Mohammed Almassad '18 Recruiting Profile

Hello, my name is Mohammed Almassad. I am in 11th grade at Universal High School in Bridgeview, Illinois. I currently play for a travel team in Orland Park, Illinois called Chicago Fire Jr. South. As a kid I was very busy because my mom would put me into so many activities and clubs to get me active as much as possible. I have done tae kwon doe (family martial arts) as a kid for 4 years and finished as a black belt. My mom then put me into a class that I currently attend 3 days a week for religion. My religion has a major impact on my manners and character and has really taught me a lot about life. I love to travel and learn to speak new languages and at the age of 14, while I was taking Spanish in middle school, my family took me on a trip to Spain to see my idol, Cristiano Ronaldo, play in the biggest rivalry match in the world against Barcelona. 

I have loved everything about soccer at a very young age, Cristiano Ronaldo has been my inspiration. Ever since I was a kid I would watch Youtube videos of him playing and copy what he did in games from free kicks to freestyle to fancy tricks, even his hair styles. Watching him work hard and grow into a legend makes me want to do what he has. I worked hard ever since I was a kid even though soccer wasn't such a popular sport, my friends would rather play basketball or football so I was always the odd one out and so I dedicated so much time and effort, that as I grew older I was given the nickname "Monaldo" by some friends which was corny at first, but has stuck ever since. I would diet, work out, and run everyday to try to get in the best shape possible for soccer. As we get older as teens we get stressed and want to run away from all our problems, sadly I have seen so many of my friends go to drugs and alcohol to run away from their problems but luckily I have made soccer my drug, it is my stress reliever. I am very passionate about soccer and until this day I get in trouble by my parents for broken windows and lamps around the house, my parents would even get calls home from my teachers saying that I would be kicking random objects all the time around the classroom. Soccer has taught me leadership, determination, and responsibility. Unfortunately my passion for soccer has taken a toll on my academics and caused me to forget my studies which has been a struggle that I had to endure and work hard to overcome. I would spend most of my time working on my skills and practicing instead of doing my homework which killed my grades. I have matured and realized that I must balance and achieve in academics in order to achieve in athletics as well.

I have many memories and achievements including winning 1st in conference with Sandburg's JV team as a sophomore and ending up winning a tournament as well which was very fun. I also enjoyed playing at Universal where I scored my first hat trick and won 1st in the MIST futsal tournament. I will be participating in an International tournament, KICS Cup, this July where 10+ countries will attend which is very exciting. It has always been my dream and goal to play professional and reach a national level someday, but until then I hope to get into a program that can benefit me and help me succeed in my athletics as well as my academics.