Carmel grad represents U.S. in global freestyle soccer contest

Doug Fitzgerald could never have imagined goofing around with a soccer ball would become his job, and a skill that would land him in a global soccer competition.

Fitzgerald, of Hawthorn Woods, recently won Red Bull's first U.S. championship in street style, aka freestyle soccer, beating 299 other contenders. He is the only athlete representing the U.S. at the Red Bull Street Style World Finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Nov. 16-18.

"I feel great," the 21-year-old said. "I've been working very hard toward all of this. I definitely feel very honored to be not only the number one guy in America, but I'm of the same caliber of professionals that I've watched from other countries."

Fitzgerald will face off against 43 other national finalists for the World Champion title and trophy.

Fitzgerald started playing soccer at Lake Zurich's May Whitney Elementary School and kept playing through middle school and at Carmel Catholic High School. But it wasn't until more than two years ago that he discovered freestyle soccer on YouTube videos.

He was hooked.

Fitzgerald learned to do tricks with his feet, aerial maneuvers and keeping a soccer ball balanced or bouncing on his head for a long time from watching professional soccer players on television and practicing on his own.

It started as a fun hobby, but soon piqued his competitive interest.

"Freestyle soccer is almost like the Harlem Globetrotters of soccer," said Fitzgerald, now a senior at Carthage College in Kenosha. "In the world itself there's thousands of freestylers. It's very big in soccer countries."

Energy drink maker Red Bull launched its street style soccer world contest last year in South America, with only 16 South American countries competing. This is the first year competition tryouts were held in 16 major U.S. cities and globally with 3,500 people participating, said Jen Belongia, Red Bull regional communications manager for the Midwest.

"It's the only competition of its kind here in North America," Belongia said.

"What better way to give them (competitors) wings than to put them on a global stage," she added, playing off the company's slogan.

Belongia said though the competition will be tough because the sport has a lot of followers globally, Fitzgerald has some moves the U.S. judges had never seen before.

Fitzgerald's mother Carolyn Fitzgerald of Hawthorn Woods said the fact he is self-taught is all the more impressive.

"I am obviously so proud of him," she said. "He just works so hard in perfecting all of the moves. I think it shows so much discipline. That just is a good trait to have in life in general."

Fitzgerald's goal is to make top half of the finalists. "To say that you are the top 25 of anything in the world is definitely an achievement in itself," he said.

The 44 national finalists will duel it out one-on-one in three-minute rounds. Each contestant performs maneuvers with the ball for 30 seconds before passing it on to a rival competitor. The winner goes on to the next round. The loser is eliminated from the contest. Competitors will be judged on ball control, creativity and style.

The competition will not be broadcast anywhere in the U.S., but video clips can be viewed on redbullstreetstyle.com.

Fitzgerald now works for Freestyle Soccer Inc., the largest North American team based out of Toronto, traveling the country giving demonstrations during halftime shows of major games and for various soccer companies. He said he wants to continue promoting freestyle soccer after finishing law school.

"The sport is so new that I definitely feel like I am one of the pioneers within the U.S.," he said. "I really strive to get it more well known."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=265">Doug Fitzgerald in action </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>