Former Seattle United player makes professional strides in Italy

Claudio Vaughn currently plays for Virtus Matino, a club featuring in Serie D and based in Puglia, Italy. He signed his first professional contract earlier this year after several trials in Italy, and as one of our former standouts in the 2003 age group, Claudio represented Seattle United from age 10 – 16 in competitions such as the RCL, Surf Cup, and Far-West Regionals before going abroad.

We sat down with Claudio to get an update as he continues his journey in professional soccer.

Seattle United: How are you enjoying it so far in Italy? How did you eventually get there and who did you play for while in Europe?

Claudio Vaughn: I am absolutely loving Italy! The culture around soccer is unreal and unheard of compared to the US. I began my journey at Tovo Academy in Barcelona, where I spent a year, and it really began my love for European soccer. After that year, I was forced to return home due to the Covid and the worldwide lockdowns. Throughout my time in lockdown, I used all the tools I had learned in Spain and throughout my life, preparing for my planned return to Italy.

When I finally traveled to Italy, I began with a trial at Lecce Primavera (U-19). I also went to Bari Primavera (U-19) because it was close to where I had relatives, and I spent almost 3 months with them. During that time, I was trying to sign and the club were very keen to sign me as well. However, in the end, FIFA denied my signing for reasons that are still unknown.

I then contacted an agent who exposed me to even greater opportunities with some clubs whose first teams where in Serie D. From there, I was allowed to trial with Brindisi Calcio, with whom I then went on to sign my first professional contract.

SU: Where are you currently playing?

CV: I have since moved on to a better club and I currently play with Virtus Matino, who is in Serie D (fourth division) in Girone B (group B). The town heavily supports them and, like many Italian teams, have die-hard fans. In Serie D, there are rules that require a minimum of 4 youth players playing at a time, unlike series C, B, and A. Serie D as a whole is a very physical league and competitive league. This causes the league and each Girone to be very competitive and all teams are desperate to win the league and to be promoted to Serie C.

SU: What is the Italian style of play like? How is it different than the US?

CV: The Italian style of play is completely different from the style I have previously seen in both the US and Spain. It is more defensive and thus is why most of Italy uses the 3-5-2 or a similar variation (allowing for an easy shift into a 5-man backline). They definitely have a lot of emphasis on the formation and tactics. Managers certainly don’t change for the players—it’s up to you to fit into their system!

The fans here are also really intense; after one game where we lost, they stormed into the training facility to demand answers from the club president!

SU: That does sound intense! Finally, give us some of your fondest memories of playing for Seattle United, and what advice do you have for our young players?

CV: I grew up playing soccer with Seattle United and enjoyed my time there very much. I had so many great memories from those years; however, my favorite must have been Surf Cup 2015. That tournament was full of emotions and crazy moments that brought us to the final. That was a very special team as many I had been with sense Dev (U10), and not to mention the amazing coach we had in Alex Chursky. Another moment that I will never forget was in 2017, as that year I was moved down from Copa to Tango. That was the year that I learned a life lesson that has been key to what I’ve done every day since. That is, if you want to achieve your goals and dreams, you must be willing to make sacrifices and consistently work hard to achieve them. One of my most rewarding moments at Seattle United was scoring the game-winner against that very same Copa team I was not selected for!

SU: That is a great message of being resilient. Claudio, thanks for taking the time to update us on your professional journey. We at the club wish you all the best and will be on the lookout for more of you in years to come!

CV: My pleasure! Thanks for the interview and I wish all my former teammates and clubmates all the success with their teams!