da bet sport： The 21-year-old grew up as an aspiring forward who idolised Alex Morgan, but a late switch of positions means she's now a potential star in defense
da fazobetai： When Eva Gaetino was growing up as an aspiring young forward, Alex Morgan was her idol. She couldn’t help but laugh, then, when talking about her first camp with the United States women’s national team, in which she was often the center-back locked in a duel with one of her country’s greatest ever goal-scorers.
Gaetino spent her early years in soccer as a No.9 or a No.10, but that all changed when she went to college. At Notre Dame, she moved into defense, and it is in her new role that she has broken into the professional game, signing for Paris Saint-Germain in January before getting her first USWNT call-up in April.
To be on the same roster as Morgan was “a dream come true” for the 21-year-old, who admired the two-time world champion as a young girl not just for her “incredible” talent, but for using soccer to fight for what she believed in. But to be there as someone that the 34-year-old was battling against in training, as opposed to working with to score goals, was certainly surreal. “It was definitely one of those moments where you’re just like, ‘What is happening right now?’” Gaetino recalled with a chuckle.
The young center-back must have had a few of those ‘pinch yourself’ moments by now in a year which has taken her to one of the biggest clubs in France, the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals and a USWNT camp. She’ll need to get used to the feeling, though, because Gaetino looks set for a big future at the very top of the game.
USA TODAY SportsWhere it all began
Gaetino was born into a family that already had links to soccer, her mother having played the sport at Virginia Tech. That had an influence on her older brother, who would go on to play at Bucknell University, and she followed suit when she started participating in organized soccer at the age of two.
Throughout her teenage years, Gaetino shone for the Michigan Hawks in the Elite Clubs National League, winning a national championship in 2017 and a whole heap of individual accolades, which included the Midwest Player of the Year award in 2019.
Unsurprisingly, she was a top-rated college recruit and she continued to thrive at Notre Dame, even with the switch from the forward line to defense. During her four years in Indiana, Gaetino was a two-time First Team All-American, a two-time Hermann Trophy semi-finalist and a two-time ACC Defender of the Year.
AdvertisementParis Saint-GermainThe big break
Gaetino was expected to be a top pick in January’s NWSL Draft after such an impressive college career, but she opted for a different path. Through adidas, she had some training opportunities at the facilities of Real Madrid and Lyon, and found the soccer culture in Europe “amazing”. Soon enough, she secured a trial at PSG and knew that was where she wanted to be.
“I just immediately felt like it was a place where I would grow tremendously and that it would take me to the next level, so when I got an offer to play here, I knew I couldn't turn it down,” she explained.
GettyHow it's going
Gaetino only made her PSG debut in mid-February, but she's already had a telling impact at the club, becoming a regular starter almost immediately and netting her first goal in the first leg of the UWCL quarterfinal clash with Hacken.
“I've rarely seen anyone, at that age, come to a different country where they don't speak the language, and be that settled within like a week,” team-mate Jackie Groenen said this week. “She's been doing ridiculously well. She's got the talent, she's got the calmness that we needed in the back as well. She brought us a bit of extra depth there and she's been doing great.”
Gaetino's performances haven’t gone unnoticed across the pond either, earning her that maiden USWNT call-up for the SheBelieves Cup in April, though her senior international debut is still to come.
USA TODAY SportsBiggest strengths
There’s a lot to like about Gaetino’s game. A towering presence with great strength, she has all the physical attributes to be a top center-back, and she believes her previous experience further up the pitch has helped her adapt to the new role, too, with her certainly boasting a good understanding of what a forward will look to do.
Gaetino’s attacking instincts are also a real asset when she is in possession. When she picks up the ball, she always looks to break the lines, whether that is with her passing or a driving run forward. “I think that I offer a very attack-minded perspective on the game,” she noted. “I feel as if that differentiates me from some other center-backs.”
But to talk to the 21-year-old is to realise that her attitude, her mentality and her desire to learn are all really positive traits as well, the kinds of which are not apparent by simply watching her on the pitch. Gaetino prepares in detail for her matches, and she also values the use of film highly.
“I watched a lot of film when I initially was transitioning into the center-back position. I primarily would watch Virgil van Dijk from Liverpool. I really like the way that he defends, and he's also very tall like me, so seeing how he uses his physical abilities and trying to mimic that,” she explained.
“One of the best things that helps me learn is watching my film immediately after I play. I have an idea in my mind of what I was seeing on the field and then also having a bird's eye view of what was actually going on and where the spaces were, so that when I'm in those situations again, I know what's going on and what the field actually looks like, instead of what's directly in front of me.”