David McLone '22 Recruiting Profile

Hello, my name is David McLone, I live in Chicago, and I just recently turned 17. My passion for soccer began at around the age of 5 when I began playing soccer just outside of my apartment with my father and elementary friends, and it has only grown since that faithful decision to begin playing the sport. Over the past 12 years, soccer has been so much more than just a hobby and a way to connect to friends, it has become a way to express myself on the field, and let out anxiety and frustration, two emotions I often let build up inside of me quietly when I am not playing. When I play soccer I lose all my worries and self-criticism and just enjoy the game, relieving all the stress I build up at the same time. This love for the game and what it has done for me has really built my confidence and competitiveness, and I genuinely wish to play the game at the highest level available for me for as long as possible, meaning I am willing to make the sacrifices I need to make to ensure I give my best effort for this dream. 

While I try to be as flexible as possible, and my experiences at almost every position during my career have given me different viewpoints and attributes that have really added to my game, my best and favorite position on the field is center-back. Along with working to be a fast, strong, and technical center-back, traits I think all modern center-backs must possess, I think my best defensive attribute is my understanding and reading of the game. The love I have for soccer goes far beyond just playing it, and cheering for Liverpool, or watching as many live games or highlights as possible, has really helped me learn important positional lessons from some of the best defenders in the world currently. The long-balls Van Dijk possesses, the aerial ability Sergio Ramos constantly shows, the speed and strength Varane uses, and the reading and heart Chielinni and now Ruben Dias prove have all been great role instincts and abilities to inspect, and I think the amount of time I have watched them has improved my game almost as much as playing it has. However, above all else, I think my competitiveness and leadership, which are both derived from a combination of previously mentioned things, separates me from other center-backs and helps me fit into a variety of different teams and systems each different team may deploy. 

Personally, with the Chicago Fire Junior City 04 Team, I have progressed deeply in many state cups, qualified for a regional tournament where my team made the semi-finals and participated in the National League. In addition, I had an opportunity to play for an Elite ID camp built out of Chicago Fire players from around the country, play on the Developmental Academy team the Chicago Fire City club offered, and make an ODP Illinois team.

In addition to soccer, I also wish to push myself to the highest possible academic standards, and I try to use my competitiveness and leadership in the academic curriculum as well. I was quite lucky enough to get into my dream high school located within Chicago, Walter Payton, and I have really tried to push myself throughout my Freshman and Sophomore, and now Junior, years by taking a series of difficult honors and ap classes. I am quite satisfied with my current weighted GPA of 4.8 and hope to have a series of good ap scores for any possible academic college admissions. Thank you for taking your time to read this, please feel free to watch my highlight videos and contact me if you think I can have a positive impact and influence on your college team, and have a great rest of your day.