Dalio Pekovic '20 Recruiting Profile

I’m Dalio Pekovic, and I’ve been playing soccer since I was about 4 years old. I began playing with the Rapids when I was 9 and played up my first couple years. I’ve stuck with the club since and am now playing with the U19 academy. Since I came here I’ve always had the goal of playing professionally but I know that everyone’s pathway looks different and I see college soccer as a good opportunity for me to further develop in order to take my game to the next level.  I’d say one thing that separates me from the rest is my resilience. A strong example of this is my recovery from an ACL and meniscus tear that occurred in February of 2019. I actually continued to play on it for a few months until my knee began to continuously give out on me. I underwent surgery in May that year and made my full recovery in February of 2020 and was prepared to start doing full contact sessions but unfortunately COVID disrupted that. During that time I was able to continue my work at home and at a local field of mine which paid off very well and put me in a good position to return to training with the Rapids in August of this year. I think through that whole time period I learned to appreciate playing the game much more and now every time I get to step out on the pitch I train/play with full involvement and focus and leave everything I have out on the field.