{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"","title":"Marcelo Balboa: Backstreets to Pro","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/5ee241e3a96ea834d9466b1d/3017e912c376b119b9d9249e443fd72c.png?height=200","description":"
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Marcelo Balboa in his playing days for the USMNT

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This is the first episode in our series charting the path of professionals athletes from their childhood to their debut. We call it “Back Streets to Pro”.

Marcelo Balboa is a pioneer of US soccer. The goal-scoring centre-back represented his country in two World Cups and was the first player to earn 100 caps for the Stars and Stripes

His father was a professional player in Argentina and made the game a major part of Marcelo’s childhood.

He worked his way through the tough semi-pro leagues in the early 1980s, played in Mexico and would join Colorado Rapids when the MLS started in 1996.

But how did those formative years shape his later career?

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Links and notes

Marcelo Balboa's career highlights at Colorado Rapids, including a bicycle kick that was MLS Goal of the Year in 2000

Marcelo Balboa on Twitter

How Marcelo Balboa became the first offensive defender in USMNT history

","author_name":"MrRichardClarke"}