Soccer <\/p>\n
Austin FC<\/a> were some 800 miles from home, locked in a tight battle with St. Louis CITY SC<\/a> on a sunny afternoon at Energizer Park, one of MLS\u2019s louder and more imposing atmospheres. And Myrto Uzuni<\/a> offered real-time feedback to his fellow Designated Player out on the right wing, Osman Bukari<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cIn that moment, with Buka, I was calling him all the time, \u2018pass me the ball,\u2019 because two times before, he shot the ball. So I was telling him, \u2018pass me the ball, because I\u2019m alone. Don\u2019t put your head down,’\u201d the Albanian striker told reporters postgame.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Buka listened to me, because I see better.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, Bukari dribbled into the St. Louis penalty box, cut past a defender and squared the ball to an unmarked Uzuni, who fired a deflected finish past Ben Lundt<\/a> \u2013 his opening goal in MLS, the game-winner in a 1-0 ATX victory<\/a> during their strong start to the 2025 campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cI read the game better, because I see everything. So Buka passed me the ball,\u201d added Uzuni. \u201cI think this was a big win. To win three games in a row is not easy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Austin\u2019s new marksman is not short on confidence, and with good reason. Uzuni has scored everywhere his career his taken him to date, from Albania to Greece, Croatia, Hungary and most recently Spain, where he won the Segunda Divisi\u00f3n’s Pichichi (top scorer) trophy to help Granada earn promotion to LaLiga in 2023 and eventually became the club\u2019s all-time leading scorer across just three seasons in Andalusia.<\/p>\n Uzuni got a fleeting taste of Spain\u2019s vaunted top flight, as Granada were narrowly relegated last season. But \u2018El Gran\u00e1\u2019 looked poised to push for a quick return in 2024-25, with Uzuni leading the charge. So why did he decide it was time for move on and start a new adventure in MLS \u2013 even when his old club strived to keep him, reportedly forcing Austin to pay the full $12.3 million release clause to secure his services<\/a>?<\/p>\n In a word: glory.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Granada, I win everything: Best player, No. 10, captain, top scorer, champion. I win everything. My name is there. I broke records with one club \u2013 100 years old, broke records,\u201d Uzuni explained during a one-on-one conversation with MLSsoccer.com, with Saturday’s visit from defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy<\/a> on the horizon (1:45 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+<\/a>; FOX, FOX Deportes).<\/p>\n \u201cI come here to put my name here in Austin, know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n Once Uzuni understood Austin\u2019s vision for him via conversations with sporting director Rodolfo Borrell, he only had eyes for MLS, even despite Granada\u2019s hesitance.<\/p>\n \u201cI speak with my family. My family was there, because we were celebrating the new year,\u201d he explained. \u201cMy father told me, \u2018You go, you go. You have to put your name. You put your name here, you win everything. You have to go there, put your name. The most important is what you leave behind when you finish the football.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Myrto Uzuni, man of few words: “I didn’t come (to Austin) to relax. I came to make history.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/tRjjcDjkKI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Eric Goodman (@Goodman) February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The Verde & Black\u2019s new reinforcement has always been going places, always on the grind. When he was just 10, his family emigrated from Albania to Greece \u2013 a three-day journey, on foot \u2013 crossing into the European Union in search of greater opportunities, going deep into debt to open that door. Eventually they settled on the island of Zakynthos, where stunning natural beauty fosters a strong tourism industry.<\/p>\n Early in his academy career, young Myrto worked at the same restaurant as his parents after his training sessions. Soccer, he believed, was the best chance at escaping poverty.<\/p>\n \u201cI never had a good childhood,\u201d Uzuni said. \u201cThe only solution was a football.<\/p>\n \u201cMy story is not that easy,\u201d he explained. \u201cBecause we didn’t have nothing. We were at zero. And when we go in Greece, we were minus zero, because you pay the rent and this is everything. So the only solution at home was me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Mir\u00ebsevini n\u00eb Austin, Myrto! ???????? pic.twitter.com\/qmEHQSpR3x<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Austin FC (@AustinFC) February 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That confidence he flashed in St. Louis has deep roots \u2013 functioning as armor and fuel for the journey he took to get here. He recalls a moment around age 15 which bolstered his faith that a professional career might be within reach, when he drew the attention of scouts from Manchester City and Chelsea hunting for talent. \u201cYou have a diamond,\u201d he remembers one telling his father.<\/p>\n Piraeus powerhouse Olympiacos took an interest, but without Greek citizenship, he lacked the paperwork required to sign on. So he returned to Albania to take the next step in his career, breaking into the first team at KF Tomori, his hometown club in Berat, as a teenager. Transfers to bigger Albanian clubs soon followed; first Apolonia, then La\u00e7i.<\/p>\n His first move abroad was to Croatian club NK Lokomotiva; 36 goal contributions across two seasons earned him a shot with Hungarian notables Ferencv\u00e1ros. There he grabbed international headlines during their upstart run in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League, scoring a goal against Cristiano Ronaldo\u2019s Juventus and mimicking the Portuguese legend\u2019s signature celebration \u2013 but as a tribute, not a troll, later explaining to CR7<\/a> that he was his idol before swapping jerseys postgame.<\/p>\n It was the sort of moment that can vindicate a lifetime of struggle and sacrifice, to say nothing of raising his profile, a prelude to his move to the bright lights of Spain. Uzuni, though, is just as likely to point to more personal milestones, like buying a house for his parents back in Albania, and another for his sister and her family to boot.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, because my family was with me when I didn’t have nothing,\u201d he said. \u201cSo they’re the only people who see me growing up with no food, and I put my name in every country I’ve been in \u2013 in Croatia, in Hungary, in Spain. That’s why I want to put my name here, because the most important is, when you finish the football, what you leave behind you. The most important is the name you put.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t want the kids of my sister growing up like me with no food, nothing,\u201d he added. \u201cSo everything is great now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Myrto Uzuni hit the CR7 celebration after scoring against Juve yesterday.<\/p>\n 15 minutes later, Ronaldo answered back with his 131st UCL goal.<\/p>\n They swapped shirts at full-time ???? pic.twitter.com\/lzHKreKPBc<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 B\/R Football (@brfootball) November 25, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The Uzuni family\u2019s decision to cross borders in search of a better life is a familiar story among the Balkan nations. The vicious internecine wars of the 1990s, combined with the economic inequality between the former Soviet bloc and their Western counterparts, forced many to leave home, creating a large diaspora and a powerful collective experience.<\/p>\nNew challenge<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Long journey<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Persistence pays off<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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