Detroit City Football Club Signs Young Chaldean Star
By Cal Abbo
Dominic “The Dominator” Gasso’s dreams are coming true.
Earlier this year, at the tender age of 18, Gasso was signed to the first team at his hometown club, Detroit City Football Club. This is a huge step for Gasso who, until now, has played exclusively for youth teams.
Gasso grew up in Grand Blanc, a city located about one hour north of Detroit. Many Chaldeans live there and congregate at St. Paul Chaldean Church.
As a teenager, Gasso played for Vardar Soccer, which is known across Michigan as one of the state’s top youth soccer programs. It was there that he learned his core playstyle as well as an important lesson for young athletes with loads of talent: he had to work hard.
“Before joining Vardar, I was always the best player on my team, or somewhere close,” Gasso remembered. “Playing on Vardar, I was average and had to work hard to stand out.”
Gasso saw his time at Vardar as a wakeup call. Around this time, he started training six hours a day. Even if it was just him and his brother playing in the yard, all this time spent working on his game would allow the young star to reach a new level.
This season, before the recent signing, DCFC recruited Gasso to play for its U19 academy team. He played well enough that he earned a call-up to the first team. Gasso said he expected it would come but never thought it would be so soon.
“The biggest difference is that I get paid,” he said. “Youth soccer programs can be very expensive, but now it’s the opposite.”
Gasso has been helped with a lot of support from his parents. They are divorced, which made it somewhat more difficult for him to plan around his games and practices. His mother stayed in Grand Blanc while his father moved to Sterling Heights. With help from coaches and mentors, Gasso was able to lift himself to the world of professional soccer. It’s only up from here.
The Dominator’s next goal is to get consistent playing time. He’s been training with the first team for months now, and since the signing, he’s been in the game as a bench substitute. Gasso played the final minutes of the the match against Charleston Battery, when the team was up 3-0. Normally, however, his opportunity is complicated by the team’s performance and standing.
DCFC is currently fighting for a spot in the United Soccer League Championship playoffs. This is the team’s first year in the USL Championship, which is considered the second highest league in the United States, after Major League Soccer (MLS). USL Championship is home to second squads of several MLS teams, including major clubs like New York Red Bulls and LA Galaxy.
Last season, DCFC played in the National Independent Soccer Association and had a record year. Out of 18 matches, the club won 14, drew three, and lost one. It was time to move on to bigger and better things.
Out of the gate, DCFC competed like a top team. At the moment, however, they rank 7th in the conference, which puts them in the very last available playoff spot. After a five-match winning streak in April, in which DCFC earned nearly half of their points this season, the club slowed down significantly. In the six matches prior to the Charleston Battery win, the club has won just once, drawn three times, and lost twice.
Put it all together, and DCFC is desperately hanging onto its 7th-seed playoff spot. This is a good reason to avoid fielding 19-year-old Gasso, who just last week saw his first minutes of professional soccer. To be clear, DCFC is fairly secure in its standing, as the club behind it, FC Tulsa, is four games back. With only nine left to play, Gasso should see some minutes toward the end of the regular season, which concludes October 15.
As a local club, DCFC has seen tremendous growth in its short decade of existence. It has cultivated a dedicated and loyal fanbase, one that more traditional American sports may not recognize. Soccer fans are known for their rowdy behavior and undying loyalty to the team. Detroit is no exception.
The club is known for giving back to the city through charity and its entertaining spectacle. Food trucks, refreshment stands, and merch shops line every corner of Keyworth stadium in Hamtramck. It has brought Michigan’s soccer scene and its major players into the national spotlight. Gasso is far from the only local player DCFC has recruited.
Brad Dunwell, a 25-year-old defensive midfielder, hails from Grand Rapids. Connor Rutz, a 25-year-old attacking midfielder, is from Commerce. The club’s star goalkeeper, Nathan Steinwascher, was born and raised in Sterling Heights. Coming from Grand Blanc, Gasso fits right in.
Gasso’s short-term goal is to make it to the MLS. This is a lofty goal, but given the right attention and development, he certainly has the talent to achieve it.
There is already one Chaldean in the MLS whom the Chaldean News has profiled before, Justin Meram. He has had a spectacular career in the MLS, scoring nearly 50 goals as a winger. Meram also played many international matches representing Iraq and has paved the way for other Chaldeans in professional soccer.
Gasso’s long-term goal, which is much farther out, but still a realistic possibility, is to play in Europe. His dream team is FC Barcelona, and his childhood hero, like many other soccer fans, was Lionel Messi. Said Gasso, “I won’t be satisfied until I play in Europe.”