cool finishing. Needless to say, the anticipation quickly built for the arrival of the man known as the "Swiss Ronaldinho.ā
The electric 5-foot-7 attacking midfielder has enjoyed a distinguished playing career. At the age of 15, he moved to Italy to play for Juventus' youth squad. While with Juve, he had the opportunity to play with one of his childhood idols, Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero.
āWhen I was at Juventus, he was a very big player,ā Chiumiento recalls. āWhen he was younger he was incredible. I have tons of respect for him. Heās done many great things at Juventus.ā
Chiumiento made his debut at 19, coming on as a substitute against Empoli, but it was the training that affected the Swiss most.
āThere were players like Paolo Montero, who was a defender, but he was also a playmaker,ā Chiumiento explains. āI learned a lot about shooting, free kicks, the final pass, dribbling and many other things. Watching them helped a lot.ā
Itās evident in watching Chiumiento's play that he paid very close attention indeed.
āMy game is technique, I like playing a skilled game,ā Chiumiento said. āWhen I play a controlled game I play better. I like to make the game pleasurable for people to watch.ā
Entertainment is certainly not a problem when the scruffy magician straps on his boots. It takes a great deal of skill to befit a nickname that draws comparison to one of the greatest playmakers on the planet.
[inline_node:323152]āI very much like Ronaldinhoās game, I have a lot of respect for him,ā Chiumiento said. āHeās one of the best players in the world and its beautiful watching a player like that.ā
Chiumientoās abilities have not gone unnoticed. Earlier this year he was called up to play for the Swiss national team, but was not selected for the final World Cup squad.
āI played four or five months ago in a World Cup warmup against Uruguay,ā Chiumiento recalls. āItās too bad that in the end I wasnāt selected for the World Cup, but thatās the way soccer goes sometimes. Iād very much like to have another chance.ā
Like many other foreign players in MLS, Chiumiento will have some hard choices to make in balancing his international and club careers.
āThe national team will be difficult because itās so far away,ā Chiumiento said. āIf Iām called up for a friendly match, Iāll have to travel thousands of miles to get there. Itās difficult, but I knew that when I made the decision to come here.
āIām not thinking about the national team right now,ā he added. āMy focus is on trying to work myself into the team, to look forward to MLS next season. Iād really like to start the season now. Itās some time away but Iām working hard. Physically, you have to work very hard here.ā
Chiumiento, who will turn 26 later this month, is no longer the understudy to soccer greats. Itās time now for him to showcase his game to the world, and he hopes that MLS is just the platform to do it.
Think you know the game? Test your powers of prediction with MLSsoccer.com's new fantasy game,Pro Soccer Picks. Play NOW!