MONTREAL — Marco Di Vaio, matchmaker?
For Italian Serie A players seeking information on MLS, Di Vaio is a definite resource, all the more with the interest that his All-Star caliber 2013 season has generated in Italy.
But on Wednesday, instead of a phone call or text, he received an in-person inquiry after the MLS All-Stars’ 3-1 defeat to Italian side AS Roma at Sporting Park.
“Someone told me he wanted to come here,” Di Vaio told reporters on Thursday of the unnamed player. “He asked me how the league was, how things are going. I get many questions from Italy. We have to do something to get those players, because they'd increase the level [of MLS].”
Di Vaio didn’t disclose the name of the Roma player, but defenders Nicolás Burdisso and Federico Balzaretti both hinted that MLS could be an interesting career move in the future. And while Di Vaio does answer questions about MLS from fellow players, he also asks some of them whether they’d be interested, too, as Roma captain Francesco Totti revealed on Monday.
But no matter the inquiries, nothing beats getting acquainted with MLS first-hand via an actual event like the AT&T MLS All-Star Game. Some of the Roma players told Di Vaio how much they had enjoyed their experience, and Di Vaio himself was all smiles on Thursday morning while discussing his time in Kansas City.
“It was incredible, fantastic,” Di Vaio said. “Everything was well-organized, the atmosphere. … It really was a great experience. I'm glad I went there.”
