Striker Moses Danto recently signed with Calgary Foothills FC for the upcoming Premier Development League season with the ultimate goal of becoming a professional footballer.
“It’s really exciting, what they’re doing here,” says Danto, following a pre-season friendly match against FC Edmonton academy at the Foothills fieldhouse last month in which he scored four goals. “I’m just looking forward to having fun playing here. This is a step towards where I want to be. I want to catch eyes.”
Foothills FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. is excited to have the 23-year-old Sudanese-born forward in his squad for the upcoming PDL season.
“He’s a handful, isn’t he?” says Wheeldon. “He’s fast. He’s powerful. He’s skillful. He knows where the goal is. He can score right foot, left foot, with his head. He can take players on one v one. He can come and link up the play.”
Calgary Foothills FC’s Moses Danto. Photo: ©Stuart Gradon/Total Soccer Project
And Wheeldon believes there’s still room for improvement and doesn’t shirk his and his staff’s responsibility to help the young forward push on to the next level.
“Now what we’ve got to give him is the tactical decision making – when and where to do his magic,” says Wheeldon. “If he’s willing to listen and learn, which I believe he is, there’s no stopping that lad.”
It appears Danto, who has represented Canada at U17 level, has quickly bought in to Wheeldon’s philosophy of continuing to develop as an individual and as a member of the team.
Entertaining brand of football
“(I want to) score goals, obviously – win and improve as a team,” replies Danto, when asked about his objectives for the upcoming season. “We’re building something special here and our goal is to make people amazed.”
Wheeldon agrees that Danto will be contributing to the entertaining brand of football the club is expecting to produce this season.
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“These leagues are made for him. The lad is dangerous. He’ll be a crowd pleaser. He’s going to score a bagful of goals for us this year. He’s going to be fun to watch.”
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And Moses Danto believes those traits will carry him through to becoming a professional next year, when the Canadian Premier League (CPL) is set to launch in April 2019.
“The CPL is coming, so I want to get in there. I want to do all the things that kids my age dream of doing.”
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Calgary Foothills FC competes in the Premier Development League, which begins in May, and will be playing their home games in Okotoks this season. Purchase tickets for the 2018 season here.
Follow Stuart Gradon: @StuartGradon | Follow Total Soccer Project: @TSoccerProject
